Version 1.

0 - May 2022

Getting Started
with Python GUI
Using DelphiFMX and DelphiVCL for
Python GUI Development

Jim McKeeth Priyatham

PythonGUI.org
Table of Contents
Introduction 4

Who Should Read This eBook? 4

What is Delphi for Python? 5

A Timeline for Delphi and Python 6

Delphi's DNA Compared to the Zen of Python 7

Which Levels of Development are Home to Delphi and Python? 8

Delphi’s VCL and FireMonkey Libraries 9

Getting Started with Both DelphiVCL for Python and DelphiFMX for Python 10

Installation 10

Testing the Installation 11

VCL Guide 1: An Empty and Simplest App 13

FMX Guide 1: An Empty and Simplest App 15

VCL Guide 2: Hello, DelphiVCL for Python 16

FMX Guide 2: Hello, DelphiFMX for Python 18

VCL Guide 3: TODO Task App 19

FMX Guide 3: TODO Task App 24

Introducing Styles 27

List of included VCL Styles 29

List of included FMX styles 39

Summary 48

About Embarcadero Technologies 49

About PyScripter 49

About Delphi 50
Getting Started with Python GUI: Using DelphiFMX and DelphiVCL for Python eBook

Getting Started with Python GUI:

Using Delphi FMX and VCL for Python
PythonGUI.org

Version 1.0 - May 19, 2022

Copyright © 2022 by Embarcadero Technologies, an Idera, Inc. Company

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About Embarcadero Technologies

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Getting Started with Python GUI: Using DelphiFMX and DelphiVCL for Python eBook

Introduction
Welcome to Python GUI development with DelphiFMX and DelphiVCL. These libraries are
perfect for building native apps for Windows and multiple other platforms with Python. The
libraries are designed for Python developers, and therefore knowledge of Delphi is not required.

This guide provides an overview of the Delphi4Python architecture and platforms, and walks the
reader though installing and using these two libraries:

● DelphiFMX for Python

● DelphiVCL for Python

We also provide demos and code because that's always the fun part. Finally, it will explore what
more is possible by mixing Delphi and Python.

Who Should Read This eBook?

The DelphiFMX and DelphiVCL libraries for Python are powered by Delphi, a programming
language and toolset by Embarcadero. However, using the libraries does not require any
familiarity or experience with Delphi, and is intended for easy use by Python developers. If you
work with Python and want to create great user interfaces, then this guide is for you.

The guide, however, is also useful for Delphi developers who want an introduction to Python
development as well. It is our hope that this guide and the DelphiVCL and DelphiFMX libraries
will help you create amazing graphical user interfaces for your Python projects.

This eBook is a living document, and we will continue to update it, so be sure to check
PythonGUI.org for the latest version. While you are there you may discover some other great
resources to aid in your Python GUI development efforts

Python vs Delphi
The eBook focuses on programming with Python, but also discusses
Delphi as the source for the libraries. It isn’t necessary to choose
one over the other. Both are good programming languages,
and there is room in a programmer’s toolbelt for many
programming languages giving you the
option to use the right tool for the job.
So let’s explore the possibilities of
Unlocked when using these
tools together!

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Python remains a very popular programming language for new developers and in many
specific use cases. The significant characteristics of Python include:

● significantly simpler syntax,

● feels like reading codified English, and

● automatically handles memory leaks.

What is Delphi for Python?

Delphi for Python’s primary focus is to provide free Python modules or bindings of Delphi’s GUI
frameworks to Python developers. There are two different libraries based on Delphi’s two
different frameworks: DelphiVCL, the native library for Windows; and DelphiFMX, for
multiplatform development. This guide focuses on getting you started with both of them.

Delphi for Python

DelphiVCL for Python DelphiFMX for Python

Windows 32-bit and 64-bit only Multi-platform for Windows, Linux, Android,
and macOS
● Windows 8.1 through Windows 11
● Uses GPU for custom rendering
● Earlier versions may work but are not
supported ● Supports most common versions

Based on native Windows components Higher level of abstraction

Includes Windows Handles, Messages, Platform services simplify behaviors

Accessibility, etc.

High-DPI & Custom Styling High-DPI & Custom Styling

Both libraries are powered by the Python for Delphi 1 library, the same technology that powers
the popular PyScripter 2 Python IDE. Python for Delphi is a bi-directional bridge between Python
and Delphi, giving Delphi developers access to everything in the world of Python and bringing
Delphi libraries to Python developers too. Both libraries are available today on GitHub and PIP,
the Python package manager.

1
python4delphi. [online] GitHub. https://github.com/Embarcadero/python4delphi [Accessed 11 May 2022].
2
Download PyScripter Free. https://www.embarcadero.com/free-tools/pyscripter/free-download [Accessed 11 May 2022].

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We support both legacy, prebuilt Python virtual environments and Conda environments.
While the libraries are under active development, they are ready to use today. Go ahead and
start using them, create projects, and file issues on GitHub. We are open to all suggestions.

A Timeline for Delphi and Python

In 1970, Nicklaus Wirth created the Pascal program language based on or influenced by ALGOL
68. It was designed to teach good programming practices, structured programming, and more.
In 1983, Anders Hejlsberg created Turbo Pascal, which was initially called Blue Label Pascal.
The Borland Software Corporation acquired it, hired Hejlsberg, and promoted the Pascal
language. Several Pascal dialects evolved from the original. Then in 1987, the ABC
programming language was born.

ABC was an imperative general-purpose programming language on which Guido van Rossum
worked for a while. He went on in 1991 to make Python, the successor to ABC. In 1995, Delphi, a
dialect of Object Pascal, was introduced as the successor to Pascal. This first release included
a graphical user interface (GUI) framework VCL along with Delphi. Quite a few languages came
out in 1995. In fact, Delphi and Python are about the same age. Later, Python 2.0 and Python 3.0
were released, which moved the Python language forward. And then, in 2011, Delphi introduced
Mac support with the FireMonkey GUI framework for cross-platform support. And in 2013,
support was given to the ARM compiler with Delphi, adding iOS and Android support.

In 2017, Embarcadero released Delphi Tokyo, which brought Linux support. Then, in 2018 Guido
van Rossum stepped down and took a permanent vacation as Python’s “benevolent dictator” for
life. And that brings us to today, where we're going to talk about Delphi for Python.

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Delphi's DNA Compared to the Zen of Python

One of the essential considerations of Delphi is developer productivity. To help them achieve
productivity, it provides:
● A WYSIWYG visual designer to drag and drop components
● A wide range of both visual and nonvisual components and the properties and events
associated with them
● Backward compatibility to older versions of Delphi
● A rich component ecosystem
Developers can quickly make fast, powerful applications using the above.

We want to compare Delphi's DNA with the Zen of Python 3, which has 19 guiding principles that
influence the design of the Python programming language. Let's check out a few of those:
● Beautiful is better than ugly.
● Explicit is better than implicit.
● Simple is better than complex.
● Complex is better than complicated.
● Flat is better than nested.
● Sparse is better than dense.
● Readability counts.
● If the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad idea.
● If the implementation is easy to explain, it may be a good idea.

So in a lot of ways, Delphi and Python share the same philosophies.

What are the differences between Delphi and Python?

Some key differences are these:
● Although commercial licenses are available, Delphi also has a free community edition,
whereas Python is open source.
● Python has garbage collection with reference counting and cycle detection. Delphi has
manual memory management, but it has an ownership model that simplifies it for most
scenarios.
● Delphi is a compiled language, although there are some third-party interpretation
options. In contrast, Python is primarily interpreted with some options to compile it.
● People build for business purposes, business-to-business type software, or internal IT
development using Delphi. Although Python has grown as a general-purpose language,
it's prevalent in research and prototyping machine learning.

3
Peters, T., 2004. PEP 20 – The Zen of Python | peps.python.org. [online] Python Software Foundation.
https://peps.python.org/pep-0020/ [Accessed 10 May 2022].
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Which Levels of Development are

Home to Delphi and Python?

Development, using Delphi or in general, falls into one of these three categories:

1. Low code, with visual components and designers

2. Standard and third-party libraries to implement specific functionalities

3. Raw memory access using pointers or assembly code

Delphi has many low-code tools designed for people who don't want to learn programming and
just want to get something done. Those tools are very visual, so very little code is written and
the focus is on productivity. There are limitations on what you can do at this low-code level. At
the second level, we use common libraries and write programs. Here we can customize more
specific functionality compared to level one. Then you have the lowest level, which is the most
flexible and most powerful but the least productive. Here, you're dealing with raw memory and
pointers by writing assembly language code. You're talking directly to the CPU with archaic
platforms and APIs.

Delphi does an excellent job of combining all three levels of development. Python mainly falls
into the middle level, with vast built-in and third-party libraries. Python has automatic garbage
collectors, whereas Delphi deals with garbage manually. We can extend Python 4 with the C
language. Many third-party Python modules are written in C or C++, which gives you raw
memory management and extends Python’s reach to low-level platform access.

4
Extending Python with C or C++ [online] https://docs.python.org/3/extending/extending.html [Accessed 13 May 2022].

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Python's provision to create extension modules in C and offer Python bindings has made it
the most used language. Furthermore, we can import those extension modules as libraries,
making Python incredibly productive. This is our primary focus area, where we also created
the extension modules for Python that are written in Delphi.

Delphi’s VCL and FireMonkey Libraries

Delphi offers two libraries or frameworks for graphical user interface (GUI) application
development:

● Visual Component Library (VCL)

● FireMonkey (FMX)

VCL was initially released along with the first Delphi back in 1995, focused on Windows. Even
though Delphi is not open source, it shipped with source code, making a huge difference in its
adoption. Delphi is built with the component model for component reuse. It gave all the
developers access to the source code to see how Delphi did that and create their custom
components. So it created a rich ecosystem of components for developers to use. VCL is based
on Windows components, and all of them have handles to intercept messages. A significant
part of the VCL framework wraps standard Windows components. So you have automatic
access to everything that comes with a Windows component, but it adds a layer of abstraction.
VCL simplifies their usage, and you don't have to think about handles, messages, or other
things.

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The FireMonkey framework was released in 2011, as you can see in the timeline above.
FireMonkey is designed from the ground up as a cross-platform GUI framework. It takes
advantage of GPUs. So hardware acceleration uses DirectX on Windows and OpenGL on
other platforms to create very fast, great-looking UIs across platforms. It supports Windows,
Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux. If you know FireMonkey, you can shift to VCL quickly, but
FireMonkey is not hindered by trying to be completely backward compatible with the VCL. It
includes platform services, which help with the abstraction while moving across platforms. As a
result the behaviors and the look and feel automatically adapt to the platform you're running on.

With the recent advancements, Delphi is as fast as C++. We created Python extension modules
for VCL and FireMonkey using the Python for Delphi5 bridge. So these two libraries make up
Delphi for Python, essentially creating:

● DelphiVCL for Python 6

● DelphiFMX for Python 7

Getting Started with Both DelphiVCL for Python

and DelphiFMX for Python
DelphiVCL for Python is a Python binding of Delphi’s native Windows GUI framework-VCL,
whereas DelphiFMX for Python is a binding of a cross-platform GUI framework—FireMonkey
(FMX). The FMX framework supports the most popular operating system platform but VCL is
built specifically for Windows. You don't need to install or know Delphi to develop GUI
applications using both DelphiFMX and DelphiVCL. DelphiFMX provides common functionality
on top of platform-native APIs, whereas DelphiVCL takes advantage of native Windows controls.
The only requirement is installing the delphifmx and delphivcl packages in the Python
environment.

Much of what you learn with either DelphiVCL6 or DelphiFMX7 will also apply to the other
package. While FMX supports Windows as well, you might find some use cases in which you
prefer the lighter-weight VCL framework when creating Windows applications.

Installation
Both package distributions are available via PyPi 8 or by downloading the source via GitHub.
DelphiFMX is compiled for Android32, Android64, Linux64, OSX64, OSXARM64, Win32, and
Win64 and has been tested and working on all the mentioned platforms. DelphiVCL is compiled
only for Windows. All Python versions from 3.6 to 3.10 are supported, including Conda.

5
Embarcadero’s Fork of Python4Delphi. https://github.com/Embarcadero/python4delphi
6
DelphiVCL for Python. GitHub. https://github.com/Embarcadero/DelphiVCL4Python
7
DelphiFMX for Python. GitHub. https://github.com/Embarcadero/DelphiFMX4Python
8
PyPi’s page for Embarcadero. https://pypi.org/user/Embarcadero/
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The easiest way to install is via PIP:

DelphiFMX:
pip install delphifmx

DelphiVCL:
pip install delphivcl

You can also install manually by downloading or cloning the repository from GitHub:
github.com/Embarcadero/DelphiFMX4Python or github.com/Embarcadero/DelphiVCL4Python.
After cloning or downloading, enter the root DelphiFMX4Python or DelphiVCL4Python
folder/directory and open the command prompt or Anaconda prompt with that path. Now install
the package using:

python setup.py install

Testing the Installation

Note: The REPL codes written below for delphivcl are on a Windows-based computer. The
REPL codes for delphifmx can be written on any computer based on Windows/Linux/macOS
operating systems. For the purpose of this tutorial, let’s assume we’re on a Windows-based
computer because it supports both delphivcl and delphifmx package distributions.

After installing the packages using pip, let's enter the Python REPL to understand a few
essential things. Python has a predefined dir() function that lists available names in the local
scope. So, before importing anything, let's check the available names using the dir() function.

>>> dir()
['__annotations__', '__builtins__', '__doc__', '__loader__', '__name__',
'__package__', '__spec__']

Now let's import the installed delphifmx module to validate its installation and check for the
output of the dir() function:

>>> import delphifmx

>>> import delphivcl
>>> dir()
['__annotations__', '__builtins__', '__doc__', '__loader__', '__name__',
'__package__', '__spec__', 'delphifmx', 'delphivcl']

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In the above output list, we have delphifmx and delphivcl as part of the available names
in the local scope. In this case, if we need to use any classes or functions available in the
delphifmx module, we should use a dot (.) operator after it.

>>> dir(delphifmx)[0:45]
['Abort', 'Action', 'ActionList', 'AdapterListView', 'AniIndicator',
'AppearanceListView', 'Application', 'Arc', 'ArcDial',
'BaseBindScopeComponent', 'BaseLinkingBindSource', 'BaseObjectBindSource',
'BasicAction', 'BasicBindComponent', 'BindComponentDelegate',
'BindingsList', 'BitmapTrackBar', 'Bounds', 'Button', 'CalloutPanel',
'CalloutRectangle', 'CameraComponent', 'CaretRectangle', 'CheckBox',
'CheckColumn', 'Circle', 'Collection', 'ColorBox', 'ColorButton',
'ColorComboBox', 'ColorListBox', 'ColorPanel', 'ColorPicker', 'ColorQuad',
'Column', 'ComboBox', 'ComboColorBox', 'ComboEdit', 'ComboEditBase',
'CommonCustomForm', 'Component', 'ContainedAction', 'ContainedActionList',
'ContainedBindComponent', 'Control']
>>> dir(delphivcl)[0:45]
['Abort', 'Action', 'ActionList', 'ActivityIndicator', 'Application',
'BasicAction', 'Bevel', 'BitBtn', 'Bitmap', 'BoundLabel', 'Button',
'Canvas', 'CheckBox', 'Collection', 'ColorBox', 'ComboBox', 'Component',
'ContainedAction', 'ContainedActionList', 'Control', 'ControlBar',
'CreateComponent', 'CustomAction', 'CustomActionList',
'CustomActivityIndicator', 'CustomControl', 'CustomDrawGrid', 'CustomEdit',
'CustomForm', 'CustomGrid', 'CustomMemo', 'CustomStyleServices',
'CustomTabControl', 'CustomToggleSwitch', 'DateTimePicker',
'DelphiDefaultContainer', 'DelphiDefaultIterator', 'DelphiMethod',
'DrawGrid', 'Edit', 'FileOpenDialog', 'Form', 'FreeConsole', 'Graphic',
'GroupBox']

To avoid an enormous list of names, we checked for the first 46 elements only using
dir(delphifmx)[0:45] and dir(delphivcl)[0:45]. Let's check for a few available classes,
functions, and objects. Both packages have the respective names in their scope as you can
observe from the above list of available names.

>>> delphifmx.CreateComponent
<built-in function CreateComponent>
>>> delphivcl.CreateComponent
<built-in function CreateComponent>
>>> delphifmx.Button
<class 'Button'>
>>> delphivcl.Button
<class 'Button'>
>>> delphifmx.Form
<class 'Form'>

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>>> delphivcl.Form
<class 'Form'>
>>> delphifmx.Application
<Delphi object of type TApplication at 557897D1E6A0>
>>> delphivcl.Application
<Delphi object of type TApplication at 557897D1F5C2>

We need to create instances/objects for classes like Button and Form. There are many other
classes and functions but only one object Application instance, which is an existing singleton
instance, ready for use with the dot (.) operator. Application is the source of all GUI
applications that we create.

VCL Guide 1: An Empty and Simplest App

Let's now create a simple GUI application. The code for it is:

from delphivcl import *

Application.Initialize()
Application.Title = "Hello Delphi VCL"
app = Form(Application)
app.SetProps(Caption = "Welcome")
app.Show()
FreeConsole()
Application.Run()
app.Destroy()

Using the above code, we just created an empty GUI app. Please save the above code and run
it to see the following output:

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Let's explore and understand the functionality of the code.

from delphivcl import *

Application.Initialize()
Application.Title = "Hello Delphi VCL"

At first, we imported everything from delphivcl. Then, we initialized the application and set a
title for it. Later, we will create the GUI application window using the following code:

app = Form(Application)
app.SetProps(Caption = "Welcome")

We can refer to all the classes that are part of the import as components. The Form is special
and different as it creates the GUI window containing all other components. We instantiated the
Form with Application as the owner parameter in the above code. All the components,
including Form, have a method setProps() to set their properties. Here we've set Caption that
appears on the title bar of the Form window.

Let's look at the following few lines of the code:

app.Show()

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FreeConsole()
Application.Run()
app.Destroy()

As we created the application and set its properties, we will show it on the screen using the
app.show() code snippet. GUI applications run in interaction with the command window
(console). To make the GUI perform better without lags, we use FreeConsole() to give primary
control to the GUI interface. Application.Run() starts the GUI interaction loop between the
GUI and the user of the GUI application. When we close the GUI application, app.Destroy()
takes care of not crashing it.

FMX Guide 1: An Empty and Simplest App

Let's now create an FMX version of the above-created simplest VCL application. The code for it
is:

from delphifmx import *

Application.Initialize()
Application.Title = "Hello DelphiFMX"
app = Form(Application)
app.SetProps(Caption = "Welcome")
Application.MainForm = app
app.Show()
Application.Run()
app.Destroy()

The differences between the above VCL version of the Simplest app and this FMX code are as
follows:

● Here, we’ve set the Application.MainForm to the Form object. When we create multiple
GUI windows, we need one main form/window to control others. The MainForm is set
automatically to the first form/window behind the scenes for us in VCL.
● We didn’t use FreeConsole() here because it happens automatically in DelphiFMX.

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VCL Guide 2: Hello, DelphiVCL for Python

We discussed the most basic ideas about the delphivcl library in the first Simplest guide.
We created an empty GUI application without displaying anything on the Form/GUI window.
Also, we did not use an object-oriented approach to create the GUI application. So let's expand
on those ideas and develop an object-oriented version displaying a text message.

First, let's look at the code. You might be able to guess what the below code does if you
understood the basics from the first guide.

from delphivcl import *

class GUIApp(Form):

def __init__(self, owner):

self.SetProps(Caption = "Welcome")

self.lblHello = Label(self)
self.lblHello.SetProps(
Parent=self,
Caption="Hello DelphiVCL for Python")

def main():
Application.Initialize()
Application.Title = "Hello DelphiVCL"
app = GUIApp(Application)
app.Show()
FreeConsole()
Application.Run()
app.Destroy()

main()

As you save the above code in a Python file and run it, you'll get the following GUI window with
a text message as follows:

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In the main function, let’s look at the following line of code:

app = GUIApp(Application)

Instead of instantiating the Form directly, we instantiate a class - GUIApp that extends the Form
class. Let's investigate the code in the GUIApp class:

class GUIApp(Form):

def __init__(self, owner):

self.SetProps(Caption = "Welcome")

self.lblHello = Label(self)
self.lblHello.SetProps(
Parent=self,
Caption="Hello DelphiVCL for Python")

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As we instantiated the GUIApp using app = GUIApp(Application), the owner argument

was assigned with the Application object. After that, Form uses the owner in its
initialization and creates an empty Form/GUI window. This owner variable can have any
other name as it's just a placeholder of the Application object. In the first line of the GUIApp
initialization, we've set the Caption property of the Form.

Then we instantiated the Label component/class with the instance/object of the Form as its
parameter using the self.lblHello = Label(self) code snippet. We use Label to display
any single-line text messages. Every component other than Form will have a parent and is set
using the Parent property. The parent holds the child component in it.

In our code, we're setting Label's parent as Form using Parent=self. So now the Form object -
app holds the Label object - lblHello. Next, the text of the Label is set using its Caption
property. So the Form/GUI window gets populated by a text message: - Hello DelphiVCL for
Python.

We used all the default positions and sizes of the Form and Label and didn't handle any events
in this guide. However, we will implement them and introduce some new components in the
following advanced guides.

FMX Guide 2: Hello, DelphiFMX for Python

Let's now create an FMX version of the above-created VCL application in Guide 2. The code for
it is:

from delphifmx import *

class GUIApp(Form):

def __init__(self, owner):

self.SetProps(Caption = "Welcome")

self.lblHello = Label(self)
self.lblHello.SetProps(
Parent=self,
Text="Hello DelphiFMX for Python")

def main():
Application.Initialize()
Application.Title = "Hello DelphiFMX"
app = GUIApp(Application)
Application.MainForm = app
app.Show()
Application.Run()

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app.Destroy()

main()

The difference between the above VCL version of Guide 2 and this FMX code is that:

● In the Label component we used Text property in place of Caption property.

Other than the differences described here and in Guide 1, all the other concepts and
explanations are the same.

Note: Along with the above, there are some other differences between VCL and FMX code
implementations. We’re currently working on a unified API so that we can remove the code
differences. Then, one code will work for both libraries.

VCL Guide 3: TODO Task App

We discussed the most basic ideas about the delphivcl and delphifmx libraries in the first
and second guides. We created a GUI application that just displays a simple text on the
Form/GUI window.

Here we will create a TODO task application to understand some components of GUI
applications.

Let's take a look at the code to achieve that:

from delphivcl import *

class TodoApp(Form):

def __init__(self, Owner):

self.Caption = "A TODO GUI Application"
self.SetBounds(100, 100, 700, 500)

self.task_lbl = Label(self)
self.task_lbl.SetProps(Parent=self, Caption="Enter your TODO task")
self.task_lbl.SetBounds(10, 10, 125, 25)

self.task_text_box = Edit(self)
self.task_text_box.SetProps(Parent=self)
self.task_text_box.SetBounds(10, 30, 250, 20)

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self.add_task_btn = Button(self)
self.add_task_btn.Parent = self
self.add_task_btn.SetBounds(150, 75, 100, 30)
self.add_task_btn.Caption = "Add Task"
self.add_task_btn.OnClick = self.__add_task_on_click

self.del_task_btn = Button(self)
self.del_task_btn.SetProps(Parent = self, Caption = "Delete Task")
self.del_task_btn.SetBounds(150, 120, 100, 30)
self.del_task_btn.OnClick = self.__del_task_on_click

self.list_of_tasks = ListBox(self)
self.list_of_tasks.Parent = self
self.list_of_tasks.SetBounds(300, 50, 300, 350)

def __add_task_on_click(self, Sender):

self.list_of_tasks.Items.Add(self.task_text_box.Text)
self.task_text_box.Text = ""

def __del_task_on_click(self, Sender):

self.list_of_tasks.Items.Delete(0)

def main():
Application.Initialize()
Application.Title = "TODO App"
app = TodoApp(Application)
app.Show()
FreeConsole()
Application.Run()
app.Destroy()

main()

As you save and run the above code, you should get the following GUI as a result:

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Let's get to the details of what our code does behind the scenes. First, take a look at the main()
function:

def main():
Application.Initialize()
Application.Title = "TODO App"
app = TodoApp(Application)
app.Show()
FreeConsole()
Application.Run()
app.Destroy()

Above, we instantiated the TodoApp class with Application as the Owner. As we instantiate
the GUI using app = TodoApp(Application), the following code runs:

class TodoApp(Form):

def __init__(self, Owner):

self.Caption = "A TODO GUI Application"
self.SetBounds(100, 100, 700, 500)

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We inherit the Form class from the delphivcl library to create our GUI. In DelphiVCL, all
the GUIs are treated as forms. The name of the GUI pop-up window is set using the
Caption property/attribute. The line self.SetBounds(100, 100, 700, 500) is used to
set:

● the GUI window's origin position comparable to the screen's origin position = (100,
100);
● width of the GUI window = 700 pixels; and
● height of the GUI window = 500 pixels.

The upper-left corner of the screen is treated as the (0, 0) coordinate, with the left side as
positive width and down as positive height. We can visualize it as shown below:

Let's look at the following few lines of code:

self.task_lbl = Label(self)
self.task_lbl.SetProps(Parent=self, Caption="Enter your TODO task")
self.task_lbl.SetBounds(10, 10, 125, 25)

self.task_text_box = Edit(self)
self.task_text_box.Parent = self
self.task_text_box.SetBounds(10, 30, 250, 20)

The first three lines of code above will create the text “- Enter your TODO task” that you see on
the GUI app. It does so by instantiating the Label class of the delphivcl library. Every
component (Label here) has a SetProps() method to set its properties. Every component will
have a scope that is set using its Parent property/attribute, which is set to self here. The

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Caption property sets the string of the text label. Similar to the Form/GUI app, every
component needs to be placed inside the Form/GUI using the SetBounds() method. For
components, the top-left corner of their parent (GUI window here) is considered as the origin
- (0, 0).

The next three lines of code create the edit box using the Edit class. We can also set the
properties/attributes directly without using the SetProps() method, like we did here using the
code self.task_text_box.Parent = self. With the Form/GUI window as the parent of the
Edit box, we can visualize its position and size as shown in the below figure. The height of the
Edit box is automatically set to the default value.

Let's look at the next few lines of code:

self.add_task_btn = Button(self)
self.add_task_btn.Parent = self
self.add_task_btn.SetBounds(150, 75,100,30)
self.add_task_btn.Caption = "Add Task"
self.add_task_btn.OnClick = self.__add_task_on_click

self.del_task_btn = Button(self)
self.del_task_btn.SetProps(Parent = self, Caption = "Delete Task")
self.del_task_btn.SetBounds(150,120,100,30)
self.del_task_btn.OnClick = self.__del_task_on_click

The above lines of code create two buttons, Add Task and Delete Task, using the Button
instance of the delphivcl package. For the buttons, one extra thing you'll find is an event
handling using self.add_task_btn.OnClick = self.__add_task_on_click and
self.del_task_btn.OnClick = self.__del_task_on_click for Add Task and Delete
Task buttons, respectively. We will look at this in just a while.

Let's look at the next few lines of code:

self.list_of_tasks = ListBox(self)

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self.list_of_tasks.Parent = self
self.list_of_tasks.SetBounds(300,50,300,350)

In the above lines of code, we created a list box using the ListBox instance and set its Parent
and position.

Let's now look at the event-handling methods for the Add Task and Delete Task buttons:

def __add_task_on_click(self, Sender):

self.list_of_tasks.Items.Add(self.task_text_box.Text)
self.task_text_box.Text = ""

def __del_task_on_click(self, Sender):

self.list_of_tasks.Items.Delete(0)

For all the events other than OnClick, the Form automatically sends a single argument (Sender
here, but this can be any name). We can add a task to the list box by typing anything into the
text box and pressing the Add Task button. Delphi VCL library-based GUIs support tab controls
too, where you can also navigate from one component to another using the tab key. So you can
press Tab on the keyboard, and when the Add Task button gets highlighted, you can press
Enter/Return to fire its event. We add text from the text box to the list box using the Add()
method under Items under ListBox instance. We delete the earlier added events on a first-
come, first-serve basis by pressing the Delete Task button.

FMX Guide 3: TODO Task App

Let’s create an FMX version of the VCL “TODO Task App” GUI application.

Let's take a look at the code to achieve that:

from delphifmx import *

class TodoApp(Form):

def __init__(self, Owner):

self.Caption = "A TODO GUI Application"
self.SetBounds(100, 100, 700, 500)

self.task_lbl = Label(self)
self.task_lbl.SetProps(Parent=self, Text="Enter your TODO task")
self.task_lbl.SetBounds(10, 10, 150, 25)

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self.task_text_box = Edit(self)
self.task_text_box.SetProps(Parent=self)
self.task_text_box.SetBounds(10, 30, 250, 20)

self.add_task_btn = Button(self)
self.add_task_btn.Parent = self
self.add_task_btn.SetBounds(150, 75, 100, 30)
self.add_task_btn.Text = "Add Task"
self.add_task_btn.OnClick = self.__add_task_on_click

self.del_task_btn = Button(self)
self.del_task_btn.SetProps(Parent=self, Text="Delete Task")
self.del_task_btn.SetBounds(150, 120, 100, 30)
self.del_task_btn.OnClick = self.__del_task_on_click

self.list_of_tasks = ListBox(self)
self.list_of_tasks.Parent = self
self.list_of_tasks.SetBounds(300, 50, 300, 350)

def __add_task_on_click(self, Sender):

self.list_of_tasks.Items.Add(self.task_text_box.Text)
self.task_text_box.Text = ""

def __del_task_on_click(self, Sender):

self.list_of_tasks.Items.Delete(0)

def main():
Application.Initialize()
Application.Title = "TODO App"
app = TodoApp(Application)
Application.MainForm = app
app.Show()
Application.Run()
app.Destroy()

main()

The difference between the above VCL version of Guide 3 and this FMX code is that:

● In the Button component we used Text property in place of Caption property.

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Delphi has an ownership model, where all components can have an owner. Every component
has an owner and a parent. In the above sample script, Application is the owner of the
form, and this works differently with the Parent.

All visual components (except the Form) must have a Parent defined. The parent is used when
drawing the components. A component is drawn on its parent. Both visual and non-visual
components have an Owner property, but the value is optional. The owner is used for object life
cycle and memory management. The application owns the forms, and then the forms own the
components on it.

In our example, we have a single Form, but using the DelphiFMX library, you can create multiple
forms too. If you have multiple forms, each form owns all of its components, and then those
forms are owned by the Application object. The parent, on the other hand, is associated with
the visual scope of the components. A Panel is a composite component in that it can act as a
parent for other components inside it.

The parent can also be the owner, but that isn’t required. From the above image, we understand
the illustrated concepts of Application Life Cycle and Owner-Parent-Child interaction.

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Introducing Styles
Think of styles as themes in your mobile phone. They change the whole look and feel of the GUI
application. We’re bringing the capability to add VCL and FMX styles to Python with delphivcl
and delphifmx package distributions respectively.

VCL Styles
Creating a GUI application with DelphiVCL for Python uses the default “Windows” VCL style.
We can load any other style using the StyleManager class. The VCL style files end with a .vsf
extension. By adding just five more lines of code, we give our DelphiVCL version of the TODO
application a stunning look.

Note: You need a VCL style file <style-file>.vsf to follow the below demonstration. The
eBook bundle includes some styles. Additional styles are available with the Delphi IDE, and you
can find other styles online, such as at delphistyles.com.

Now let’s add the below two lines at the start of the TODO app’s Python code:

import os

FILE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))

We import the os module to get the current Python file folder path and to load the VCL style file
into the GUI application. The global variable FILE_DIR stores the path of the directory of the
TODO app’s Python file.

Then add the following three lines of code anywhere inside the __init__() method’s scope of
the TodoApp class.

self.__sm = StyleManager()
self.__sm.LoadFromFile(os.path.join(FILE_DIR, "Glow.vsf"))
self.__sm.SetStyle(self.__sm.StyleNames[1])

In the above code, we’re instantiating StyleManager in the first line. The second line loads a
Glow.vsf style file that exists in the TODO app’s Python file’s directory. As mentioned, you
need a VCL style file to implement the second line in the above code. Finally, the third line of
the above code sets the loaded style for the GUI application.

The self.__sm.StyleNames stores the list of styles that are available for the GUI application.
We already have a default Windows style at 0 index. So the newly loaded style attaches to it at 1
index.

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As you update the mentioned additions to the TODO app’s Python code and run it, you’ll see
the GUI application’s different look and feel. Here, it changes as per the Glow.vsf style as
follows:

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List of included VCL Styles

The following VCL styles are included with this eBook guide and may be distributed with the
applications you build with DelphiVCL. The styles all support high-DPI resolutions.

Windows Default
When no style file is included, your DelphiVCL application will use the default style.

This eBook bundle includes the following styles. If you install Delphi, it comes with additional
styles and the Bitmap Style Designer that allows you to create and customize styles. You can
find out more about Embarcadero Delphi and its different editions at
embarcadero.com/products/delphi

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Aqua Light Slate

AquaLightSlate.vsf

Glow
Glow.vsf

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Iceberg Classico
IcebergClassico.vsf

Lavender Classico
LavenderClassico.vsf

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Sky
Sky.vsf

Slate Classico
SlateClassico.vsf

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Tablet Dark
TabletDark.vsf

Tablet Light
TabletLight.vsf

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Windows 10
Windows10.vsf

Windows 10 (Blue)
Windows10Blue.vsf

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Windows 10 (Dark)
Windows10Dark.vsf

Windows 10 (Green)
Windows10Green.vsf

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Windows 10 (Purple)
Windows10Purple.vsf

Windows 10 (Slate Gray)

Windows10SlateGray.vsf

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FMX Styles
Creating a GUI application with DelphiFMX for Python uses the default FMX style for the
operating system that you’re working on. We can load any other style using the StyleManager
and StyleStreaming classes. The FMX style files end with the .style extensions. By just
adding three more lines of code to the FMX version of TODO application, we give it a stunning
look.

Note: You need an FMX style file <style-file>.style to follow the below demonstration.
The eBook bundle includes some styles. Additional styles are available with the Delphi IDE, and
you can find other styles online, such as at delphistyles.com.

Now let’s add the below two lines at the start of the DelphiFMX version of TODO app’s Python
code:

import os

We import the os module to get the current Python file folder path and to load the FMX style file
into the GUI application.

Then add the following three lines of code anywhere inside the __init__() method’s scope of
the TodoApp class.

self.__sm = StyleManager()
self.__sm.SetStyle(StyleStreaming().LoadFromFile(os.path.join(os.getcwd(),
"Transparent.syle")))

In the above code, we’re instantiating StyleManager in the first line. The second line loads a
Transparent.Style style file that exists in the TODO app’s Python file’s directory using the
StyleStreaming class. As mentioned, you need an FMX style file to implement the second line
in the above code. Finally, the SetStyle() method in the above code sets the loaded style for
the GUI application.

As you update the mentioned additions to the TODO app’s Python code and run it, you’ll see
the GUI application’s different look and feel. Here, it changes as per the Transparent.Style
style as follows:

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List of included FMX styles

The following FMX styles are included with this eBook and may be distributed with the
applications you build with DelphiFMX.

Default
When no style file is included, your DelphiFMX application will use the default style. Here is
what the default style looks like on Windows.

Here is the default style on macOS:

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And here it is on Ubuntu Linux:

And here it is on Android:

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This eBook bundle includes the following styles. We are including screenshots from
Windows to give you a general idea, but they may look slightly different on other platforms. If
you install Delphi (even the free Community Edition), it comes with additional styles and
allows you to create and customize styles. You can find out more about Embarcadero Delphi
and its different editions at embarcadero.com/products/delphi

Air
Air.style

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Amakrits
Amakrits.style

Aqua Graphite
AquaGraphite.style

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Blend
Blend.style

Dark
Dark.style

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Golden Graphite
GoldenGraphite.style

Light
Light.style

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Ruby Graphite
RubyGraphite.style

Transparent
Transparent.style

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Windows Modern
WindowsModern.style

Windows Modern Blue

WindowsModernBlue.style

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Windows Modern Dark

WindowsModernDark.style

Windows Modern Green

WindowsModernGreen.style

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Windows Modern Purple

WindowsModernPurple.style

Windows Modern SlateGray

WindowsModernSlateGray.style

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Summary
Python bindings for Delphi GUI libraries are essential for the Python GUI developer community.
We're bringing the research and development of the mature Delphi FMX GUI library to Python.
Some of the professional-grade GUI applications built using Delphi include:
● FL Studio/Fruity Loops Digital Audio Workstation: image-line.com/flstudio/
● KMPlayer Media player: kmplayer.com
● PyScripter: pyscripter.dev

For more case studies, please check

Embarcadero success stories
www.embarcadero.com/case-study

About Embarcadero Technologies

Embarcadero Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of award-winning tools for application
developers and database professionals so they can design systems right, build them faster, and run
them better regardless of platform or programming language. Ninety of the Fortune 100 and an
active community of more than three million users worldwide rely on Embarcadero products to
increase productivity, reduce costs, simplify change management and compliance, and accelerate
innovation. Founded in 1993, Embarcadero is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices located
around the world.

10801 North Mopac Expressway, Building 1, Suite 100, Austin, TX, 78759
www.embarcadero.com/company/contact-us
US: 1 (512) 226-8080 - [email protected]

About PyScripter
PyScripter is an open-source and feature-rich lightweight Python IDE.

PyScripter has all the features expected in a modern Python IDE in a

lightweight package. It’s also natively compiled for Windows to use minimal
memory with maximum performance. The IDE is open-source and fully
developed in Delphi with extensibility via Python scripts.
www.embarcadero.com/free-tools/pyscripter/free-download

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About Delphi
Delphi is Embarcadero’s flagship development tool supporting native
application and server development for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android,
and iOS. It includes a variety of libraries, including a robust framework for
database applications, REST services, and visual application development.
It is available in multiple editions, including a free Community Edition, an
Academic Edition, and Professional, Enterprise, and Architect Editions.
www.embarcadero.com/products/delphi

Download a free trial today!

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