DD Service Application Framework

7th October 2025 - Updated DDService for Delphi 13 with simplified installation.

13th March 2025 - Updated DDService for Delphi 12.3.  ICS V9.4 already has Delphi 12.3 64-bit IDE design packages.

th November 2023 - DDService for Delphi 12.

24th May 2022 -  DDService for Delphi 11.1

17th September 2021 -  DDService for Delphi 11.0

1st June 2021 -  DDService for Delphi 10.4.2 Sydney, they changed Vcl.SvcMgr.pas which stopped our patch working

7th July 2020 - DDService for Delphi 10.4 Sydney

Background

DDService is an enhanced Windows NT service application framework for Delphi and C++ Builder based on the original VCL service framework. In addition to it it also encapsulates new Windows NT service APIs introduced since Windows 2000. DDService is freeware with source and currently supports Delphi 5, 7 and 2006 to XE8, 10 Seattle, 10.1 Berlin, 10.2 Tokyo, 10.3 Rio, 10.4 Sydney, 11, 12 and 13 as well as C++ Builder 2006 to XE5.

Original author, the late Arno Garrels of Duodata in Berlin. Now being maintained by Magenta Systems Ltd.  

Features include:

• Win 2000 FailureOptions and FailureActions, Service Description.

• HandlerEx extended service controls: ParamChange, NetBindChange.

• Optional device events as well as power events.

• Assigning one of these events creates a hidden window in the context of the service thread.

• Creation of the service window can be enforced by setting option eoForceServiceThreadWindow.

• Win XP SessionChange service control

• Win Vista PreShutdown service control and NonCrashFailures flag,

• Service SID Info, Required Privileges and StartType AutoDelayed.

• Optional console control handler

• Property ServiceName.

• Includes fixes of QC #68050 and QC #37706.

Overview

Rather than being a replacement for the Delphi service environment, DDService effectively updates the original SvcMgr.pas file with all the new features so it becomes DDSvcMgr.pas. To avoid distributing Embarcadero units, DDService has DIFF files for each different version which are used to patch your existing version and create DDSvcMgr.pas.This is done by  CopyAndPatchSvcMgr.bat, see below.

If multiple versions of Delphi are installed, the latest version of SvcMgr.pas will be copied and patched, however the DDSvcMgr.pas unit created is backward compatible with all older versions of Delphi.

If upgrading to newer versions of Delphi after 11.0, a newer version of DDCompilers.inc will be required, this file is a straight copy of OverbyteIcsDefs.inc from the ICS package which is updated regularly.

Installation

For Delphi 10.3 and earlier, please see the readme.txt for installation information. 

In RAD Studio or BDS installing the Delphi or C++ Builder
packages installs DDService into both Delphi and C++ Builder
personality.

1 - Unzip DDService.zip to a new or empty directory of your choice. Make sure to unzip the directory structure included in the zip file.

2 - Open group project file Packages\InstallDDService.groupproj

3 - Click the 'Show Build Groups pane' button, in that pane click the 'Build the current build group' button and the Win32 and Win64 debug and release packages will be built, then install the Win32 design package. If using the 64-bit IDE install the Win64 design package.

4 - Set search paths in Tools | Options: - Add directory \Source\ to the Windows Library search path.

After installation a new item "DDService" is available in the repository and on the Tool Palette containing wizards to create a new DDService application as well as a new DDService. In directory \Demos you'll find some simple demo applications.

Revision History

- 06 March 07 Removed calls to Classes.(De)AllocateHwnd since they are not thread-safe. Made WndProc virtual.

- 08 Sept 07 New event OnRunException.

- 17 Oct, 08 New property ServiceName. Fixed a (CodeGear) bug in TDDService.ReportStatus. As a result it is now possible to delay Vista system shutdown in event OnPreshutdown. Also random ERangeErrors in function ReportStatus are now gone.
Delphi 2009 compatibility added.

- V1.4 03 Nov 08 ( version number introduced ;-) Value of property ImagePath is now enclosed in double quotes if it includes spaces in order to avoid error 193:0xc1 on service start, more details: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q812486. Added const WM_USER_DDSERVICE which should be used as a base to create custom message IDs for custom messages to be sent to the service window. New demos added.

- V1.5 13 Nov 08 load extended service API dynamically

- V1.6 Aug 09 Windows 7 service API headers and packages for Delphi 2010 added.

- V1.7 Aug 2010 packages for Delphi XE added.

- V1.8 Aug 2011 Added support for Delphi XE2 and C++ Builder 2006 - XE2.

- V1.8a Aug 2012 Added support for Delphi and C++ Builder XE3.

- V1.8b Apr 2013 Added support for Delphi and C++ Builder XE4.

- V1.8c Sep 2013 Added support for Delphi and C++ Builder XE5.

Updates by Magenta Systems Ltd

- 7 Oct 2019 Added support for Delphi XE7, XE8, 10 Seattle, 10.1 Berlin, 10.2 Tokyo and 10.3 Rio.

- 7 July 2020 Added support for Delphi 10.4 Sydney.

MagService is a unit of functions to control, install and remove Windows Service applications. These functions all require the application to have administrative access rights, which can be checked by IsProgAdmin. Services can be started and stopped, check if running, installed to run with startup options, an account and dependencies, have a service description set, or removed from the service database.

- 1 June 2021 Vcl.SvcMgr.pas has changed with Delphi 10.4.2 by removing deprecated thread suspend/resume, so created a new version of the DIFF file, note no longer works with 10.4.0 or 10.4.1.

- 17 Sept 2021 Added support for Delphi 11.0.

- 24th May 2022 Added support for Delphi 11.1 which adds an extra line to Vcl.SvcMgr.pas, no longer supporting RTM. CreateSetEnvBat now correctly installs the path for D11, thanks to Drin Greaham for finding this.

- 5th November 2023 Added support for Delphi 12. Windows 11 no longer opens BAT files by default, so now using SetEnv.cmd and CopyAndPatchSvcMgr.cmd.

- 13th March 2025 Added support for the 64-bit Delphi 12.3 IDE Wizards, minor fix for 64-bit handles. Replaced the existing packages for Delphi 10.4, 11 and 12 with common packages in 'Delphi New' using AutoSuffix to added the compiler versison automatically, should work new newer Delphi versions. Note the new packages have an extra 0, so if upgading you need to uninstall the old ones first.

- 7th October 2025 Simplified the package for new users by removing all patches and packages for Delphi 10.3 and earlier since newer versions have an unchanged SvcMgr unit and use the same packages. So the Package directory just has two packages and project group, which now has a build group to build all platforms and configurations. So no patching is required, just copy the files, build the packages and install the design package.

ICS V9.5 has a new OverbyteIcsWinUtils.pas unit with several functions for installing and controlling services, which replace the magservice.pas file that has been removed.

Notes

In this version messages WM_POWERBROADCAST as well as WM_DEVICECHANGE are trapped in the window procedure of the service window directly instead of registering/handling SERVICE_CONTROL_POWEREVENT and DEVICE_CONTROL_DEVICEEVENT. I think this is a solution since both control codes expect a message result/return which otherwise would require synchronize the control codes by SendMessage them from HandlerEx to the service thread window.

Enjoy

SVN

The DDService code is available from an SVN repository at:

https://svn.magsys.co.uk/svn/ddservice/

Use username = ics and password = ics for read access.

Magenta Systems Ltd, 9 Vincent Road, Croydon CR0 6ED, United Kingdom
Phone 020 8656 3636, International Phone +44 20 8656 3636
https://www.magsys.co.uk/
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