PHP - that's the P from LAMP - is essentially a scripting language used inside HTML code to build dynamic web pages. Tonight's talk will be an introduction to PHP. Examples of different coding structures will be given, presented from the perspective of what the PHP equivalent is to the familiar Delphi structures. To illustrate these concepts in a practical way we'll go through the steps to build a simple website for a small store. Along the way we'll also be touching on the A and M from LAMP - the Apache Web server and MySQL database.

If you didn't get your copy of FinalBuilder in February, come to the meeting in April to learn about setting up batch files with command-line compiler options to automate your build tasks. And even if you do have FinalBuilder, come anyway to learn how to use a free, but commercial-quality setup-building tool, InnoSetup.

FinalBuilder is a powerful Automated Build & Release Management tool which makes it easy for software developers to define and maintain a reliable and repeatable build process. FinalBuilder includes integration with version control systems, file and directory operations, iterators, source code compilers, testing tools, database systems, installation tools, as well as actions for deployment over the Internet and CD/DVD burning built in.

Don't forget we'd like to give away a free license of FinalBuilder 4 Professional worth $499 as a door prize.

PRESENTER:

Ed Dressel

There will be no "formal" presentation, but we'll have a couple of laptops available and at least one member will be showing an application that "takes various text files as input, formats them into PDF invoices, statements, etc. and delivers them via email or fax to the customer." We'd be interested to see what others are working on as well, so please come and share.

PRESENTER:

David Cornelius

Dexter is the next version of Delphi, Delphi 2006. It is a 64-bit compiler supporting the latest Win32 and .NET environments. Come learn about the next version of Pascal/C++/C# compilers from Borland and see ECO III in action (it's child's play!).

There will be give-aways, including a copy of Delphi 2006. You won't want to miss it!

PRESENTER:

Anders Ohlsson from Borland Software Corporation (http://borland.com)

The topics that will be covered during this presentation include:

Advantage TDataSet Descendant VCL for .NET, the BDP.NET provider and the native Advantage NET Data Provider. Advantage Database is one of the few database solutions that provide complete support for Delphi 2005.

Advantage Version 8.0 is currently in Beta. The new version includes replication, on-line backup, scripting, transaction savepoints, and a newly re-designed Advantage Data Architect.

This month, instead of a technical presentation, we will meet to discuss how to increase membership and participation. This forum serves an important place in the development community, not only for Delphi developers, but for all programmers. However, with attendance dwindling over the last couple of years, the burden of getting good speakers has risen.

Alessandro Federici from RemObjects Software will present Chrome, the next generation Object Pascal language for the .NET and Mono platforms, and RemObjects Framework, the powerful RAD multi-tier solution.

Lights! Sounds! Monsters!

You know you've always wanted to be writing games instead of... whatever you're getting paid for at the moment. Tonight we'll look at doing graphics in Delphi. The talk will focus on using DirectX for Windows to create 3D graphics and the efforts of the JEDI team to make DirectX more accesable to Delphi programmers. We'll also touch on input (keyboard, joystick, etc.) and perhaps sound.

As for writing Doom 7... well, you have to start somewhere!

PRESENTER:

Because of dwindling attendance, it's been difficult to convince anyone to present to the group. Instead of a formal presentation, David Cornelius will be available with Delphi 5, 6, and 2005 for creating sample applications as the group's discussion leads.