Notes

Powtils is the web framework and api for FPC and Delphi.
It includes the utilities you need to build powerful web applications.
But there is more.. and even some secret units..

Many utilities and units can also be used offline in desktop software, allowing you to share and reuse code between your Freepascal, Delphi, VCL, and other GUI and console applications.

This documentation

This Online Documentation system intends to introduce the Powtils, provide simple examples, and document major units (source files) included with Powtils. You may edit this documentation if you have been granted access.

You can see the API/function reference guide here, however it is recommended you read the general index (this page) before diving into the API/function reference guide.

Please note that not all the units or third party add-ons and extensions to Powtils have been documented yet. There are many units for example in the /extras/ folder in your download which are heavily source commented and the documentation skeletons are ready, but they are not fully documented. We will be moving the heavily commented source into the Extras Online Documentation soon.

Downloading the package

• Website Download Page: here

• Google Code Download Section here

• Tools To Deploy Unix Apps from Windows Computers: fpwserv and fpw.exe

Find Documentation

See the Lufind Help Page

General information

This documentation is divided into several sections. General information contains general tips about the utilities which is not necessarily specific to any particular source unit. You should study the general information section to learn about basic principles and best practices.

• Is Powtils Used in the Real World?

• Minor Introduction

• Some Fantastic Advantages

• Dynamic or Static Utilities?

• What Can I Write With These Utilities?

Setup, Installation, Configuration

• Trouble Shooting

• Config File

• Compiling Before Uploading and CGI-BIN notes

• Setting up Your Desktop and Server

• No Local Compilation Required?

• Work On Windows, upload to Linux?

Basic Usage

• Important Note About Using CSS (stylesheets)

• Hello World and Other Examples

• Access To Special CGI Environment Variables

• Don't use Write or WriteLn to STDOUT!

• Security In The Way?

• Return Codes And Error Messages

• Output web resources other than text, such as JPG/PDF, and other Mime types.

• HTTPS/SSL Tips (secure socket layer pages)

MySQL, Firebird, PostgreSQL, SqlLite, etc.

• What Database Can I Use?

Using External Units And Code

• Using cURL with Powtils

• Using Synapse with Powtils

• Parsing HTML from other websites, when they ain't got no CSV or XML feeds

• Exporting Data as CSV from web programs or databases

• Using Capstring, a faster ansistring when dealing with many concatenations

• Using strwrap1.pas for extra file and string functions not available in sysutils, strutils, or system unit

• Using strfilter.pas to validate forms (validate email, check alphanumeric, many more)

• Rapid Html units

• WebApplication template engine by Jorge

• also see /extras/ folder with your download or on SVN.
  There are many units such as CompactUtils, DirUtils, CompactSysutils, and more.

• CompactSysutils Unit Help

• System Unit Help

More Examples

• Uploading files from an input form or similar.

• Another upload file example showing how to get file size, type & content.

• Also Check Our Source Code for Comments and Tips

• SCMS: Simple Content Management System (uses files, no DB) on sourceforge or see demo

• Code Pastie: Simple Paste bin (uses files, no DB) on sourceforge or see demo

• PasForum: available in certain 1.5.x sources on sourceforge

API/Unit Specific Info

At the very top of the Unit Guide and API Reference page and the Extras Unit Guide, there are several links to different units.

Each unit/function documentation page contains documentation regarding a specific source unit, function, class, record, var, const, and procedure that is part of the utilities.

If you come from another programming language, a 'unit' is like an 'include file' in C or PHP, but more modular since it has its own namespace. A 'unit' is like a module.

Other Important Tips

• Using UTF-8 or other charsets for international web pages.
• Using the MySQL API, some simple examples.

Migrate PHP code to Powtils

A complete guide has not been composed yet. However, you can see this guide for some tips about general differences between the PHP language and Powtils.

See also Is PHP Being Better For Web Programming?

Other Miscellaneous Articles

• Powtils Visual Kit Brainstorm

• Scaling CGI Programs

• Some Screenshots and Videos

• I Want Websnap I want Webbroker I want PHP I want To Eat My Cake And Have It Too

• What is LUFDOC?

License

Some of these utilities are released under the Artistic license, and some are in the public domain. Copies of the related licenses are included with your zip download. Basically, these utilities are even more flexible for business/personal use than GNU/Mozilla licensed software.

That's the basics

For more information on each specific unit, see the unit specific documentation links at the top of this page. If a unit that you are looking for does not exist in the list above, we have simply not created an online documentation page for that unit yet. In the mean time you can ask questions on the mailing list.

Authors/Credits

See who wrote and designed the utilities.

lufdoc, Powtils, fpc, freepascal, delphi, kylix, c/c++, mysql, cgi web framework docs, Z505