Prerequisite: Install VPE Professional from Ideal Software. A 30 day trial is available.
Be sure the <VPE Source Folder>\delphi folder is included in the IDE Library Path.
NB This is the source path for VPE from Ideal Software, not VPE+ the free add-on.
To keep installation of VPE+ as versatile as possible, and allow you to readily make modifications to the code, only the source code files are provided. You must build and install a component package in your IDE... but this is fairly straight forward.
At this time, the installation has not been tried with Delphi versions prior to XE2.
1. Extract the VPE+ source files to a component folder of your choice.
eg \VPEPlus in your component installation folder.
| CONTACT.txt | some contact details |
| GNU General Public License.html | copy of freeware license file in html format |
| GNU General Public License.txt | copy of freeware license file in txt format |
| HISTORY_VPEPLUS.txt | notes on version and change history |
| VPEPlusRegister.pas | component registration unit |
| VPEPlusRegister.res | resource file for VPE+ components |
| VPEfPlusBatchOutput.dfm | form file for batched report selection and output form |
| VPEfPlusBatchOutput.pas | code file for batched report selection and output form |
| VPEfPlusBatchSetup.dfm | form file for report batch print device selection form |
| VPEfPlusBatchSetup.pas | code file for report batch print device selection form |
| VPEfPlusPageSelection.dfm | form file for page range selection form |
| VPEfPlusPageSelection.pas | code file for page range selection form |
| VPEfPlusPaperBinPrompt.dfm | form file for paper bin selection form |
| VPEfPlusPaperBinPrompt.pas | code file for paper bin selection form |
| VPEfPlusPreview.dfm | form file for default report preview form |
| VPEfPlusPreview.pas | code file for default report preview form |
| VPEfPlusSetup.dfm | form file for default report setup form |
| VPEfPlusSetup.pas | code form file for default report setup form |
| VPEfPlusStatus.dfm | form file for default report status form |
| VPEfPlusStatus.pas | code file for default report status form |
| VPEuPlusColumnFrame.pas | code file to output to "newspaper columns" |
| VPEuPlusDevice.pas | code file to manage report print devices & options |
| VPEuPlusFrame.pas | code file for banded report frame components |
| VPEuPlusLabelFrame.pas | code file for the label printing frame |
| VPEuPlusReporting.pas | code file for core ReportInterface component and functionality |
| VPEuPlusTextBlock.pas | code file implementing the "text block" for plain text and rtf |
2. Add the new VPE+ component folder to your IDE Library Path.
3. From the IDE menu, select "Component, Install Component".
For "Units" select all (14) .pas files from the VPE+ base folder.
Check the radio button to "Install into a new package".
Click <Next>.
4. Define the new package.
Use Package Name = "VPEPlus", selecting a folder of your choice
Use Description = "VPE Plus Interface"
Click <Finish>.
5. If prompted (you may not be), include additional files:
When asked to enable the "Visual Component Library" framework, click <Yes>.
When asked to add "vclimg" and "dbrtl", click <OK>.
There may be some variation with installs in different IDEs.
If asked to add VpevclXe2 (or later version) as well, click <OK>.
To remove warnings that VPE_VCL and VPEngine have been "implicitly imported", find and add these (.dcu) files.
(Their location may vary from installation to installation.)
6. Compile error with "Debug Information" setting:
You may get an error with this setting when compiling the demo application under earlier IDEs where the "Debug information" setting is a boolean value rather than the more recent enumerated type. See "Project Options, Delphi Compiler, Compiling" in the Debugging group. Remove the numeric representation and reset the boolean value (as True). The compile error will look something like:
[MSBuild Error] "2" is an invalid value for the "DebugInformation" parameter of the "DCC" task. The "DebugInformation" parameter is of type "System.Boolean".