Delphi DevKit

Utilities for developing in Delphi using VS Code.

This project is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Embarcadero Technologies, or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates. The official Embarcadero Technologies website can be found at https://www.embarcadero.com/.

This extension does not include any proprietary Embarcadero code, libraries or binaries. To build Delphi projects, you must have a valid Delphi installation and the necessary environment variables set up. This extension does not work with the Delphi Community Edition due to its limitations on command-line compilation.

This extension is currently developed in my free time, and any feedback is welcome.

Features

Dual Project Views: Two separate project management approaches:
- Self-Defined Workspaces: User-customizable project workspaces with drag & drop support
- Loaded Group Project: Load and manage Delphi group projects (.groupproj) - readonly view
Multi-Compiler Support: Configure and switch between multiple Delphi versions (Delphi 2007 → Delphi 13.0 Florence built-in)
Project Management: Compile, recreate, run, and manage Delphi projects with keyboard shortcuts
Bulk Compilation: Compile or recreate all projects in a workspace or group project at once; cancellable at any time
Workspace Management: Create, rename, remove workspaces and move projects between them
File System Integration: Show projects in Explorer, open in File Explorer
Configuration Management: Create and configure .ini files for executables
Visual Indicators: File icons for Delphi files and missing file indicators
Configuration Import/Export: Backup and restore your entire DDK configuration
File-Based Persistence: Project and compiler data stored as RON files in %APPDATA%/ddk/
File Navigation: .pas <-> .dfm swapping with Alt+F12 hotkey
Smart Navigation: .dfm -> .pas jumps with Ctrl+click
Compiler Output Enhancements: Timestamps, clickable file links, and diagnostics published to the Problems panel
Formatter Support: Configurable Delphi code formatter.
LSP Server: Bundled ddk-server (Rust) handles all project state, compilation, and formatting
MCP Server: Bundled ddk-mcp-server exposes project and compiler management as MCP tools for AI assistants (VS Code Copilot, Claude Desktop, etc.)
CLI (ddk): Standalone command-line interface for managing projects and compilers outside of VS Code. Install via WinGet or use the bundled binary.

Installation

VS Code Extension

Install from the Visual Studio Marketplace. The extension bundles all Rust binaries — no extra setup needed.

CLI (standalone)

winget install ValentinBaron.DDK

Or download ddk-windows-x86_64.zip from the latest release and add ddk.exe to your PATH.

CLI Usage

ddk project list                # List all known projects
ddk project select <ID>         # Select a project by ID
ddk compiler list               # List available compiler configurations
ddk compiler set <KEY>          # Set the group project compiler
ddk compile                     # Compile the active project
ddk compile --rebuild -p <ID>   # Rebuild a specific project by ID
ddk env                         # Show active project & compiler info
ddk info                        # Print the DDK README
ddk --json <command>            # Output as JSON

Demos

Add a Workspace and drag in a Project

Add workspace and drag project

Add a Project via dialog

Add project dialog

Load a Group Project

Select group project

Compile a Project

Compile selected project

Transfer Group Project to Workspace

Transfer group project to workspace

Format Delphi Source

Formatter

Commands

Swap .DFM/.PAS - Switch between form and unit files (Alt+F12)

Project Management

Select Delphi Compiler for Group Projects - Choose the active compiler configuration for .groupproj files
Pick Group Project - Load a Delphi group project (.groupproj)
Unload Group Project - Unload the currently loaded group project
Transfer Group Project to Workspace - Convert the loaded group project into a self-defined workspace
Refresh - Refresh the projects view and discover file paths

Workspace Management

Add Workspace - Create a new self-defined workspace
Rename Workspace - Rename an existing workspace
Remove Workspace - Delete a workspace and its projects
Add Project - Add projects to a workspace
Remove Project - Remove projects from a workspace

Configuration

Import Configuration - Import DDK configuration from JSON file
Export Configuration - Export DDK configuration to JSON file
Edit Default .ini - Edit the default INI template file
Edit Formatter Config - Edit the Delphi formatter configuration file
Reset Formatter Config - Reset the formatter configuration to defaults
Edit Compiler Configurations - Open the compiler configurations RON file directly
Edit Projects Data - Open the projects data RON file directly

Compile Selected Project - Compile the selected project (Ctrl+F9)
Recreate Selected Project - Clean and rebuild the selected project (Shift+F9)
Compile All in Workspace - Compile all projects in a workspace
Recreate All in Workspace - Clean and rebuild all projects in a workspace
Compile All in Group Project - Compile all projects in the loaded group project
Recreate All in Group Project - Clean and rebuild all projects in the loaded group project
Cancel Compilation - Cancel the active compilation (Ctrl+F2)
Run Selected Project - Execute the selected project (F9)
Configure/Create .ini - Create or edit INI configuration files
Set Manual Path - Manually set the .dproj path for a project

Extension Settings

ddk.compiler.encoding: Character encoding used to decode MSBuild output (oem by default, use utf8 if your paths contain non-ASCII characters).

Compiler Configurations

Compiler configurations are stored in %APPDATA%\ddk\compilers.ron and managed by the DDK server. The extension ships with built-in presets for all Delphi versions from Delphi 2007 to Delphi 13.0 Florence.

You can view and edit them directly via the Edit Compiler Configurations command. Each entry includes:

product_name / compiler_version / package_version — version identifiers
installation_path — root path of your Delphi installation
build_arguments — MSBuild arguments passed during compilation
condition — optional expression to enable/disable the entry

The first entry whose Formatter.exe is found in its installation path is used for formatting.

Project Views

Self-Defined Workspaces

Customizable: Create and organize your own project workspaces
Drag & Drop: Move projects within and between workspaces
Compiler Assignment: Each workspace has a predefined compiler
Persistent: Projects and workspaces are stored in %APPDATA%\ddk\projects.ron

Loaded Group Project

Read-Only: View projects from .groupproj files
Compiler Selection: Use the compiler picker for group project compilation
Cross-Copy: Drag projects from group projects to self-defined workspaces

Visual Indicators

Selected Project: Shows ←S indicator for the currently selected project
Missing Files: Shows ! indicator for files that don't exist
File Type Icons: Custom icons for .pas, .dfm, .dpr, .dpk, .dproj files

Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt+F12 - Swap between .PAS and .DFM files
Ctrl+F9 - Compile selected project (when project is selected)
Shift+F9 - Recreate selected project (when project is selected)
F9 - Run selected project (when project has executable)
Ctrl+F2 - Cancel active compilation

Known Issues

None so far.

DDK - Delphi Development Kit

Snowcaloid