Delphi DCC Builder

Build Delphi projects directly from Visual Studio Code with the Delphi command-line compilers. The extension evaluates .dproj configuration values, prepares a visible Build Plan, runs DCC32.exe or DCC64.exe, and publishes compiler diagnostics to the Problems panel.

Links: Repository · Issues and feature requests · Delphi version configuration guide · 中文说明

Features

• Build Win32 projects with DCC32.exe and optionally build Win64 projects with DCC64.exe.
• Read the configurations declared by a .dproj and build the selected configuration and platform.
• Maintain Delphi project groups in a dedicated Activity Bar view.
• Add .dproj files from the Explorer context menu, reorder projects within a group, move projects between groups, or remove them from a group without deleting project files.
• Automatically sort groups by name, move groups up or down manually, rename groups, and refresh the project view.
• Select the active configuration for each grouped project and start Win32 or Win64 builds from the project tree.
• Use the Reveal Project Location button on a project row to jump to the Explorer view with the .dproj file selected.
• Build, Rebuild, Cancel Build, Show Build Plan, and Change Output Path commands.
• Keep output-path history per project, with configuration and platform-specific overrides.
• Show the exact compiler path, working directory, arguments, resource steps, warnings, and expected artifacts in the Build Plan.
• Decode DCC output using the system code page, CP936, or UTF-8 and publish source locations to Problems.
• Prepare resources before DCC:
  • Compile .dproj RcCompile items with the BDS BRCC32.exe.
  • Create a minimal project .res when the main source contains {$R *.res} and the file is missing.
  • Never overwrite an existing project .res.
  • Report RcItem project resources as a warning because direct DCC mode does not reproduce the complete MSBuild resource merge.
• Discover rsvars.bat and BRCC32.exe automatically, with explicit path overrides when an installation is non-standard.
• Use --no-config so the Build Plan is not silently changed by a compiler .cfg file.
• Localize the extension UI and its custom settings page in English or Simplified Chinese.

Support status

The only compiler version currently implemented and tested on real hardware is Delphi XE7 / BDS 15.0 on Windows. The test suite covers XE7 Win32, XE7 Win64, resource preprocessing, diagnostics, and the project sidebar. Other Delphi versions are not claimed to be compatible just because their DCC command line looks similar.

If you need another Delphi version and can implement the support, clone the repository, create a branch named for that compiler version (for example, version-xe8), add the configuration and tests, and open a pull request after the tests pass. If you need assistance, attach the JSON configuration, tests, and generated Build Plan to an Issue. Include the compiler version, BDS directory layout, registry values, and real compiler test results when available.

Installation and first build

1. Install the VSIX from the Marketplace or from a locally built .vsix file.

2. Open a workspace containing a .dproj.

3. Open Delphi DCC Builder: Settings from the Delphi Activity Bar, or edit workspace settings directly.

4. Set the required Win32 compiler path:

   {
     "delphiDcc.version": "XE7",
     "delphiXe7.compilerPath": "D:\\Program Files (x86)\\Embarcadero\\Studio\\15.0\\bin\\DCC32.exe"
   }
   

5. Optionally set delphiXe7.compiler64Path for Win64. Leave delphiXe7.rsvarsPath and delphiXe7.brcc32Path empty to use automatic discovery.

6. Create a project group, add one or more .dproj files, choose the active configuration, and select Build Win32 or Build Win64 from the project tree.

The Explorer context menu can also add a .dproj to the selected project group and start a build. Show Build Plan is available from the Command Palette and can be added to the Explorer menu with delphiXe7.showBuildPlanMenu.

Settings

Imported MSBuild targets, custom targets, pre-build events, and post-build events are not executed by direct DCC mode. Unsupported properties are shown as Build Plan warnings instead of being silently ignored.

Add a Delphi compiler version

Version support is data-driven, but the VS Code manifest is static. Adding a JSON file alone is not enough.

1. Copy delphi-versions/XE7.json to delphi-versions/<Version>.json.
2. Update the new file's version, displayName, BDS registry version, Studio directory version, settings section, compiler setting names, compiler file names, DCC switches, argument rules, and recognized metadata.
3. Validate the file against delphi-versions/schema.json. Keep the $schema reference and use a unique version.
4. Add the new version to package.json under delphiDcc.version.enum and add its display label to enumItemLabels.
5. Register the version's compiler settings in package.json, package.nls.json, and package.nls.zh-cn.json. Add corresponding entries to src/vscode/settingsPage.ts so the custom settings page can edit them.
6. Update static menu conditions when a new version uses different setting names. The Explorer menu cannot discover arbitrary settings dynamically.
7. Add unit tests for version loading, the manifest, BDS discovery, DCC argument ordering, and Build Plan generation.
8. Add a real compiler integration test for Win32, Win64 when available, Debug, Release, Rebuild, resources, and diagnostics.
9. Run npm run check, npm test, npm run test:xe7 (or the matching integration command), npm run compile, and npm run package.

The complete schema and contributor checklist are available from the version configuration guide in the links above.

Add another language

The extension has two localization layers: package.nls*.json localizes the VS Code manifest, while src/localization/locales/*.json localizes runtime UI, Output messages, diagnostics, and the custom settings page.

To add a language such as fr:

1. Copy src/localization/locales/en.json to src/localization/locales/fr.json and translate every key. Keep the keys and placeholders such as {project} and {configuration} unchanged.
2. Extend ExtensionLanguage, the messages map, and resolveLanguage in src/localization/localizer.ts.
3. Add fr and a %language.french% label to package.json under delphiDcc.language.
4. Add the manifest label and translated manifest descriptions to package.nls.json and package.nls.fr.json.
5. Add language options and labels to src/vscode/settingsPage.ts and the new locale file.
6. Add or update localization tests. The English locale is the fallback for missing keys, but complete translations are required before release.
7. Add a translated README (for example README_FR.md) if a translated Marketplace companion is desired. Marketplace still renders only README.md; link the additional README manually.
8. Run the full check, test, compile, and package commands and inspect the VSIX contents.

Do not rename existing message keys without updating both runtime locale files and their tests. The VS Code Settings view itself follows the host VS Code display language; the delphiDcc.language setting controls the extension UI and custom settings page.

Development and verification

npm install
npm run check
npm test
npm run test:xe7
npm run compile
npm run package

npm run package creates a VSIX containing the manifest, README files, localized manifest files, version JSON files, documentation, and the bundled extension. The package command may report a missing LICENSE file; this is packaging metadata and does not change the build behavior.