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CoolControls

Recently we were able to try CoolControls, these are more than 45 highly advanced classes and components.
These include visual, system and data aware components.
Artem A. Berman is the team leader and senior programmer for CoolDev.com and the brains behind the CoolControls project.
The fact that CoolControls was Rated with 5 stars by ZDNet should give you some idea just how good CoolControls are, we intend on helping you to learn more about Artems CoolControls.

The CoolControls components are very easy to use and in no time at all you will find you have added some very cool controls/looks to your programs.
If you want your programs to look pleasing to the eye of the users then CoolControls is a nice, simple way to do this.

Tracy and I spent a fair amount of time trying different things with CoolControls and the results were great, we are sure all Delphi developers would want to have CoolControls, it's actually fun trying everything out.
At the bottom of this page is a link you can use to download a demo, we recommend that you download the demo and see how CoolControls can change your projects.
So when you have finished reading this review go and download the demo, we are sure you wont regret the experience!

Here is some information about CoolControls:

TCoolListBox
TCoolListBox is a ListBox with some very nice styles and features, you can use TCoolListBox for color selection, font selection and checkmarks control.

TCoolComboBox
TCoolComboBox like TCoolListBox can be used for color selection, font selection and checkmarks control.

TCoolStringGrid

TCoolStringGrid is designed to work with textual data in a tabular format.
Features:
Can work with clipboard, handling multiline text, can have colors and fonts for individual cells. You can insert / remove columns and rows, save / load grids data to disk file (including HTML format) and more.

TCoolEdit
TCoolEdit is an edit control with some very nice features like Office97 flat borders which give it that modern look, and you can set the TextAlign property in the Object Inspector to taCenter, taLeftJustify and taRightJustify.
And you can also add a background graphic (Wallpaper) to it making it look original.

TCoolEditBtn
TCoolEditBtn is much the same as TCoolEdit but you can add a SpeedButton to it. This can be very handy in some situations.

TCoolLabel
TCoolLabel is a nice Label which can have a 3D look, a background and its own bevels.

TCoolCheckRadioBox
TCoolCheckRadioBox provides functionality of both TCheckBox and TRadioButton among with some nice visual features.

TCoolScrollingText
TCoolScrollingText will give your projects flicker free scrolling of your text.
You can scroll your text vertically, horizontally, great for the AboutBox.

TCoolGroupBox
TCoolGroupBox supports all the features of the standard TGroupBox component and also has additional features.

TCoolFormHook
TCoolFormHook adds some nice additional features for Forms. An example is it can make your Form transparent, you remove the Forms caption and whether the Form is dragged using its client area or not, you will find many options to try out.

TMDICoolFormHook
TMDICoolFormHook was made to be used with MDI applications. TMDICoolFormHook has all the properties of TCoolFormHook and some additional features for MDI applications.

TCoolSpeedButton
TCoolSpeedButton was designed to be used with the TCoolPanel component.

TCoolPanel
TCoolPanel is a panel that can be used as a toolbar and a panel, you can have nice graphical backgrounds on a TCoolPanel. Even though this is just a Panel I found it very useful.

TCoolBtn
TCoolBtn is a nice looking button that you can add to your applications, using TCoolButton you can give your programs a very modern look and like the rest of the CoolControls visual components the only thing to slow you down is a lack of imagination, and since you are a programmer then you must have a good imagination, therefore you will find TCoolButton and the rest of CoolControls very helpful indeed.

TCoolMemo
TCoolMemo is a Memo you can use that will match your TCoolButtons and TCoolPanels, etc.

TCoolTrackBar

TCoolTrackBar can be modified graphically to suit your needs. I used Paint Shop Pro to make the background wallpaper then I made the control (Knob) to give me a TrackBar that was made for my applications that is different from others.

TCoolThumbTab
TCoolThumbTab can be placed on one of the TWinControl descendant's corners so it is possible to resize it.

TCoolLoupe
TCoolLoupe is a very interesting and original component. TCoolLoupe is a visual control that can display the part of the screen underneath the cursor. You have to see it in action to fully understand it.

TCoolTrayIcon
TCoolTrayIcon is, as the name suggests, a tray icon component. The tray icon can be static or you can use it with TImageList and it can then be an animated icon.

TCoolBevel
TCoolBevel is a bevel with extra features including color and using wallpapers.

TCoolAnimate
TCoolAnimate is used to create animation effects without using AVI or other special animated file formats. You can use TCoolAnimate with the TCoolImages component to create some very nice animation's for your applications.

TCoolCheckRadioGroup
TCoolCheckRadioGroup has many nice features like flat, adding wallpaper, shadowpos, shadowsize, transparent etc, etc.

TCoolPopupButton
TCoolPopupButton is a button control that has an attached popup menu that will become active when the button to the right of the button is clicked. Seen in many programs these days, TCoolPopUpButton does have all the great features of CoolControls as well.

TCoolPopUpBox
TCoolPopUpBox is a lot like TCoolPopupButton, only it has a ListBox instead of a popup menu.

TCoolPopUpBox2

TCoolPopUpBox2 is derived from TCoolBtn and it has different behavior than TCoolPopUpBox.

TCoolPolyRegions
TCoolPolyRegions will allow you to make shapes. I haven't used this component but it looks very interesting.

TCoolInstancesChecker
TCoolInstancesChecker component is for being put onto main form and checks whenever the current instance of an application is unique. Its properties are:

InstanceAction := iaCloseAll; iaStartNew; iaSwitchToPrevious;

TCoolImageShape
TCoolImageShape is another component I haven't used but the help file states:
TCoolImageShape control can be used to create forms of any shape based on the color structure of the specified bitmap.
You can specify colors to be included or excluded from the resulting complex regions that later to be applied to the form.

TCoolDisksInformant
TCoolDisksInformant gives your applications access to information about the computers drives.

TCoolAnimateEffects
TCoolAnimateEffects can be used to display set of images with various fancy effects.
By fancy animated effects we mean aeStripesCenterLR which animates a graphic from the center outwards, by this we mean the graphic is drawn first from the center and then outwards both ways. aeStripesPartsHz looks a bit like blinds closing.
Many advertising banners have these types of effects.

TCoolBitmapButton
TCoolBitmapButton is a button that can be the shape of a bitmap.
Very popular these days in programs.

An example of CoolControls - by Tracy Sandbrook

Here we are going to go through the steps to make a small program with CoolControls.
This is going to be easy and quick to make, and have a very nice look to it, clean, crisp, and professional - how can I say this without even having made it? I know, because that's the way CoolControls are.

Here we go!

I make a new project, then go to the CoolControls Tools tab on the component palette and I drop a TCoolImages component onto my form.

I double-click on the CoolImages1 component and click 'Add' in the dialog that pops up. I click on the new item in the Listbox in the dialog, then double-click on the 'Bitmap' property.
Now I will locate a good background for my project, and click OK twice.
Then, I repeat this simple bitmap adding process for another 5 backgrounds.

Next I will add a CoolPanel to my form, change its Align property to alClient and remove it's caption.
Now I set the CoolImages property for the CoolPanel to CoolImages1.
This is the fun part, I change the idWallpaper to 2. Haha! My project already looks great!

I think a label across the top of my form would look good, so I'll drop a CoolLabel onto my form.
The CoolImages property is changed to CoolImages1 and the idWallpaper property I'll set to 0, and I'll change the font and font color.
Next, I change the BevelInner and BevelOuter properties to bvRaised. I change the Align property to alTop, and the Alignment property to taCenter.
Simple as that? It sure is.

I add another CoolPanel onto the form and sets is Align property to alRight.
BevelInner is changed to bvLowered and BevelOuter is changed to bvRaised. Then, I change the BevelWidth to 2.
Next, I do the same thing I did with the first panel. I set the CoolImages property for the CoolPanel to CoolImages1, and this time I will change the idWallpaper to 3.

I am now going to drop a TCoolMemo onto CoolPanel2, and set the Align property to alClient.
Then, I change the CoolImages property to CoolImages1, and then I double-click on Options and set the ocPaintWallpaper and ocTileWallpaper properties to True.
The idWallpaper I will set to 1, and I'll change the font and the font color, and add some text in the Lines property.

Now I drop a CoolEdit onto my form and double-click on Options and set the ocPaintWallpaper and ocTileWallpaper properties to True, as I did with the CoolMemo, then I change its CoolImages and idWallpaper properties.
Then I give my CoolEdit the modern flat look, by double-clicking on the Options property and setting the ocFlatBorder to True.
Also, I put '(Type your name here)' into it's Text property.

Now I drop a CoolLabel onto the form and set its caption to 'Name:', then I change it's CoolImages and idWallpaper properties, and align it next to my CoolEdit.

I drop another CoolLabel onto my form, change its Font property and caption, then I set Transparent to True.
Under this CoolLabel, I put a CoolCheckRadioBox.
This can be a RadioButton or a CheckBox, but this time I want it to be a CheckBox.
I load some suitable glyphs into the GlyphMarked and GlyphNormal properties, and set the OwnerDraw property to
True, and the Color to White.
These properties will make the CheckBox have our own glyphs to show when it is checked or unchecked, instead of the normal box with a black tick.
Then, I add another CoolCheckRadioBox and set all the properties for this CoolCheckRadioBox to the same as my first CoolCheckRadioBox, only I change the caption.
Next, I put a CoolBevel around my two CoolCheckRadioBox components, and set the Style property to bsRaised.

Another 2 CoolLabel's are dropped onto my form, and the Font property, Caption, and Transparent properties changed.
The first CoolLabel has a caption of 'Which version(s) of Delphi do you use?', the CoolLabel underneath has a caption of '1 2 3 4 5 '
Next, I drop a CoolTrackBar onto my form under the second CoolLabel and set the MaxValue to 4, then I line up the CoolLabel's numbers with the ticks on the CoolTrackBar, and set the TickMarks property to tmBoth.
Then I load suitable glyphs into the ThumbHorz and ThumbHorzSelected properties.
This is another stand-out feature in CoolControls. These properties will change the thumb glyph on the TrackBar, this is the piece that the user will drag across.

Now I drop a CoolPopupBox2 onto my form under the CoolTrackBar, and set its CoolImages and idWallpaper properties.
Then I change the Caption to 'Which country do you live in?'.
In the Items I put:
America
Australia
Canada
England
France
Germany
New Zealand
Russia
Scotland

Next to 'Which version(s) of Delphi do you use?' I will ask the same question, only this time I will use a CoolListBox for the user to select there answer from, so I will put a CoolLabel on my form and give it this caption: 'Which version(s) of Delphi do you use?' and put a CoolListBox on my form under this CoolLabel and give it these Items:
Delphi 1
Delphi 2
Delphi 3
Delphi 4
Delphi 5
I load a Wallpaper by using the Wallpaper property. You can use the Wallpaper property instead of the CoolImages property in some cases if you want to.
Then I change the font and font color and set the SimpleView property to True, this will stop the text from being 3D.
The CoolListBox component is capable of being the following things:
A check control, a color control, a cool control, a folder control, and font control and a print control.
We are using the CheckControl.

Underneath all of these components I put a CoolGroupBox and change the ShadowPosition and ShadowColor properties, and the font and font color.
In this CoolGroupBox I put a CoolMemo, and I set the CoolImages and idWallpaper properties, then I add some text, give it a Vertical Scrollbar, and set the Align property to alClient.

Around these components, I put a CoolBevel, and set the Style property to bsRaised.

Under the bevel, I put three CoolButtons.
Each of these buttons I give a caption and set the CoolImages and idWallpaper properties.
Also, for the last two CoolButtons, I double-click on the Options property and set the ocFlatBorder properties to True.

Now, none of these buttons work, but haven't we done alot without writing ONE line of code?
And wasn't that simple and easy?

Here is a screen shot of the results!

Screen shot of the results!

As Artem A. Berman states on his web site:

Forms of any shape, SKINS and TRANSPARENCY for ALL controls and forms, buttons of various shapes, flat borders, animation, original controls, powerful list and comboboxes, 3D view for most controls with text, multiline string grids with custom colors and fonts for cells, scrolling text, system level components.

You can download compiled demo projects here "DOWNLOAD"
or here "DOWNLOAD"

You can also download a trial version on the CoolDev.com web site.

You can email Artem A. Berman at info@cooldev.com to find out more about CoolControls or visit the CoolDev.com web site here http://www.cooldev.com/index.html

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