ShellBrowser Delphi Components

ShellBrowser Delphi Components

 

Emulate Windows Explorer Features

 

ShellBrowser Delphi Components imitate functions known from the Windows Explorer. This includes context menus, left and right pane of Explorer windows, thumbnails, virtual folders and shell extensions. Use the ShellBrowser Delphi Components and get easy access to the Windows Shell functionality!

 

ShellBrowser Delphi Components are compatible with all current versions of Windows (32-bit and 64-bit) and RAD Studio. .

 

Easy to Use

Just drop the components on your form and configure via the RAD Studio IDE.

 

Versatile

ShellBrowser contains the controls you need for any use case, so you can concentrate on your actual work.

 

Highly Configurable

Control components' look and behavior according to your scenario! Most components fully support Delphi Visual Styles.

 

ShellBrowser Delphi Components Features

Main Features at a Glance

 

Enhance Your Delphi Application with Drop-in Shell Functionality

• Includes a comprehensive set of visual and non-visual components for Delphi and C++ Builder.
• Create Explorer-like applications within minutes with JamShellTree, JamShellList, JamShellCombo and JamShellBreadCrumbBar.
• Easy drop-in: Just drop the UI components right on your own forms or dialogs.
• Use checkboxes with TJamShellTree, TJamShellList, TJamFileList and TJamDriveList.
• Icons and thumbnails are queried in background threads. This optimizes the reactivity and does not slow down the speed of the user interface.
• The TJamFilePreview component integrates the preview pane (introduced with Windows Vista) in your application. TJamShellChangeNotifier informs you about relevant shell events.

 

Look-and-Feel of the Windows Explorer

• TJamExplorerBrowser provides a complete, configurable Windows Explorer view.
• Windows Shell context menu (can be extended with a Delphi popup menu).
• OLE drag-and-drop with the Windows Explorer and similar applications.
• Different view styles: TJamShellList and TJamFileList support small icons, large icons, extra-large icons, details mode and thumbnails.
• Overlay icons supported.
• Installed Shell extensions, which are supported by the Windows Explorer, are also supported by the ShellBrowser Delphi Edition.
• Background context menu in TJamShellList is supported.

 

How-To Guides

• Comprehensive documentation of the included controls
• Several sample projects for basic and advanced features of ShellBrowser Delphi Edition included.

 

100% Delphi Code - Transparent Costs

• The controls are based on the Delphi VCL and are written in 100% Object Pascal code, no additional DLLs or ActiveX controls are necessary.
• The ShellBrowser Delphi Edition is royalty free and involves no runtime fees.

 

ShellBrowser Delphi Components

Native VCL Explorer Shell Controls for Delphi

 

All Included Components

 

The ShellBrowser Delphi Components provide an easy way to integrate Windows File Explorer related components and functionality in your application. It consists of a comprehensive set of VCL controls for use in Delphi and C++Builder. You can simply drop the visual components on your form and configure them via the RAD Studio IDE. While per default the components closely resemble Windows File Explorer, they are highly customizable regarding visuals and functionality. Components are royalty free and involve no runtime fees! A free version is available.

 

Controls

 

TJamShellTree

Display the shell namespace of Windows in a tree looking and behaving like the left pane of the Windows Explorer with the Delphi component TJamShellTree.

 

TJamShellList

Display the contents of a folder in a list looking and behaving like the right pane of the Windows Explorer and customize it according to your needs using the TJamShellList component.

 

TJamExplorerBrowser

Use TJamExplorerBrowser to add an entire Windows Explorer to your application.

 

TJamShellCombo

TJamShellCombo is a configurable Windows Explorer style combo box for shell objects.

 

TJamShellBreadCrumbBar

TJamShellBreadCrumbBar integrates the breadcrumb navigation introduced with Windows Vista Explorer. It presents the folder and subfolder structures and enables users to easily switch between different folders.

 

TJamShellHistoryPane

TJamShellHistoryPane adds a history pane included in the Windows Explorer’s addressbar. It can be included in TJamShellBreadcrumbBar as well as TJamExplorerBrowser or be used separately to track and navigate the history of components linked with a TJamShellLink.

 

TJamShellSearchEdit

Use TJamShellSearchEdit to support an on-the-fly search in a linked TJamShellList or TJamExplorerBrowser. It is included as optional pane in TJamShellBreadCrumbBar and TJamExplorerBrowser.

 

TJamShellFilePreview

With the TJamShellFilePreview component users can see the content of files without opening them. It uses the same previews as Windows Explorer.

 

TJamThumbnailImage

Use the TJamThumbnailImage component to display a thumbnail image of a file or folder using the same API calls as the Windows Explorer.

 

TJamFileList

The TJamFileList component can be used to aggregate files and folders from different directories in one single list.

 

TJamDriveList

With the help of the TJamDriveList component you can create a list of all local and network drives of the system as well as display capacity and free disk space of each drive.

 

TJamPathLabel

The TJamPathLabel component displays paths in a label ensuring the full file name is readable.

 

TJamPathEdit

Utilize the TJamPathEdit component to enable users of your application to enter a path or to browse for it in a dialog.

 

TJamFolderCombo

With the TJamFolderCombo component you can easily display folders and drives in a combo box - associated icons included.

 

TJamOpenSaveComboBox

The TJamOpenSaveComboBox has been designed specifically for the user to enter or select a file name in custom file dialogs. A list of the most recently used files is available in the drop-down menu. File path and filter can be easily synchronized with other ShellBrowser components using a TJamShellLink.

 

TJamFilterCombo

As the name suggests, the TJamFilterCombo can be configured with a list of filters. Connected to other ShellBrowser components via a TJamShellLink, a filter will be automatically applied in components capable of filtering, such as the TJamOpenSaveComboBox, ExplorerBrowser, TJamShellList or TJamShellTree. The filter can be selected from a list of predefined filters or will be supplied on-the-fly.

 

Dialogs

 

TJamBrowseForFolder

The TJamBrowseForFolder component displays a Windows dialog box for selecting and opening folders.

 

TJamNetConnectionDialog

Enable users to easily connect a net drive with the TJamNetConnectionDialog component.

 

TJamNetDisconnectDialog

Present a list of all connected net drives and let users of your application easily disconnect them with the TJamNetDisconnectDialog component.

 

TJamFileOperation

The TJamFileOperation component is used to perform file operations like copy, move, rename, or delete.

 

Non-visual Components

 

TJamDragFiles and TJamDropFiles

Link TJamDropFiles or TJamDragFiles Delphi component to other controls to support and manage drag and drop operations of file system objects.

 

TShellBrowser

TShellBrowser is a non-visual component allowing you to browse the shell namespace of Windows, to query information about shell objects and to perform context menu operations.

 

TJamShellChangeNotifier

The TJamShellChangeNotifier component informs about changes in the file system and the shell (such as copy, move, or delete).

TJamSystemImageList

 

Gain access to the Windows system image list with the TJamSystemImageList component and display shell-related information.

 

TJamShellLink

Keeping the displayed folder or selected elements of the visual ShellBrowser components in sync is very easy with the TJamShellLink component.

 

ShellBrowser Delphi Components Compatibility

 

Seamless Compatibility for Optimal Performance

 

ShellBrowser Delphi Components are compatible with all current versions of Windows (32-bit and 64-bit) and IDEs (Integrated Development Environment).

 

Supported Integrated Development Environment (IDEs)

 

Version 11 and Higher

• RAD Studio 10.3 Rio
• RAD Studio 10.2 Tokyo
• RAD Studio 10.1 Berlin
• RAD Studio 10 Seattle
• RAD Studio XE3 - XE8

Version 10.x

• RAD Studio XE3 - 10.2 Tokyo
• Supports Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

All Versions

• 32 and 64 Bit Compiler
• Delphi and C++ Builder

 

Supported Operating Systems

• Windows 10
• Windows 8.1
• Windows 7
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2016
• Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows Server 2012
• Windows Server 2008 R2

(32-bit and 64-bit)

 

ShellBrowser Delphi Components Sample Projects

 

Let Us Inspire You

Selected Examples of Usage

 

Getting Started: Connecting Components

Here's a first example on how to use the ShellBrowser components. We placed a JamShellTree on the left and a JamShellList on the right side. Both components' property 'Shelllink' is set to the same instance of a JamShellLink, a synchronizing component. The form was enhanced with a check for box enabling or disabling the 'Checkboxes' property of the components as well as forward/backward buttons.

 

Getting Started: JamShellCombo

A JamShellCombo mimics the dropdown menu of the Windows Explorer. Users can type into the combo box and use the autocomplete feature. A JamShellLink mediates events between different components. This time we placed a JamThumbnailImage component on the right side to display all documents known to the Windows operating system as a preview. The 'SpecialFolder' property of the JamShellList has been set to 'MyPictures', one of the available default locations.

 

Getting Started: JamShellChangeNotifier

The JamShellChangeNotifier component notifies if changes occur on the filesystem. Add folders from the JamShellList to the JamFileList by dragging them with the mouse. The collection of items specifies where the JamShellChangeNotifier should listen for file or folder events. If the list is empty, the component notifies changes of the whole file system. On the left you can choose on what events the component should create a change event. In our example a textbox contains relevant information. It is bound to the 'Change' event of the component.

 

Getting Started: JamDriveList

The JamDriveList component lists the configured drive letters and the disk space available on then.

 

ExplorerBrowser

The ExplorerBrowser sample project shows you how to use the TJamExplorerBrowser component. The TJamExplorerBrowser control emulates an entire Windows Explorer. See how easily you can configure columns and display panes, apply filters, or set group and sorting options.

 

JAMExplorer

JAMExplorer is a project showing you how to build an Explorer-like application using the visual shell controls of the ShellBrowser component suite. On the left pane, you see the Windows TreeView, on the right pane the contents of the current folder are displayed. The toolbar contains some of the usual Explorer buttons like delete, properties, and small/large icons. When a user right-clicks on an item, the context menu is displayed. All items can be renamed; Drag&Drop operations are supported. The only extra code written for this sample project were the handlers for the SpeedButtons in the toolbar of the window (usually one line for each button).

 

JAMSearch

JAMSearch is a project simulating the Windows file search. The user can search for file types as well as certain file dates or file sizes and decide whether subfolders should be included in the search or not. Clicking "Browse" to select the searched folder or drive opens an additional selection window.

 

Easy

Easy is an introductory project, which illustrates some frequently needed functions using the TShellBrowser class, e.g. how to display the context menu or the properties pages for a single object, or how to query the thumbnail for an element using the invisible component TShellBrowser.

 

Additionally it illustrates how to call the BrowseForFolder dialog of Windows 9x/NT using the TShellBrowser component.

 

JAMDragDrop

JAMDragDrop is a project that shows the handling of the TJamDropFiles and TJamDragFiles components and the possibilities the user has. It logs drag operations received or started by the connected controls.

 

Hear From Our Customers and Read Media Reviews

 

We are 100% committed to offering our customers and partners worldwide the best possible solutions and service. But don't just take our word for it! Read first-hand opinions of --ShellBrowser Delphi users.

 

“Without ShellBrowser Delphi Components, I would (most probably) not have begun working on my project. Implementing all the complicated functions ShellBrowser covers would simply have taken too much time. Many thanks for the great support. My product would not have been released without the changes to ShellBrowser you implemented and the quick bugfixes! Everything works fast, stable, and just as I designed it.”

--Evgeni Shmakov, CEO Chameleon Explorer

 

“ShellBrowser Delphi Components are the best VCL Shell tools I have seen including Plasmatech which I used for years but which is no longer being updated. Keep up the good work.”

--Bill Miller

 

“I just wanted to tell you that I am very pleased with the latest version (V7.3) of ShellBrowser for Delphi, it's brilliant. Inconsistencies that I had experienced with older versions under Windows 7 have gone, without me having to change my code. Keep up the excellent work.”

--Mick Florey

 

“I have done a quite extensive shootout between Shellshock, GXExplorer, Shell control Pack and ShellBrowser.

GXExplorer and Shellshock still have major bugs, and become very unstable after about 3 seconds of usage.

Shell Control pack (Plasmatech) is a bit limited in the feature set. Nice though...Major problem is that their support doesn't bother to get back to you, even if you are a potential customer. (4 Stars)

ShellBrowser (Jam Software) seems to do everything one can ask for...has all the feature both ShellShock and GXExplorer have. Support is excellent, although not even a registered customer. (5 Stars)”

--Stiaan Pretorius

 

“I have recently purchased your Shellbrowser Delphi Components and love them, I was using [other commercial shell components] but yours are streaks ahead, very reasonably priced and excellent documentation too.”

--Fermin Fernandez

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

We collected the most frequently asked questions by our customers and our experts gave the profound answers. Check if your question on our ShellBrowser Delphi Components has already been answered.

 

Do we have to pay additional royalty fees for EXE files that we distribute and that use the ShellBrowser Components?

No. The ShellBrowser components are royalty free. That means after you purchased them, you may distribute compiled projects without additional costs or fees.

 

How do I register The ShellBrowser components manually in RAD Studio?

When using our installer: In RAD Studio choose: Components > Install Packages > Add... > "%BDSCOMMONDIR%\BPL\JamShellBrowserDesign.bpl"
When using the ZIP file download (source code customers only): extract the ZIP file, open "Packages\RAD Studio XE*\JamShellBrowserDesign.dproj", right click on "JamShellBrowserDesign.bpl" in the Project Manager and choose "Install".

 

I get the error message "Fatal Error: File not Found: ShellBrowser.dcu" during compilation. What is the problem?

The path of ShellBrowser is missing in the library path of Delphi. You may need to add it manually under Tools / Environment Options / Library / Library Path.

 

What is the easiest way to copy a file to the clipboard?

Place a TShellBrowser component on the form, and use code like the one in the example for ShellBrowser.InvokeContextMenuCommand.

 

How can I show XYZ as a thumbnail?

The thumbnails are generated through the same Windows API function that the Windows Explorer uses, and so the ShellBrowser components will show similar thumbnails like the Windows Explorer. To provide thumbnails for a certain file format that Windows does not support out of the box, it is best to register a thumbnail provider in the system. Another option is to use the OnThumbnailUpdated event of the TJamShellList control, which allows you to change the generated thumbnail. TShellBrowser.SetThumbnailProvider() allows you to set one application-wide thumbnail provider that is called if the system does not supply one.

 

What is New in ShellBrowser Delphi Components?

 

Version 11.1

New Features and Improvements

• The new "TJamFilterCombo" represents the Filter ComboBox that is known from Windows File Dialogs. You can specify file extensions that serve as filters for other components connected using a TJamShellLink. In editable mode the component can also be used to apply non-predefined filters that can be typed on the fly.
• The new "TJamOpenSaveCombo" component represents the editing component that is used to select or provide a filename in standard Windows File Open - or Save Dialogs.
• In the dropdown list it presents the last used files. Using a TJamShellLink, it can be connected to other ShellBrowser components, to synchronize the current directory or filter the files available in the drop-down. See the "Dialogs > Custom File Open Dialog" in JamExplorer for an example usage.
• TJamShellList, TJamFileList, TJamDriveList: The sorting has been reworked.
• Using the new “Sort(TShellColumnId, TSortDirection)” method, items can now be sorted by all shell columns, no matter if visible or not. This works in all viewstates.
• For performance reasons you can set a list to unsorted, using the "IsSorted" property. This is the default for the FileList. In contrast to the former release, the last sort order is still kept, so you can turn off and reactivate sorting at any point.
• TJamFileList, TJamShellList: Like Windows File Explorer column "Item Type" is now sorted by the visible value instead of sorting it by the respective file extension.
• TJamShellList, TJamFileList: When sorting for columns that contain date or number values, the default sort order is now descending.
• TJamShellTree: There is a new option for the "MultipleRoots" property: "TMultipleRoots.mrFirstLevel" uses the root folder assigned to "RootedAt" or "RootedAtFileSystemFolder"; yet, instead of presenting this folder as single root node for the ShellTree it will enumerate all subfolders and add them as root folders.
• TJamShellLink: You can now restrict folder access for all controls linked with a TJamShellLink instance using the new "OnNavigating" event. The event is called before the path is changed for any of the controls linked with the TJamShellLink instance and setting the "Cancel" parameter will abort the path change.
• TJamDropFiles: The "IDataObject" of the drag-and-drop operation can now directly be accessed via the new "DataObject" property.
• TShellBrowser: Improved per-monitor high DPI scaling of icons from system image list.
• TJamShellList: It is now possible to create a custom column before the "Name" column, by setting the Index to “0”. If "FullDrag" is activated, it is possible to temporarily move the name column to a different position. Note, that it will be restored at the first position when the columns are loaded the next time.
• TJamDriveList, TJamFileList, TJamShellList: Columns can be consistently renamed using the new "OnGetColumnInfo" event. The given name will be used in the header context menu and column selection dialog too.
• TJamShellList, TJamFileList, TJamShellTree: Introduced the new "OnSelectionChanged" event for the ShellList, FileList and ShellTree. It is called when the selection changed or is removed, but unlike "OnSelectItem" it is not called for every item in the selection.
• TJamShellList: "Paste" and "New folder" are now available and working in the ShellList's background context menu of an attached mobile device.
• TJamDriveList: The disk space information for individual drives is now updated every 10 seconds. This time span can be changed with the new property "DefaultUpdateInterval". The functionality can be switched off by setting the value to "0".
• TJamShellList, TJamFileList: The new property "IconSize" can be used to configure the size of icons in viewstyle vsIcons. Properties "ShowJumboIcons" and "ShowExtraLargeIcons" still exist, but were removed from object inspector. Also, setting any of these properties or property "Thumbnails" to false, doesn't have any effect anymore; instead the wanted icon size needs to be set. This is a breaking change.
• The default value for "IconSpacing" has been changed to "-1" which means that the space is automatically set.
• The new procedure "SendDropFiles(HWnd, TStrings)" in ShellBrowser sends a list of given files to a window, simulating a manual drag-and-drop operation to the window.
• TJamFilePreview: Using the new "TJamFilePreviewLoadPreviewEventArgs.ForceGuiThread" option in the "OnLoadPreview" event, you can force that a preview is loaded and unloaded synchronously instead of being handled in a separate thread. This might fix problems concerning single PreviewHandlers or use-cases, where PreviewHandlers don't work as expected when loaded asynchronously.

 

Bugfixes

• General: Fixed per monitor high DPI issues in various components.
• Thumbnails, TJamFileList, TJamShellList: To avoid delays that might occur when folder thumbnails are retrieved, a new property "FastFolderThumbnails" was introduced. If set to true (default), folder thumbnails previewing the contents of the folder are only displayed, if they have already been cached.
• Thumbnails: Using Adobe Acrobat as thumbnail handler, thumbnails of pdf files that were retrieved in non-standard dimensions, turned up black. This has been fixed.
• TJamFolderCombo: The "Sorted" property now works as expected: if set to false, the items will appear in the order they were added. The default value for this property was changed to "true".
• TJamShellTree: The Quick Access node now doesn't contain zip archives, unless "ShowFiles" is activated for the ShellTree. Also, zip-archives are recognized using file attributes instead of checking the extension.
• TJamShellTree: Fixed the problem, that it was not possible to select a node in Windows 7 "Favorites" root node, if the "ShowErrorMessages" property was set for the ShellTree.
• TJamShellTree: When painting a selected node, the VCL theme's default text color is retained even if the ShellTree doesn't have the focus. For dark VCL themes this avoids dark text on dark background.
• TJamShellList: Improved performance when inserting a large number of elements into a folder via drag-and-drop or copy-paste.
• TJamShellList, TJamShellSearchEdit: If a search result is presented, and you go to the parent folder via pressing backspace or a history component, the folder the search was started in is now reopened, not Desktop.
• TJamShellList: Due to an internal issue, not all available Shell columns could actually be added to the ShellList. This has been fixed.
• TJamShellList, TShellBrowser: Opening a bitlocker secured drive now shows the password dialog even from 32-bit applications.
• TJamShellList: A flickering problem that occurred with custom columns and using a VCL theme has been fixed.
• TJamShellList: Improved thumbnail performance.
• TJamShellList: A possible “EInvalidOperation” error that might have happened during the execution of an "OnThumbnailUpdated" eventhandler is now handled.
• Instead of appearing unsorted, columns in the TJamShellColumnSelectionDialog are now sorted alphabetically if the "MultiSelect" property is set to false.
• TJamShellList, TJamFileList: The "AutoAdjustColumnWidths" method, that automatically resizes columns concerning to fit their contents, now works again when called in the "OnPopulated" event of the ShellList. Also, it is now possible to pass a min-max range that must not be exceeded.
• TJamFileOperation: Instead of "TCommonDialog", TJamFileOperation now extends "TComponent" again, so that it is included in the Component Palette of Rad Studio also for data modules.
• TJamDriveList: The "OnAddItem" and "OnAddPath" events are now called again, when the DriveList refreshes its contents (e.g. by pressing F5). Values for custom columns have to be provided again in one of these events.
• TJamDriveList: A visual issue concerning the sizing of the "AutoSizeColumn" has been fixed.
• TJamDriveList: Worked on possible delays concerning unreachable locations.
• TJamPathLabel: Prevented a possible delay when loading a non-reachable path.
• General: Fixed a possible "EUseAfterFreeError" that is reported by EurekaLog for the TJamShellCommand.
• TJamShellCombo: Fixed a memory leak that might have occurred under specific conditions (control's handle was recreated and finally destroyed while being invisible).

 

Breaking changes and deprecated warnings:

• Type “TJamSortDirection” has been moved from unit JamSystemShellView to Jam.Shell.Types.
• TJamItemIdList: "TItemIdListDisplayNameFormat.dnf_RelativeForAddressBar" was renamed "TItemIdListDisplayNameFormat.dnfRelativeForAddressBar".
• TJamShellList, TJamShellTree: Instead of returning an empty string, some path related properties now return the display path of an element if no physical path is available (e.g. for virtual folders). These are TJamShellTreeNode.FullPath, TJamShellListItem.FullPath, TJamShellList.Path, TJamShellTree.SelectedFolder. Use the "Path" property of the respective ItemIdList if you rely on the old functionality.
• Also, "TJamShellList.GetFullPath" is now deprecated. Use TJamShellItem.Path or TJamShellListItem.AbsoluteItemIdList.Path instead.
• Threadpool: TDelayedProcedure.Create is now deprecated. Use class procedure "TDelayedProcedure.CreateAndQueue" instead.
• TJamFolderCombo: TJamFolderCombo.AddFolder() now adds the given path asynchronously to prevent application freezes if the path is not reachable. Therefore, it no longer returns the new item's index which is a breaking change. If you used the return value to select the added item, please use the SelectFolder() method instead.