Several months back, we had a meeting on XML and I promised a "Part II" that would go into web services. That will finally be fulfilled at our next regular semi-monthly meeting.

This month, the trials and tribulations of creating and running DLLs in Delphi will be discussed. We will talk about whether or not you really need DLLs, how to handle versioning, and interface design.

PRESENTER:

We don't have a formal presentation planned, but will discuss whatever topics arise from the group. Delphi on a laptop will be available to write sample programs wherever the night's discussion takes us.

This month we'll explore some custom-written non-visual components that have been useful in several projects, encapsulating common functionality for ease of use and consistency. This isn't a new topic, but is a great starting point to discuss unit testing. Unit testing is not a new topic either, but one that more people should look at.

Studying these two topics together could branch in various directions, depending on questions and preferences from the audience. We may even continue the discussion at our March meeting if need be or dive into more detailed areas of study.

Quality Assurance is the elusive goal of every product manager--and the bane of every programmer. OK, I don't know that for sure, but producing bug-free applications can drive a programmer crazy if he has to work with loose guidelines or tight time-constraints. But aren't those both par for the course?

We don't have a formal presentation this month, but instead will discuss a few topics that may include the following (based on audience preference):

• Utilities written in Delphi
• How to call a web service
• CodeGear's RAD Studio 2007
  What is Blackfish SQL?
• Others?

PRESENTER:

Starting with Delphi 2006, the base product has a VERY cool feature previously only available in 3rd-party add-on products such as Code Rush and Castalia. The feature is Live Templates and allows the user to write macros with customized paramters. It is a great productivity enhancement and is much more powerful than many people realize.

With Live Templates you can:

• fix typos automatically;
• insert large code snippets with a couple of keystrokes;
• remind yourself of obtuse parameter options;
• greatly speed up coding.

Experience the CodeGear products first-hand in Portland!

You will be provided with a CodeGear update, as well as presentations and demonstations showcasing the new products.

Did anyone "attend" the virtual CodeGear conference last week, CodeRage? There were some good sessions, although I didn't have time to listen in on all I wanted to. If you missed any of them, they're all available at the CodeRage web site.

There is no planned presentation tonight. However, if you want to influence this year's schedule, discuss programming concepts, debate politics, or hear some home remodeling stories, meet me at the Lorenzen Center Monday night. I'll be there around 5:30 PM.

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