Tomes of Delphi: Win 32 Shell API (Wordware Delphi Developer's Library) [Illustrated] [Paperback]

But This book, the Shell API has everything I ever wanted in a Delphi Win32 API reference. This is a fabulous reference indeed. Using Win API functions some times can be easier to impliment than understanding complex Delphi structures, and some don't offer the flexibility you want, and others suffer from speed in the translation between Delphi and API. This book shows you very well how to put that "one little add on" into your Delphi Applications you need to make it work the way you want, without having to muddle things up with a huge component of which you only need one part.

This book also deals with the basics, explaing the ideas of programming API in Delphi, explaining the basics of fundamental things like Callback Functions as well as the basics of handles, constants and strings in Windows, even a bit on Unicode.

It has sections on:

Window Movement functions, with everything you ever wanted to do to a window in one line or less <G>

Windows Information Functions, with wonderful calls to obtain information on the status or information of any window, including Setting parent and so on.

File IO, while Delphi handles File IO well, this excels at finding the information on the information in Files, including flushing file buffers, on change notifications, Locking files, and so on.

Input Functions: A rather bare bones section o n getting data from windows (carets, cursurs, etc), Mouse joystick, and Keyboard data. Would have been nice for Serial and USB information...

String and Atom functions: Dealing with formatting of strings which probably doesn't meet with the flexability of Delphi itself, but is helpful in those rare circumstances.

Clipboard Manipulation Functions: A wealth of dealing with the clipboard in Windows, one of the great sections of the book.

System INformation Functions: Getting almost anything you want to know about the system, this is VERY valuable information indeed.

Icons, Cursor, and Caret functions: Of all the things I hated, was the inability to mess directly with the windows icons/carets and so on effectively in Delphi. This offers Everything you could possibly ever need to create Icon's on the fly, setting the cursor, hiding the caret and more.

Help Functions: Explains the WinHelp architecture, shows how to create an HTML help file.

Shell File Functions: This, is why you should buy this book more than anythihng else. The information in here is extensive Dealing with all kinds of storage, streams and so on in a Delphi manner (streams were always oddly implimented in Delphi to me).

Shell Folder Functions: Another Must Have, this is just fabulous stuff including querrying the Recycling bin, browsing for folders, getting settings of folders, and so on.

Shell Extension Functions: Teaches you the basics, URL hooking, copy, shell executing, Drag-Drop handling, and more.

Specialized Shell Functions: From control panel message handling, writing control panel applications, application bars, and more.

INcluded is also a very helpful reference of all the windows Data Types, as well as a total Virtual Key code chart (very helpful), and something called the Tertiary Raster Operation Code Chart, which I don't know what it is, but hey it's extensive as heck!

Well worth the money, this is a must have book. Should have been published BEFORE the Core API book in my opinion, but the wait was well worth it.

Ed Williams