Delphi DevKit

Utilities for developing in Delphi using VS Code.

This project is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Embarcadero Technologies, or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates. The official Embarcadero Technologies website can be found at https://www.embarcadero.com/.

This extension does not include any proprietary Embarcadero code, libraries or binaries. To build Delphi projects, you must have a valid Delphi installation and the necessary environment variables set up. This extension does not work with the Delphi Community Edition due to its limitations on command-line compilation.

This extension is currently developed in my free time, and any feedback is welcome.

Features

• Dual Project Views: Two separate project management approaches:
  • Self-Defined Workspaces: User-customizable project workspaces with drag & drop support
  • Loaded Group Project: Load and manage Delphi group projects (.groupproj) - readonly view
• Multi-Compiler Support: Configure and switch between multiple Delphi versions (Delphi 2007 → Delphi 13.0 Florence built-in)
• Project Management: Compile, recreate, run, and manage Delphi projects with keyboard shortcuts
• Bulk Compilation: Compile or recreate all projects in a workspace or group project at once; cancellable at any time
• Workspace Management: Create, rename, remove workspaces and move projects between them
• File System Integration: Show projects in Explorer, open in File Explorer
• Configuration Management: Create and configure .ini files for executables
• Visual Indicators: File icons for Delphi files and missing file indicators
• Configuration Import/Export: Backup and restore your entire DDK configuration
• File-Based Persistence: Project and compiler data stored as RON files in %APPDATA%/ddk/
• File Navigation: .pas <-> .dfm swapping with Alt+F12 hotkey
• Smart Navigation: .dfm -> .pas jumps with Ctrl+click
• Compiler Output Enhancements: Timestamps, clickable file links, and diagnostics published to the Problems panel
• Formatter Support: Configurable Delphi code formatter.
• LSP Server: Bundled ddk-server (Rust) handles all project state, compilation, and formatting
• MCP Server: Bundled ddk-mcp-server exposes project and compiler management as MCP tools for AI assistants (VS Code Copilot, Claude Desktop, etc.)
• CLI (ddk): Standalone command-line interface for managing projects and compilers outside of VS Code. Install via WinGet or use the bundled binary.

Installation

VS Code Extension

Install from the Visual Studio Marketplace. The extension bundles all Rust binaries — no extra setup needed.

CLI (standalone)

winget install ValentinBaron.DDK

Or download ddk-windows-x86_64.zip from the latest release and add ddk.exe to your PATH.

CLI Usage

ddk project list                # List all known projects
ddk project select <ID>         # Select a project by ID
ddk compiler list               # List available compiler configurations
ddk compiler set <KEY>          # Set the group project compiler
ddk compile                     # Compile the active project
ddk compile --rebuild -p <ID>   # Rebuild a specific project by ID
ddk env                         # Show active project & compiler info
ddk info                        # Print the DDK README
ddk --json <command>            # Output as JSON

Demos

Add a Workspace and drag in a Project

Add a Project via dialog

Load a Group Project

Compile a Project

Transfer Group Project to Workspace

Format Delphi Source

Commands

File Navigation

• Swap .DFM/.PAS - Switch between form and unit files (Alt+F12)

Project Management

• Select Delphi Compiler for Group Projects - Choose the active compiler configuration for .groupproj files
• Pick Group Project - Load a Delphi group project (.groupproj)
• Unload Group Project - Unload the currently loaded group project
• Transfer Group Project to Workspace - Convert the loaded group project into a self-defined workspace
• Refresh - Refresh the projects view and discover file paths

Workspace Management

• Add Workspace - Create a new self-defined workspace
• Rename Workspace - Rename an existing workspace
• Remove Workspace - Delete a workspace and its projects
• Add Project - Add projects to a workspace
• Remove Project - Remove projects from a workspace

Configuration

• Import Configuration - Import DDK configuration from JSON file
• Export Configuration - Export DDK configuration to JSON file
• Edit Default .ini - Edit the default INI template file
• Edit Formatter Config - Edit the Delphi formatter configuration file
• Reset Formatter Config - Reset the formatter configuration to defaults
• Edit Compiler Configurations - Open the compiler configurations RON file directly
• Edit Projects Data - Open the projects data RON file directly

Project Actions (Available via context menu and keyboard shortcuts)

• Compile Selected Project - Compile the selected project (Ctrl+F9)
• Recreate Selected Project - Clean and rebuild the selected project (Shift+F9)
• Compile All in Workspace - Compile all projects in a workspace
• Recreate All in Workspace - Clean and rebuild all projects in a workspace
• Compile All in Group Project - Compile all projects in the loaded group project
• Recreate All in Group Project - Clean and rebuild all projects in the loaded group project
• Cancel Compilation - Cancel the active compilation (Ctrl+F2)
• Run Selected Project - Execute the selected project (F9)
• Configure/Create .ini - Create or edit INI configuration files
• Set Manual Path - Manually set the .dproj path for a project

Extension Settings

• ddk.compiler.encoding: Character encoding used to decode MSBuild output (oem by default, use utf8 if your paths contain non-ASCII characters).

Compiler Configurations

Compiler configurations are stored in %APPDATA%\ddk\compilers.ron and managed by the DDK server. The extension ships with built-in presets for all Delphi versions from Delphi 2007 to Delphi 13.0 Florence.

You can view and edit them directly via the Edit Compiler Configurations command. Each entry includes:

• product_name / compiler_version / package_version — version identifiers
• installation_path — root path of your Delphi installation
• build_arguments — MSBuild arguments passed during compilation
• condition — optional expression to enable/disable the entry

The first entry whose Formatter.exe is found in its installation path is used for formatting.

Project Views

Self-Defined Workspaces

• Customizable: Create and organize your own project workspaces
• Drag & Drop: Move projects within and between workspaces
• Compiler Assignment: Each workspace has a predefined compiler
• Persistent: Projects and workspaces are stored in %APPDATA%\ddk\projects.ron

Loaded Group Project

• Read-Only: View projects from .groupproj files
• Compiler Selection: Use the compiler picker for group project compilation
• Cross-Copy: Drag projects from group projects to self-defined workspaces

Visual Indicators

• Selected Project: Shows ←S indicator for the currently selected project
• Missing Files: Shows ! indicator for files that don't exist
• File Type Icons: Custom icons for .pas, .dfm, .dpr, .dpk, .dproj files

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Alt+F12 - Swap between .PAS and .DFM files
• Ctrl+F9 - Compile selected project (when project is selected)
• Shift+F9 - Recreate selected project (when project is selected)
• F9 - Run selected project (when project has executable)
• Ctrl+F2 - Cancel active compilation

Known Issues

None so far.