Introduction

The cx-tras package is a set of components I created nearly ten years ago and have been maintaining since. It is a set of visual components for Delphi that support DevExpress's "Look & Feel" technology. This means that they automatically adjust their look based on the appearance and skin settings used in DevExpress VCL applications. The components were originally distributed by myself on request, then by DevExpress Support for a time, and now I'm giving them a home where anyone can access the source.

Installation

The repository currently has project groups and projects for Delphi 2006, Delphi 2007, and Delphi XE2. However, Installing the components in other IDE versions should be as simple as creating new DPK's, adding the source files, compiling and installing. You can look at the existing DPK's for guidance. If you do create new projects for an IDE version not currently in the repository feel free to issue a pull request or send them along to me directly.

Components

Office Gizmo

The TcxOfficeGizmo component is the most flexible of the included controls. It is basically a panel control that can be setup to look like a variety of Microsoft Office UI widgets: a splitter, a gradient, a button, a header, etc.

Text Flow Panel

The TcxTextFlowPanel is a panel that is designed to be aligned to the side of a form or container. Text assigned to the Caption property is generally lengthy, and the control will automatically adjust its dimensions to fit the text. There is also support for an optional title and image.

Close Button, Close Button & Size Grip

The TcxCloseButton control is a simple, sizeable close button. The TcxExpandButton control is a simple expand button with two states. TcxSizeGrip is a control that uses DevExpress's theme system to render a "size grip" UI.

Check TreeView

TcxCheckTreeView is a descendant of TcxTreeView that supports both native and themed checkbox states depending on the "Look & Feel" settings. The component also includes methods and events for controlling and handling check state changes.

Deprecated

Desktop Alert

DevExpress now has their very own desktop alert control introduced in v2011.2 of their VCL controls. The TcxDesktopAlert component is still included for legacy applications but I recommend migrating to the DevExpress created and maintained TdxAlertWindowManager.

Thumbnail Strip

DevExpress now has their own control for displaying a list of images - TdxImageSlider. The TcxThumbnailStrip component is still available for legacy applications, but it was never expanded beyond its very basic features and scal(in)ability. I recommend migrating code to TdxImageSlider.