TDigitalDisplay (release 1.1)


This is a digital text display component for Borland Delphi 1.x and 2.x
(TDIGDISP.ZIP file includes separate files for Delphi 1 & 2).

How to install TDigitalDisplay component ?

TDigitalDisplay comes both 16 and 32 bits versions,
for Delphi 1 and 2 respectivly.
You must install correct files, depending your Delphi version.

FOR DELPHI 1 USERS ONLY

	- From DOS session, copies all DIGDISP1 files in directory of your choice
	  (LIB directory is excellent choice!)
	- Then rename all DIGDISP1 files to DIGDISP  (use REN DIGDISP1.*  DIGDISP.*)
	- From Delphi 1 IDE, select Options then Install components from menu.
	- In Components Install dialog box, click on Add button.
 	- In Add Module dialog box, use Browse button to find digdisp.dcu unit file.
	- In Files type list, select Units files (*.dcu)
		I you are registered user, you can select Source files (*.pas).
	- Select disk/directory where DIGDISP files has been copied.
	- Select digdisp.dcu unit (or digdisp.pas if you have source), then click OK.
	- Click OK button from Components Install dialog box, then wait during lib update.

FOR DELPHI 2 USERS ONLY

	- From DOS session, copies all DisgDisp2 files in directory of your choice
	  (LIB directory is excellent choice!).
 	- Rename all DigDisp2 files to DigDisp (use REN  DigDisp2.*  DigDisp.*)
 	- From Delphi 2.0 IDE, select Component, then Install menu command.
	- In Component Install dialog box, click on Add button.
	- In Component Install dialog box, click on Add button.
 	- In Add Module dialog box, use Browse button to find digdisp.dcu unit file.
	- In Files type list, select Units files (*.dcu)
		I you are registered user, you can also select Source files (*.pas).
	- Select disk/folder where DigDisp files has been copied.
	- Select DigDisp file, then click OK.
	- Click OK button from Component Install dialog box, then wait during lib update.

In both Delphi, a new palette page tab nammed 'Camus' is created with TDigitalDisplay
palette icon. You can move DigitalDisplay icon to your favorite palette page tab, then
erase 'Camus' tab.


TDigitalDisplay specific properties
-----------------------------------

All these properties can be changed from both  Inspector window or Delphi sources.


Text
----

The most important property, because it specifies text to display. You can display all letters (automatically converted to uppercase), numbers, space and these symbols:

: . + - $ ! @ # % & * ( ) = / \ ? ; " , ^ _ | { } [ ] < > '  

Tilde ~ character is reserved to color set commands.
Other characters are automatically displayed as space characters.

You can change text color anywere in display with ~ command with following code letter:

	~L	Light green	~A	Aqua
	~T	Teal		~B	Blue
	~G	Dark green	~N	Navy
	~R	Red		~F	Fuchsia
	~M	Marroon		~P	Purple
	~Y	Yellow		~S	Silver
	~O	Olive		~W	White

You can also use "custom" color with ~[RRGGBB] command, where RR is hexadecimal two-digits
for red level, GG for green level and BB for blue level (00=dark, FF=full).

Notes:	- Default color defined in Color property are used until color command found.
	- Color code letter can be specified both upper / lower case.
	- You can use many color change commands in same text!
	- Text length is limited to 255 characters.

Examples:

MyDisplay.Text := 'RUNNIG ON ~bWINDOWS 95 ~sFASTER' ;
will display "RUNNING ON" in defaut color (in Color property), "WINDOWS 95" in blue
color and "FASTER" word in silver color.

MyDisplay.Text := 'CUSTOM ~[FFCF00]ORANGE ';
will display "CUSTOM" word in defaut color (in Color property) and "ORANGE" word in
orange color (set red level to $FF, Green to $CF and Blue to $00 product orange color).


Color
-----

Specifies default color text used to display (until color command.found in text
to display). Default text color is set to clLime (light green), because these color
are often used for electronic displays.

Example:  MyDisplay.Color := clYellow;   set default color to yellow.


Alignment
---------

Specifies how text is aligned into display:

	- taLeftJustify		Left aligned.
	- taRightJustify	Right aligned (useful for numbers vertical alignments).
	- taCenter		centered in display (useful for titles, banners..).

Default Alignment property is set to taLeftJustify (text aligned on left display side).

Example:  MyDisplay.Alignment := taCenter;   set text will be center in display.


Margins
-------

Specifies distance in "pixels unit" where text begin (or end) from display side,
depending of current Alignment property.

	- Distance between left display side and text, if text is left aligned. 
	- Distance between text and right display side, if text is right aligned. 
	- Margins property are ignored if text is centered in display.

Default Margins is set to 0. Value can be set in integer range (-32768 to 32767),
but positives values are highly recommended!

Example:  MyDisplay.Margins := 5;   changes margin to five pixel from display side.


Spacing
-------

Specifies additional distance (in " pixels" unit) between each displayed digits.
Default spacing is 0, but they can be changed to enhance text display, like banners.
Spacing cannot excess 255.

Example:  MyDisplay.Spacing := 2;   set two additional pixels between characters.


Other properties
----------------

Cursor, Height, Hint, Left, Name, Tag, Top and Width are "standard" properties.


Comments
--------

Special tanks to Mr. Rafe Aldridge for his help, comments and improve this
TDigitalDisplay component programming.

Please visit Rafe's page from http://www.rcai.demon.co.uk/
Tanks a lot Rafe !

Author
------

My name is Dominique CAMUS, French computer user (I apologize for English language
faults). Programming Borland Delphi 2.0 is only a hobby (not for professional use now).

Other hobbies are computer games like Doom/Quake games, pinballs, car race and flight
simulators, surfing on Internet, fantastic/fictious movies (I'm X-Files fan), television,
soccer, Formula One races and many other TV sports, but my favorite say...holidays!.

My job consists to manage a Netware network in middle-size company, located near Paris.

If you like Windows games and dice games, a Yahtzee game is coming soon (final available
december, the 15th, 1996) for Windows 95 & NT 4.0 platforms.

Visit my page from http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/3119 for more infos and
downloads. Please E-Mail your comments, suggestions and "bugs report" to:

	docam@worldnet.fr or docam@geocities.com


Agreement
---------

- TDigitalDisplay is distributed as FREEWARE.
- You can use and/or distribute royalty free, but you cannot modify any file.
- Register TDigitalDisplay to get source for only 25 FF (french, or european money only).
- Registered users will receive (by E-Mail only) and can freely modify and/or use all files.


Dominique CAMUS.