Online Delphi manuals

When you look at the History of Delphi (software) – Wikipedia, the real innovation – including Borland Kylix – was during the Early Borland Years fading later with three temporary surges, the first being the Delphi .NET support introduced in Delphi 7 and Delphi 8 happening too late during the Later Borland Years, then during the Embarcadero Years support for Unicode and Generics both in Delphi 2009 and followed by a the struggle of their cross platform compilers and (externally bought) FireMonkey vector-based GUI support independent from the Windows API in the XE series of Delphi versions. The Idera Years did not bring any real innovation: just minor updates presented as major ones.

This went hand-in hand with their then flagship relational database InterBase dwindling down after first open sourcing InterBase version 6 in 2000, then closed sourcing it again (sparking the Firebird database development ) with latest versions were years apart: 2020, 2017 and XE7.

This more or less stalled innovation means that older Delphi manuals and books stay relevant despite their physical copies having been long out of print, and made their way as PDF files on the internet.

So, for my link archive:

• [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 5/Delphi 5 – Object Pascal Language Guide.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 6/Delphi 6 – Developer’s Guide.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] Index of /pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/

  as it has many books; I will only cover a few in these directories:

  • [Wayback/Archive] Index of /pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi/
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi/Delphi – Object Pascal Language Guide.pdf (which – being from 2001, I think is for Delphi 6)
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi/Delphi – Delphi Technical Reference Card 7.22.pdf and its slightly older cousin [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi/Delphi – Technical Reference Card 7.20.pdf

      The reason I like this is that the most recently archived original [Wayback/Archive] Gulf Coastal Software indicates there indeed was a version 7.22, but the Wayback Machine does not have it archived (the most recently archived file is from 2001 and back then it did not have a version number) despite the site being listed in [Wayback/Archive] Offer of Massive Freeware Abandonware via Wayback Machine>>> — WinWorld.

    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi/Delphi – Borland Kylix for Linux developer%27s guide.pdf
  • [Wayback/Archive] Index of /pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 5/ besides this single English Delphi manual:
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 5/Delphi 5 – Object Pascal Language Guide.pdf

    also has copies of these German Delphi manuals:

    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 5/Delphi 5 – Einführung.pdf
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 5/Delphi 5 – Entwicklerhandbuch.pdf
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 5/Delphi 5 – Sprachreferenz.pdf
  • [Wayback/Archive] Index of /pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 6/ had two English Delphi manuals:
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 6/Delphi 6 – Developer’s Guide.pdf
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 6/Delphi 6 – QuickStart.pdf

    and a single German Delphi manual:

    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 6/Delphi 6 – Einführung.pdf
  • [Wayback/Archive] Index of /pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 7/ has these English Delphi manuals:
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 7/Delphi 7 – Component Writer’s Guide.pdf
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 7/Delphi 7 – Developer’s Guide.pdf
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 7/Delphi 7 – Quick Start.pdf
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 7/Delphi 7 – Tutorial – Creating a CLX Database Application.pdf
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 7/Delphi 7 – VCLHierarchyPoster.pdf

    it also has this book (newer versions get regular updates and are actually better than the on-line documentation):

    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 7/Delphi 7 – Mastering Delphi 7.pdf
  • [Wayback/Archive] Index of /pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 8/ only has one book:
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 8/Delphi 8 – Migrating Delphi applications to the Microsoft .NET Framework with Delphi 8.pdf
  • [Wayback/Archive] Index of /pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 2005/ has more manuals, but far fewer of of worse quality than the Delphi 7 and lower materials:
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 2005/Delphi 2005 – Help.pdf
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 2005/Delphi 2005 – Delphi 2005 Overview.pdf
    • [Wayback/Archive] https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 2005/Delphi 2005 – Reference.pdf (which starts with a trimmed down Language Guide lacking for instance the BNF like syntax diagrams)
    • [Wayback/Archive] theswissbay.ch/pdf/Gentoomen Library/Programming/Delphi/Delphi 2005/Delphi 2005 – Reviewer’s Guide.pdf

  They can likely be found back in [Archive] The Gentoomen Library : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive and [Wayback/Archive] X-Files which seems even richer in content.

• [Wayback/Archive] Index of /public/docs/other/_New/Books/Lang/Delphi/ has English versions of the Delphi 5 and Delphi 6 editions of the Delphi Developer’s Guide series, and the Russian one for the Delphi 5 edition:
  • [Wayback/Archive] Index of /docs/Delphi5-6Developer’sGuide/Ebooks/d5dg having all chapters in separate PDF files of Delphi 5 Developer’s Guide
  • [Wayback/Archive] Index of /docs/Delphi5-6Developer’sGuide/Ebooks/d6dg having all chapters in separate PDF files of Delphi 6 Developer’s Guide
  • [Wayback/Archive] box.cs.istu.ru/public/docs/other/_New/Books/Lang/Delphi/Delphi 5 Developers Guide vol1 (Rus).pdf
  • [Wayback/Archive] box.cs.istu.ru/public/docs/other/_New/Books/Lang/Delphi/Delphi 5 Developers Guide vol2 (Rus).pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] box.cs.istu.ru/public/docs/other/_New/Books/IDE/Kylix/Borland Kylix Developer guide.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] www.win.tue.nl/~wstomv/edu/delphi/DelphiLanguageGuide.pdf (which is the Delphi 2005 Reference and has since then moved to [Wayback/Archive] wstomv.win.tue.nl/edu/delphi/DelphiLanguageGuide.pdf)
• [Wayback/Archive] www.learndelphi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DelphiLanguageGuide-10.3-Rio-CreativeCommons-LearnDelphi.org_.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] 00_计算机书籍名称 – volcanol – 博客园 has many filenames I want to look for in the future (for instance there must be a CLXHierarchyPoster.pdf next to the above VCLHierarchyPoster.pdf)
  • [Wayback/Archive] bcb6clxposter.pdf – C++Builder 6 – E-book – JoePapa – Chomikuj.pl has these posters behind a download wall, but later I found them back at
    • [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/cbuilder6/EN/bcb6clxposter.pdf
    • [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/cbuilder6/EN/bcb6vclposter.pdf

  Later, I found exactly one archived version of the CLXHierarchyPoster.pdf via [Archive] Wayback Machine: query CLXHierarchyPoster.pdf in collection of PDFs:

  • [Wayback/Archive] programare.ase.ro:80/Programare%201/CLXHierarchyPoster.pdf (the file itself is gone, but the Wayback Machine has it) next to
  • [Wayback/Archive] programare.ase.ro:80/Programare%201/VCLHierarchyPoster.pdf (same as for the above file)
• [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/cbuilder6/EN/CB6_DevelopersGuide_EN.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/cbuilder6/EN/CB6_ObjPascalLangGuide_EN.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/radstudio2007/RS2007_helpupdates/HUpdate4/DE/pdf/devcommon.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/radstudio2007/RS2007_helpupdates/HUpdate4/EN/pdf/devcommon.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/radstudio2007/RS2007_helpupdates/HUpdate4/FR/pdf/devcommon.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/radstudio2007/RS2007_helpupdates/HUpdate4/JA/pdf/devcommon.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/delphiAndcpp2009/HelpUpdate1/DE/pdf/devcommon.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/delphiAndcpp2009/HelpUpdate1/EN/pdf/devcommon.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/delphiAndcpp2009/HelpUpdate1/FR/pdf/devcommon.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/delphiAndcpp2009/HelpUpdate1/JA/pdf/devcommon.pdf
• [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/delphiAndcpp2009/HelpUpdate1/EN/pdf/genericcollections.pdf (no translations)
• [Wayback/Archive] docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/delphiAndcpp2009/HelpUpdate2/EN/pdf/devcommon.pdf (no translations either)
• More of these via
  • [Wayback/Archive] RAD Studio Product Documentation – Embarcadero Technologies (which posts the Delphi 7 for Windows Object Pascal Guide as the above CB6_ObjPascalLangGuide_EN.pdf which finally gave me the answer: that guide did not get updated for Delphi 7 and up)
  • https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/*

I think it was Delphi 8 that was the first version without paper manuals, and was not surprised with [Wayback/Archive] Delphi ‘Product Documentation’ als gebundes Buch – Delphi-PRAXiS (it helped me remind these were still translated – hence the above links to DE/EN/FR/JA).

Basically the Delphi 2009 documentation are the most recent documents that still print as a book (though without index).

These were never archived in the Wayback Machine but have been on-line in the past:

• docs.codegear.com/docs/radstudio/radstudio2007/RS2007_helpupdates/HUpdate4/EN/pdf/devcommon.pdf
• docs.embarcadero.com/docs/radstudio/radstudio2007/RS2007_helpupdates/HUpdate4/EN/pdf/devcommon.pdf

What helps is to understand that besides codegear->embarcadero this URL replacement also has taken place:

• old: docs.ermbarcadero.com/docs/radstudio/
• new: docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/

This post originally started with queries to complete the Delphi side of Old programming books had cool little “puns” in their references, modern lack them in their indices. On the why, and history of them.

I also found out that in 2013, I covered some of the Delphi 7 and Delphi 6 stuff: More Delphi PDF manuals (via: Cape Cod Gunny Does Delphi: The One Manual Every Delphi Programmer Should Have!)

Queries:

• [Wayback/Archive] “delphi 4” “object pascal language guide” filetype:pdf – Google Suche
• [Wayback/Archive] “Delphi 2005” “Delphi Language guide” – Google Search
• [Wayback/Archive] “object pascal language guide” site:embercadero.com – Google Suche
• [Wayback/Archive] “delphi 2007” “language guide” – Sök på Google
• [Wayback/Archive] delphi 1 language manual filetype:pdf – Google Suche
• [Wayback/Archive] “devcommon.pdf” – Google Suche
• [Wayback/Archive] “CLXHierarchyPoster.pdf” – Sök på Google
• [Archive] Wayback Machine: query CLXHierarchyPoster.pdf in PDF collection
• [Archive] Wayback Machine: query VCLHierarchyPoster.pdf in collection PDFs

--jeroen