SplashAbout

SplashAbout Component

by minesadorada@charcodelvalle.com

(New version 1.4.3 - June 2014)

This is a Lazarus visual component that installs on the 'Additional' component palette.

Property page screenshot

Purpose

• If you are fed up of coding splash and about dialogs for minor apps - this component is the easy way to give your apps a good appearance with minimum effort and easy individualisation.
  • When starting a new application, just drop the component onto your form, and in the Form.Create() method, call SplashAbout1.ShowSplash. This will display a splash dialog. Setting a few easy properties will personalise your splash screen.
  • In your Help/About handler, call SplashAbout1.ShowAbout. This will display an 'About' dialog for your application. The 'About' dialog can show buttons to display a 'Licence' dialog and/or a 'Credits' dialog (with scrolling text)
• All dialogs are constructed 'on-the-fly' and destroyed when closed. Thus few extra resources are added to your application.
• For really minimal resource use, the component can optionally use only external files (deployed with your executable)

Features

• Optional shaped splash screen (not Linux) Some built-in shapes or use your own.
• Splash screen can be a jpg with transparent mask (see example app included)
• Can automatically display application version numbers
• Can automatically display LCL/FPC build information
• Can display standard GPL,LGPL,MIT or ModifiedGPL licenses with personalised text
• Able to display splash until ApplicationIdle event (default is fixed number of seconds)
• Able to display scrolling Credits window (Like the Lazarus IDE 'About' dialog)
• Optional pre-splash 'Powered By Lazarus' graphic

How to use in your code

• Drop a SplashAbout component onto your main form (From the 'Additional' components palette)
• In the Form.Create event

   procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
   begin
       SplashAbout1.ShowSplash;
   end;

• In your 'About' button click event

   procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
   begin
       SplashAbout1.ShowAbout;
   end; 

• There are lots of properties to tweak - see the example app included in the archive for ideas.

License

SplashAbout is issued under an LGPL license. Use it as you wish; improve it as you will. (but please give credit)

Download

Click to download: splashabout zipped files Full source code, readme and example apps (Windows and Linux) included in archive.

Installation

• Create a new folder in your lazarus/components folder, and unzip into it
• Install via the Lazarus IDE. (Open splashabout.lpk, then compile and install)
• The new component will be installed in the 'Additional' component palette.

Compatability

• Lazarus 0.9x/1.x/fpc 2.x
• Windows and Linux
• Tested on Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit builds) and Linux 32-bit

Version

Version 1.4.1

Support

Email the author with any queries

See Also

• Standalone Scrolling Text component
• Components and code examples