convrules editor inherited units

Inherited units, ancestors first (C8CHAIN)

A form that inherits from another form can only be converted after its ancestor: the descendant's .dfm re-opens the ancestor's components (inherited Name: TClass), so a descendant converted first keeps the old types. ConvRulesEditor builds the inheritance graph of the units in the run and keeps every chain in root-first order.

Where it shows

Convert tab > Add... offers every ancestor that still holds a From type of the checked books, root first (intermediate classes included). Convert re-checks the list and asks before it runs anything.

What to know

• Convert never runs a descendant above its ancestor: it asks to reorder the list ancestor-first. No runs nothing.
• An unconverted ancestor that is not in the run blocks too: Yes adds the missing ancestors root-first and runs; No cancels the whole run. A No given when the unit was added does not exempt it later.
• An ancestor class found in neither the project index nor the platform library index blocks the run: add its unit to the .dproj/.dpr and reindex. A library class (TForm, a vendor base) ends the chain.
• A class declared in more than one project unit is ambiguous and blocks with its own message: remove the duplicate or qualify the class.
• If the platform library cannot be asked, only TForm, TFrame, TDataModule and their TCustom* forms still count as roots; any other class blocks.
• The 1.42 engine also orders a batch ancestor-first (a second net).

See also ConvRulesEditor.