System Information Unit

Contents

• Description
• Compatibility
• Installation
• Known Issues
• Update History
• License and Disclaimer
• About the Author

Description

This unit provides a component and a group of routines that provide information about the user's somputer system. The information falls into three broad categories:

• computer information - computer name, current used name.
• system folders information - Program Files, Common Files, Windows, System and Temp folders.
• operating system information - platform, product name, version, service packs etc.

Compatibility

This component has been tested with Delphi 2, 3 and 4. It may work correctly in Delphi 5 but this has not been tested.

The help file provided with the components is not compatible with Delphi 2.

Installation

In these instructions $(DELPHI) is to be taken to represent the path where the appropriate version of Delphi was installed. For example, if you have Delphi 2 installed on the default installation path then $(DELPHI) is equivalent to C:\Program Files\Borland\Delphi 2.0.

This software is distributed in .zip files. Names of the file may vary. The following instructions assume the file is named pjsysinfo.zip. If your distribution is named differently just substitute the name in the following instructions.

Installation with Delphi 2

Note that although the provided help file gives information about using the component it cannot be linked into the Delphi 2 environment.

1. Unzip the file pjsysinfo.zip into a folder, preserving the directory structure.
2. Copy the files PJSysInfo.pas and PJSysInfo.dcr to the folder from where you wish to install the component into the Delphi Component Palette. This will probably be an existing folder where you keep the library components - say the default $(DELPHI)\lib folder.
3. Start Delphi. Select the Options | Install Components menu option. Click the Add button, then the Browse button and navigate to the PJSysInfo.pas file in the folder where you placed it. Click OK to recompile the components library.
4. You can now delete PJSysInfo.pas from the place where you copied it if you wish. The component will appear on a palette called DelphiDabbler.

Installation with Delphi 3 to 7

1. Unzip the file pjsysinfo.zip into a folder.
2. Copy the files PJSysInfo.pas and PJSysInfo.dcr to where you wish to install into Delphi. This will probably be a sub-folder of the $(DELPHI)\lib folder.
3. Install the unit's components and property editor into the palette by chosing the Component | Install Component menu option to display the Install Component dialog box. Then:
   • Select the Into existing package tab.
   • Click the Browse button next to the Unit file name edit box to display the Unit file name dialog box.
   • Select PJSysInfo.pas from the file dialog and click OK to return to the Install Component dialog box.
   • Choose the package into you wish to install from the Package file name drop down list.
   • Click OK.
   • A confirmation dialog box, querying whether it is OK to rebuild and reinstall the package may displayed. Click Yes to proceed.
   • The package will now be built and a dialog box stating that the TPJSysInfo component has been installed should be displayed. Click OK to dismiss the dialog box.
4. You can now delete PJSysInfo.pas from the place where you copied it if you wish (but ensure that the .dcu file is not deleted). The component will appear on a palette called DelphiDabbler. The other code in the unit can be made available simply by use-ing the unit in your projects. You can move the components to a different palette as required.
5. The simplest way to install the help file is to use my Component Help Installer Expert. To install manually, proceed as follows:
   • Copy PJSysInfo.hlp to whichever folder you wish to install it to.
   • In Delphi 3 to 6 (where X is the Delphi version 3..6):
     • Edit DelphiX.ohl (in $(DELPHI)\Help), adding the line :Link PJSysInfo.hlp to the end of the section labelled "Third party help".
     • Edit DelphiX.ohi (in $(DELPHI)\Help), adding the line :Index DelphiDabbler System information=PJSysInfo.hlp towards the end of the index section.
     • Edit DelphiX.cnt (in $(DELPHI)\Help), ensuring that the lines :Include delphiX.ohi and :Include delphiX.ohl appear somewhere in the file.
   • In Delphi 7
     • Edit D7.ohl (in $(DELPHI)\Help), adding the line :Link PJSysInfo.hlp to the end of the section labelled "Third party help".
     • Edit D7.ohi (in $(DELPHI)\Help), adding the line :Index DelphiDabbler System information=PJSysInfo.hlp towards the end of the index section.
     • Edit D7.cnt (in $(DELPHI)\Help), ensuring that the lines :Include d7.ohi and :Include d7.ohl appear somewhere in the file.
   • Using RegEdit open the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Help and add a new string value named PJSysInfo.hlp whose value is the path where you copied the help file (probably ($DELPHI)\Help).

Known Issues

None to date.

Update History

Release 1.0 of 10/11/2001
PJSysInfo v1.0 of 10/11/2001

• Original version.

Release 1.1 of 25/11/2001
PJSysInfo v1.1 of 25/11/2001

• Added functions and component properties to retrieve Program Files and Common Files folders.

Release 1.2 of 30/06/2003
PJSysInfo v1.2 of 30/06/2003

• Updated palette name to "DelphiDabbler" from "PJ Stuff".
• Added support for Windows 2003 server to OS detection functions.
• Removed requirement for Registry unit by accessing registry via Windows API where required.
• Made TOSVersionInfoEx record definition into packed record.
• GetOSProduct, GetOSProductType & GetOSServicePack updated according to latest example on MSDN.
• Used resource strings for exception messages.
• Updated help file.
• Added demo application.

License & Disclaimer

This component is copyright © P.D.Johnson, 2001-2003.

The source code and help files can be freely distributed on a not-for-profit basis providing that:

1. the source code is not altered.
2. this readme file is distributed with it unchanged

By not-for-profit I mean that you may recover out of pocket expenses incurred in distributing the code, but should not make a profit from this.

If you discover any bugs in this implementation, or if you have any update suggestions, please contact via my website.

Please do modify the code for you own use. I'd like to see any changes you make - I could incorporate them into future versions. Please notify me of changes on at the above e-mail address.

This software is provided as is - no warranty is given as to its suitability for any purposes to which you may wish to put it.

About the Author

I'm Peter Johnson - a hobbyist programmer living in Ceredigion in West Wales, UK, writing mainly in Delphi. My programs are available for download on my web-site: http://www.delphidabbler.com/.

I can be contacted via the website.