Delphi Build

delphi-build

Build-time configuration for Delphi projects that consume mORMot 2: command-line dcc32 / dcc64 invocations, .dproj XML structure, MSBuild targets (Build, Rebuild, Make, Clean, Compile), unit/include search paths into $(MORMOT2_PATH)/src/{core,orm,rest,soa,db,crypt,net,app,lib}, and conditional defines that toggle features at compile time (USEZEOS, NOSYNDBZEOS, MORMOT2TESTS, FPC_X64MM, DEBUG). This skill teaches WHY/WHICH flags to set; the wrapper script scripts/delphi-build.ps1 covers WHEN/HOW to drive them from CI. It assumes the runtime/topology decisions of mormot2-deploy (services, reverse proxy, static libs) and stops where Free Pascal begins: -Fu, -Mobjfpc, lazbuild, and cross-targets all belong in fpc-build.

When to use

• Adding a ` or entry to .dproj so a project picks up mormot.core.base.pas, mormot.orm.core.pas, and the rest of the namespace tree under $(MORMOT2_PATH)/src`.
• Choosing between dcc32, dcc64, and msbuild from the command line: which one resolves which configuration, which one understands .dproj properties, and which one needs explicit -U / -I / -NS.
• Defining or removing build-time conditionals ({$DEFINE DEBUG}, {$DEFINE FPC_X64MM}, {$DEFINE USEZEOS}) either in the .dproj ` block or via /p:DCCDefine="DEBUG;FPCX64MM"` on the MSBuild command line.
• Switching a .dproj between Debug and Release, or Win32 and Win64, via /p:Config=Release /p:Platform=Win64 so the same source tree produces both builds without IDE clicks.
• Wiring scripts/delphi-build.ps1 into CI: pinning MORMOT2_PATH, parsing the BUILD_RESULT exit=... errors=... warnings=... trailer, and choosing -Compiler dcc64 versus -Compiler msbuild for a given project file.
• Diagnosing F1026 File not found: 'mormot.core.base.dcu' and similar errors that almost always trace back to a missing search path or a stale DCU output directory.

When NOT to use

• Free Pascal Compiler or Lazarus builds: -Mobjfpc, -Sci, -Fu, -Fi, .lpi, lazbuild, cross-compilation targets. Use fpc-build.
• Runtime deployment: bundling static C archives, registering Windows Services, writing systemd units, choosing a reverse proxy. Use mormot2-deploy. (Static-link conditionals such as STATICSQLITE do belong here when the question is "how do I set the define"; they belong in mormot2-deploy when the question is "do I want to ship a single binary".)
• In-process TLS, ACME, HTTP engine selection. Use mormot2-net.
• REST routes, SOA contracts, TRestServer lifecycle. Use mormot2-rest-soa.
• RawUtf8, TSynLog, TDocVariant, RTTI conventions used in the examples. Use mormot2-core.

Core idioms

1. Inject mORMot 2 search paths into .dproj

A .dproj is MSBuild XML. Each configuration (Cfg_1, Cfg_2, Base) has a ` whose is a semicolon-separated list. Add $(MORMOT2_PATH)\src and the per-namespace subfolders so the compiler finds mormot.core., mormot.orm., mormot.rest.*`, etc.

  $(MORMOT2_PATH)\src;$(MORMOT2_PATH)\src\core;$(MORMOT2_PATH)\src\orm;$(MORMOT2_PATH)\src\rest;$(MORMOT2_PATH)\src\soa;$(MORMOT2_PATH)\src\db;$(MORMOT2_PATH)\src\crypt;$(MORMOT2_PATH)\src\net;$(MORMOT2_PATH)\src\app;$(MORMOT2_PATH)\src\lib;$(DCC_UnitSearchPath)
  $(MORMOT2_PATH)\src;$(DCC_Include)
  WinTypes=Windows;WinProcs=Windows;DbiTypes=BDE;$(DCC_UnitAlias)

The trailing $(DCC_UnitSearchPath) keeps inherited entries (parent group, IDE library path). Always prepend mORMot rather than appending: when two units share a name, the leftmost path wins, and you want yours, not whatever an IDE add-on registered globally.

2. Compile a .dpr directly with dcc64

When you do not have a .dproj (a small tool, a test harness), dcc64 takes the same paths on the command line. -U adds a unit search path, -I an include search path, -NS an implicit namespace, -O an object/DCU output dir, and -B forces a rebuild.

$mormot = $env:MORMOT2_PATH
& dcc64.exe `
  -U"$mormot\src;$mormot\src\core;$mormot\src\orm;$mormot\src\rest" `
  -I"$mormot\src" `
  -NSSystem -NSWinapi -NSData.DB `
  -O"$PSScriptRoot\dcu" `
  -DDEBUG -B `
  myserver.dpr

scripts/delphi-build.ps1 wraps exactly this: it expands the path list under $env:MORMOT2_PATH/src, drops any subfolder that does not exist on disk, and quotes each -U / -I argument so spaces in the install path do not split the token. See references/dcc-flags.md for the full flag table.

3. Drive a .dproj through MSBuild

For projects that ship a .dproj, prefer MSBuild: it honours every ` property, every per-configuration , and produces the same artefacts the IDE produces. Targets are Build, Rebuild, Make, Clean, and Compile; configuration and platform pivot through /p:Config= and /p:Platform=`.

# 1) Activate the RAD Studio environment so $BDS / $BDSCommonDir / $BDSPlatformSDKsDir are set.
& "$env:BDS\bin\rsvars.bat"

# 2) Build a Win64 release.
msbuild myserver.dproj /t:Build /p:Config=Release /p:Platform=Win64 /v:minimal

# 3) Re-export defines without touching the .dproj on disk.
msbuild myserver.dproj /t:Build /p:Config=Debug /p:Platform=Win64 /p:DCC_Define="DEBUG;FPC_X64MM"

# 4) Clean DCUs and EXE for a given config.
msbuild myserver.dproj /t:Clean /p:Config=Release /p:Platform=Win64

Build runs Compile then linking with conditional rebuild; Rebuild is Clean + Build; Make only rebuilds units whose source changed. See references/msbuild-targets.md for the full target/property matrix.

4. Toggle build-time conditionals consistently

mORMot 2 is conditional-heavy: STATICSQLITE, OPENSSLSTATIC, LIBDEFLATESTATIC, FPC_X64MM, NOSYNDBZEOS, MORMOT2TESTS, plus your own (DEBUG, RELEASE, STAGING). Set them in exactly one place per build:

• In .dproj, under `` per-configuration. Survives IDE editing, ships in source control, easy to diff.
• On the MSBuild command line, /p:DCC_Define="DEBUG;FPC_X64MM". Right for CI matrix builds where the same .dproj produces several binaries.
• In a shared .inc file, mormot.defines.inc style. Right when several .dpr files share toggles.

Do not mix: a project that gets DEBUG from .dproj and /p:DCC_Define= ends up with DCC_Define overriding silently, which yields the wrong binary in CI without any warning. Pick one home and document it next to the build script.

5. Run via scripts/delphi-build.ps1

The wrapper resolves MORMOT2_PATH, picks dcc32 / dcc64 / msbuild, injects search paths, captures stdout, parses errors and warnings, and emits a single trailer line CI can grep:

$env:MORMOT2_PATH = '\src\mormot2'   # absolute path on the build host
pwsh -NoProfile -File scripts/delphi-build.ps1 -Project myserver.dproj -Compiler msbuild
# ...build output...
# BUILD_RESULT exit=0 errors=0 warnings=3 first=

Exit codes map cleanly: 0 success, 2 MORMOT2_PATH unset/invalid, 5 project missing, 6 no compiler on PATH, 7 build failed (errors > 0). CI scripts should grep for the trailer rather than rely on $LASTEXITCODE alone, because non-zero exit + zero errors usually means the SDK environment was not loaded (common on bare runners).

Common pitfalls

• BDS / BDSCommonDir unset under CI. A dcc64.exe invocation outside the IDE silently falls back to whatever dcc64.cfg is alongside the binary, which on a bare runner means no namespace setup and no RTL search path. Symptom: F1026 File not found: 'System.SysUtils.dcu'. Fix by sourcing rsvars.bat (call "%BDS%\bin\rsvars.bat" from cmd, & "$env:BDS\bin\rsvars.bat" from pwsh) before the compiler runs, every time, in the same shell.
• **.dproj ` mismatched against the installed Delphi.** A .dproj saved by Delphi 12 (20.2) loaded under Delphi 11 silently loses property groups MSBuild does not recognise; a Delphi 11 .dproj opened by Delphi 12 IDE auto-upgrades on save and breaks the older box. Pin the IDE to one version per branch, or keep a separate .dproj.` per supported toolchain. Never rely on "should be backwards compatible".
• **` (default) versus explicit -NS.** The IDE writes $(DCC_Namespace) and resolves it from registered Delphi versions; MSBuild on a bare runner inherits whatever was set in rsvars.bat, which may be empty. dcc64 invoked directly inherits **nothing** unless you pass -NSSystem -NSWinapi -NSData.DB ... explicitly. Symptom: E2003 Undeclared identifier: 'TStringList'. Fix by listing the namespaces the project actually needs in the .dproj *and* keep scripts/delphi-build.ps1 passing them on dcc64` calls.
• Conditional defines shadowing globals. mormot.defines.inc has its own {$IFDEF FPC_X64MM} and {$IFDEF DEBUG} logic. A project that also defines DEBUG in ` and again on /p:DCC_Define="DEBUG" is fine *until* a sibling unit's .inc does {$UNDEF DEBUG}, and now the linker silently drops your debug-only branch. Search the tree (rg -F '{$DEFINE DEBUG}', rg -F '{$UNDEF DEBUG}'`) before adding a new global.
• Stale DCU output directory. dcc64 -O"dcu" writes per-configuration DCUs into one directory by default. Switch from Debug to Release without -B (or Rebuild) and the linker pulls a Debug DCU into a Release binary, with no error. Either give each configuration its own output directory (-O"dcu\$Config\$Platform" or per-config `), or always -B in CI. The .dproj IDE template gets this right; hand-rolled .dpr` builds get it wrong constantly.
• Spaces in MORMOT2_PATH not quoted on the command line. dcc64 -U\src\mormot 2\src\core parses as -U\src\mormot plus a positional argument 2\src\core, which fails with a confusing "no input files" error. Always quote: -U"$mormot\src\core". scripts/delphi-build.ps1 quotes correctly; ad-hoc Invoke-Expression calls usually do not.
• Mixing 32-bit DCUs into a 64-bit build. Sharing one DCU folder across Win32 and Win64 lets dcc64 pick up a Win32 DCU first, then fail at link time with F2613 Unit 'mormot.core.base' not found. Always partition output: $(Platform)\$(Config) (the IDE default) and the same for ` and `. The leftover-from-IDE-shutdown variant is the most common cause of "works on my machine, fails in CI".
• MORMOT2_PATH set per shell, missing from CI. Local devs put MORMOT2_PATH=\src\mormot2 (or wherever they cloned mORMot 2) in their user environment; CI runners have nothing. scripts/delphi-build.ps1 exits 2 ("MORMOT2_PATH unset") with a clear message, but a hand-rolled dcc64 call just produces F1026 File not found: 'mormot.core.base.dcu' with no hint about why. Set MORMOT2_PATH in the CI job's environment block alongside BDS, and assert it is non-empty as the first step of the build.

See also

• $MORMOT2_DOC_PATH/mORMot2-SAD-Chapter-26.md - Installation and Compilation
• references/dcc-flags.md
• references/dproj-anatomy.md
• references/msbuild-targets.md
• scripts/delphi-build.ps1 - the build wrapper this skill teaches
• fpc-build for FPC / Lazarus / cross-compilation builds
• mormot2-deploy for runtime topology, services, static-library bundling
• mormot2-core for RawUtf8, TSynLog, and the unit conventions every snippet above leans on

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: flydev-fr
• Source: flydev-fr/mormot2-superpowers
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.