Components have different kinds of properties; some can store a boolean value (True or False), like Enabled. To change a boolean property double click the property value to toggle between the states. Some properties can hold a number (e.g. Width or Left), a string (e.g. Caption or Text) or even a set of "simple valued" properties. When a property has an associated editor, to set complex values, an ellipsis button appears near the property name. For example if you click the ellipsis of the Font property a Font property dialog box will appear.

Now, change the Caption (the static text the label displays on the form) of Label1 to 'Your name please:'. Change the Text property (text displayed in the edit box - this text will be changeable at run time) of Edit1 to 'Zarko Gajic' (this is my name, write your name).

   Writing Code - Events and Event Handlers
To really enable components to do something meaningful you have to write some action-specific code for each component you want to react on user input. Remember: components are building block of any Delphi form, the code behind each component ensures a component will react on an action.

Each Delphi component, beside its properties, has a set of events. Windows as even-led environment requires the programmer to decide how a program will (if it will) react on user actions. You need to understand that Windows is a message-based operating system. System messages are handled by a message handler that translates the message to Delphi event handlers. For instance, when a user clicks a button on a form, Windows sends a message to the application and the application reacts to this new event. If the OnClick event for a button is specified it gets executed.

The code to respond to events is contained in Delphi event procedures (event handlers). All components have a set of events that they can react on. For example, all clickable components have an OnClick event that gets fired if a user clicks a component with a mouse. All such components have an event for getting and loosing the focus, too. However if you do not specify the code for OnEnter and OnExit (OnEnter - got focus; OnExit - lost focus) the event will be ignored by your application.

To see a list of events a component can react on, select a component and in the Object Inspector activate the Events tab. To really create an event handling procedure, decide on what event you want your component to react, and double click the event name.

For example, select the Button1 component, and double click the OnClick event name. Delphi will bring the Code Editor to the top of the screen and the skeleton code for the OnClick event will be created.

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
//this is where your code goes
end

Note: For the moment there is no need to understand what all the words in the above code stand for. Just follow along, we'll explain all that in the following chapters.

As you will understand more clearly through this course, a procedure must have a unique name within the form. The above procedure, Delphi component event-driven procedure, is named for you. The name consists of: the name of the form (prefixed with T) "TForm", a full stop ".", the component name "Button1", and the event name "Click". For any component there is a set of events that you could create event handlers for. Just creating an event handler does not guarantee your application will do something on the event - you must write some event handling code in the body of the procedure.

A few words on Delphi (Object) Pascal
The code you write inside event procedures is Pascal code. Object Pascal or Delphi Pascal (as I will mostly call it), a set of object-oriented extensions to standard Pascal, is the language of Delphi. Delphi Pascal enables you to take advantage of object-oriented programming to its fullest. It can be said that Delphi Pascal is to Pascal what C++ is to C. As Delphi was being developed, new language behavior and keywords were added to deal with the component model. In general, Delphi Pascal is a high-level, compiled, strongly typed language that supports structured and object-oriented design.

We'll now write some code for the OnClick event handler of Button1. Alter the above procedure body to:

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
 var s: string;
begin
 s := 'Hello ' + Edit1.Text + ' Delphi welcomes you!';
 ShowMessage(s);
end;

A few words on Delphi Code completion
When you reach to the second line and write "Edit1." wait a little, Delphi will display a list box with all the properties of the edit box you can pick. In general, it lists valid elements that you can select from and add to your code. Here's more info on Delphi Code Insight tools.

Now, hit F9 to compile and run your project. When the program starts, click the Button1 ('Hello...'). A message box will pop up saying 'Hello Zarko Gajic, Delphi welcomes you!'. Change the text in the Edit box and hit the Button again...

What follows is a simple explanation of the code that runs this application. Let's see.