TPicShow and TDBPicShow v2.4 for Delphi
---------------------------------------

Autor: Kambiz R. Khojasteh
E-mail: khojasteh@mail.com
Web: http://www.crosswinds.net/~khojasteh/

Thanks to M. R. Zamani for adding 8 effects
e-mail: M_R_Zamani@mail.com

Special thanks to:
  k3nx@hotmail.com
  Douglass Tietjen (support@delphipages.com)
  Jerry McLain (jkmclain@cyberstation.net)


TPicShow is an image slider component for Delphi 3, 4, and 5. It can display image 
with 122 different effect. TPicShow can use a separate thread for its process.
TDBPicShow is data-aware version of TPicShow. TDBPicShow has all properties and events 
of TPicShow except OnChange property and has three new properties AutoDisplay, 
DataFiled, and DataSource. Also, Picture property of TDBPicShow is not published.
    

I N S T A L L A T I O N
-----------------------

To install TPicShow add following files into a new or existing package:

  1. PSReg.pas
  2. PicShow.pas


K E Y  P R O P E R T I E S
--------------------------

* AutoDisplay: Boolean (TDBPicShow only)
  Determines whether to automatically display the contents of a graphic BLOB in the 
  database control.

* AutoSize: Boolean
  Automatically sizes the component to the size of the image if set.

* BgMode: TBackgroundMode (added on v1.3)
  TBackgroundMode = (bmNone, bmTiled, bmStretched, bmCentered)
  Determines how to display control its background image.

* BgPicture: TPicture (added on v1.3)
  This is the background image. 

* Busy: Boolean (Readonly) (added on v1.1)
  Determines whether control is animating or not.

* Center: Boolean
  When the component is larger than the image it will be centered within the control
  boundaries if this property is set.

* Color: TColor
  Determines the background color of the control.

* DataField: String; (TDBPicShow only)
  Specifies the field from which the database image displays data. 

* DataSource: TDataSource; (TDBPicShow only)
  Links the control to a dataset. 

* Delay: Word (added on v2.0)
  Determines delay in miliseconds between two frames. The time of creating and drawing of
  frame will be subtracted from this time. 

* Empty : Boolean (ReadOnly) (added on v1.2)
  This is True when no image is loaded.

* Manual : Boolean (added on v2.0)
  When this property set to True, animation will be controled by Progress property.
  For manual control, call Execute method, change the progress value and finally 
  call Stop method.

* Picture: TPicture (Published in TPicShow only)
  This is the image itself. Execute method shows the image with the selected style.

* Progress: 0..100 (added on v2.0)
  This property holds the current position of the animation. When Busy is False,
  changing of this property has not effect.

* Reverse: Boolean (added on v2.2)
  When this property is true, animation plays as reverse.

* Stretch: Boolean
  When the component is larger than the image it will be stretched to fit within the
  component boundaries if this property is set to True. 

* StretchFine: Boolean (added on v2.0)
  When the Stretch is true, setting this property to true cause the image stretch with 
  its acpect ratio. 

* Step: Word
  This property determines the amount of progress increment for next frame.

* Style: TShowStyle
  This property determines effect of animation and can be any number between 0 to 122.
  In special case if style set to zero, the control use OnCustomDraw event to display 
  the image.
  
* Threaded: Boolean
  If this property set to true, the control use a separate thread for its process.

* ThreadPriority: Boolean (added on v2.0)
  This property determines the priority of the thread.


K E Y  E V E N T S
------------------

* OnAfterNewFrame: TCustomDrawEvent (added on v2.31)
  TCustomDrawEvent = procedure(Sender: TObject; Picture, Screen: TBitmap) of object;
  This event is triggered just after creating a new frame and before painting the
  frame on the control.

* OnBeforeNewFrame: TCustomDrawEvent (added on v2.31)
  TCustomDrawEvent = procedure(Sender: TObject; Picture, Screen: TBitmap) of object;
  This event is triggered just before creating a new frame.

* OnChange: TNotifyEvent (added on v1.2) (TPicShow only)
  This event is triggered when picture property has been changed.

* OnComplete: TNotifyEvent
  This event is triggered just after image displayed completely.
  If Stop method has been called and Progress is less than 100%, this event will not fire.

* OnProgress: TNotifyEvent (added on v2.0)
  This event is triggered just after drawing a new frame. 

* OnCustomDraw: TCustomDrawEvent (added on v2.0)
  TCustomDrawEvent = procedure(Sender: TObject; Picture, Screen: TBitmap) of object;
  If Style property set to 0, TpicShow will trigger this event when it needs a new frame.
  The Picture parameter is the original image, the Screen parameter is a bitmap that you 
  should update it.
  If OnCustomDraw remain unassigned, default handler ignores the progress value and draw 
  the image completely.

* OnMouseEnter: TNotifyEvent
  This event is triggered just after mouse comes over the control

* OnMouseLeave: TNotifyEvent
  This event is triggered just after mouse leaves the control

M E T H O D S
-------------

* procedure Execute;
  Shows the image with the specified style.
  To see the image at design time use commands on shortcut menu of the control.

* procedure Clear;
  Clears the client area of the control with background. This method does not clear 
  image that assigned to picture property.

* procedure Stop; (added on v1.2)
  Stops the running animation. 


H I S T O R Y
-------------

* Version 2.4 - 16th Jun 2000
  - TDBPicShow is data-aware version of TPicShow that has been added to this version
    of the component pack. 

* Version 2.32 - 14th Jun 2000
  - Before this version, TPicShow only was a windowed control. Now, TPicShow can be a 
    windowed or non-windowed control by defineing or undefining a compiler conditional
    symbol (WINCONTROL). As default it is a non-windowed control.

* Version 2.31 - 12nd Jun 2000
  - Two new events OnBeforeNewFrame and OnAfterNewFrame added.

* Version 2.3 - 27th Feb 2000
  - Memory leak bug fixed

* Version 2.2 - 6th Feb 2000
  - Now, all styles can be played as reverse. In previous versions, reducing the progress
    for some styles had not effect.
  - Reverse property added
  - OnMouseEnter and OnMouseLeave events added
  - Sorry, because of some major changes in this release, UpdateRgn parameter of 
    OnCustomDraw had not meaning and removed.
  - I also have added some comments to the source of demo appication. 

* Version 2.11 - 1st Feb 2000
  - A minor bug fixed

* Version 2.1 - 31st Jan 2000
  - 5 new effects added (now 122 effects)
  - Property editors placed in a separate unit. (Delphi 5 consideration)
  - Known bugs fixed

* Version 2.0 - 12 Dec 1999
  - Manual animation control added (Thanks to Jerry McLain for this idea)
  - Now all animation styles play the image with an equal speed
  - Stretch can hold the image aspect ratio
  - Delay, Manual, Progress, StretchFine, and ThreadPriority properties added
  - OnCustomDraw and OProgress events added

* Version 1.5 - 17 Nov 1999
  - now is Delphi 3.0 compatible
  - Icon support added

* Version 1.4 - 16 Nov 1999
  - Thanks to M. R. Zamani for his 8 new effects (now 117 effects) 
  - reported bugs fixed

* Version 1.3 - 11 Nov 1999
  - new BgMode and BgPicture properties
  - 32 new effects added (now 109 effects)
  - thread management improved

* Version 1.2 - 9 Nov 1999
  - new Empty property
  - new OnChange event
  - new Stop method
  - 30 new effects (now 77 effects)
  - all known bugs fixed

* Version 1.1 - 6 Nov 1999
  - new Busy property
  - some bugs fixed

* Version 1.0 - 5 Nov 1999
  - Initial release with 47 effects


This component is freeware and may be used in any software product (free or commercial) 
under the condition that I'm given proper credit (title, name and email address in the 
documentation or the About box of the product this control is used in).

If you have problems, suggestions, bug reports mail me.

Excuse me for my bad English.

Good luck!
Kambiz