DPROJ Manager

A side-by-side diff and migration tool for Delphi .dproj files — and other Delphi/MSBuild XML project artefacts.

DPROJ Manager helps you compare, normalize, and merge Delphi project files across RAD Studio versions, branches, or experimental forks. It opens two .dproj files side-by-side, highlights differences down to the individual <PropertyGroup> / property level, and lets you copy values from one side to the other with a single click — without touching the IDE.

Note on technology: despite the focus on Delphi project files, DPROJ Manager itself is not a Delphi application. It is written in Python (backend, parsing, normalization) plus vanilla HTML/CSS/JavaScript (frontend), bundled into a standalone Windows EXE. No Delphi is required to run or build the tool. Sorry, no source code available, only the compiled binary and libraries.

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Features

Diff & merge

• Side-by-side 3-column layout: left file · apply buttons · right file. All three columns scroll in lockstep, and rows are pixel-aligned per PropertyGroup and per property.
• Per-property apply (→ / ←): copy a value from one side to the other with one click. Reset (↺) undoes the change without reloading.
• Sub-element granularity: for token lists (e.g. DCC_UnitSearchPath) and key-value properties (e.g. VerInfo_Keys), individual tokens / KV pairs can be applied or reset independently — no need to copy the whole property.
• Character-level diff highlighting inside modified token chips and KV values: shared prefix / suffix dimmed, divergent middle highlighted.
• Enable / disable per property: a checkbox per row marks a property for removal on Save (useful for "this setting doesn't belong in this version").

Smart normalization

• Canonical PropertyGroup ordering (optional, MSBuild-safe): Base → Base_<platform> → Cfg_N → Cfg_N_<platform>, platforms alphabetical. Tested round-trip with RAD Studio 13 (Patch 1).
• ProjectExtensions normalization (optional): recursively sorts the ProjectExtensions/BorlandProject tree (including Deployment) by tag + name. IDE-safe because the IDE references those nodes by name, not position.
• Idempotent: normalize twice → identical output. Verified across 23+ Rx versions of an internal project.
• Profile auto-detection: distinguishes Delphi project files (.dproj) from RAD Studio IDE-settings files (.proj / EnvOptions) and adjusts the Save options accordingly.

File support

• .dproj — Delphi project files (primary target)
• .proj — RAD Studio IDE settings (EnvOptions, environment.proj)
• AndroidManifest.template.xml
• Entitlement.TemplateiOS.xml / Entitlement.TemplateOSX.xml
• info.plist.TemplateiOS.xml / info.plist.TemplateOSX.xml

UI & UX

• File picker with two tabs:
  • Browse — directory tree of the current workspace
  • Quick Pick — most-recently-used list, scoped per workspace, with per-entry remove button (removes the shortcut, never the file).
• Search with Tab navigation across all matches, highlights, and ESC to clear.
• Scroll breadcrumb — a floating top bar shows the topmost visible section + key while scrolling. Click to jump to the section's start.
• Image preview — .dproj image-path properties (icons, splash screens) are clickable. Preview opens in a lightbox; copy original path or copy the image itself to the clipboard.
• Diffs-only filter (Ctrl+D) hides unchanged sections. Auto-disables when a save leaves zero differences, so the view never appears empty.
• Backup on overwrite: writing back to the original path always creates a timestamped backup in _Data/DprojManager/backups/ first.
• Save-as variant: pick a custom output filename for either side, with a one-click .normalized.dproj suggestion.

Workflow

• Workspace-scoped state: the picked repo folder is remembered per installation in %LOCALAPPDATA%\DPROJ-Manager\config.json. Re-pick anytime via --pick.
• Lossless normalize: the DELPHI_FRIENDLY writer preserves the original BOM, line endings, and property order — only ItemGroup children get sorted.
• Web mode fallback: the same backend runs as a plain web app on http://localhost:8481/ for headless or browser-based use.

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Requirements

• Windows 10 (1809+) or Windows 11 — 64-bit
• Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime — preinstalled on Windows 10+ since 2021. If missing, the standalone installer is available at developer.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/webview2.
• No Python, no Node.js, no Delphi installation required to run the EXE.

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Installation (end users)

1. Download the latest DPROJ-Manager.zip from the Releases page.
2. Extract the ZIP anywhere convenient (e.g. C:\Tools\DPROJ-Manager\).
3. Double-click DPROJ-Manager.exe.
4. On first launch, pick the root folder of your Delphi project / repository. This becomes the workspace that the file browser is scoped to (a "fence").
5. Use File... on the Left and Right slots to pick two files, click Load, then Normalize.

The folder structure inside the ZIP looks like:

DPROJ-Manager/
├── DPROJ-Manager.exe         ← the launcher
├── _internal/                ← Python runtime + dependencies (auto-generated)
├── www/                      ← UI assets (HTML / CSS / JS, edit-friendly)
├── LICENSE.txt
├── README.md
└── THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.txt

The www/ directory sits outside _internal/ on purpose, so you can tweak the HTML/CSS/JS in place. The app reads them with no-cache headers — just press F5 in the app window.

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Initial startup

The local server starts with initial selection of the working folder, the folder lays under

cd "%localappdata%\DPROJ-Manager"

The local server server supports the App that renders a WebUI interface.

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Usage

Basic workflow

At first start, the local server runs and asks for them ain repo folder in which you can place test files. This config file is stored unter %localappdata%DPROJ-Manager, there are no other files or folders touched, except the local files of DPROJ-Manager folder.

1. Load two files. Click File... on the Left, browse to your file, then click Load. Repeat for the Right side.

   

   Select left file, as origin

   Select right file, as new target

   Load the files into the viewer

2. Click ⚙ Normalize. Both files are read, normalized, and compared. The result is a unified diff tree.

   

   Collapse or expand the property groups

3. Review differences. Use the ↺ Diffs only toggle (Ctrl+D) to hide identical sections.

4. Pick changes. For each diff:

   • Click → (or ←) in the middle column to copy the value to the other side.
   • Click ↺ to reset a previous apply.
   • Use the per-row checkbox to disable a property (it will be removed on Save).

   

   

   

5. Search elements. Enter search phrase and navigate by Tab or Shift+Tab key.

   

   

   

   Example view of the search for "VerInfo_Keys" tag see also DP-EN

   

6. Save. Click 💾 Save (Ctrl+S). The Save dialog lets you:

   • Choose Left, Right, or Both
   • Specify a Save as: filename, or leave empty to overwrite the original (a backup is written first)
   • Optionally force platform sort of PropertyGroups
   • Optionally normalize the ProjectExtensions tree

   

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+N	Normalize + diff
Ctrl+S	Open Save dialog
Ctrl+D	Toggle Diffs-only view
Ctrl+/	Expand / collapse all sections
Ctrl+F	Focus the search bar
Tab (search)	Jump to next match
Shift+Tab	Jump to previous match
Esc (search)	Clear search

Command-line flags

DPROJ-Manager.exe [--pick] [--debug]

  --pick    Re-prompt for the workspace folder, overriding the saved one.
  --debug   Open WebView2 DevTools alongside the app window. Useful for
            inspecting layout / diagnosing UI issues.

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Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  DPROJ-Manager.exe                                       │
│  (PyInstaller-frozen Python 3.11+ launcher)              │
│                                                          │
│   ┌────────────────┐       ┌──────────────────────────┐  │
│   │  pywebview     │  ◄────┤  Microsoft Edge          │  │
│   │  (Edge backend)│  HTTP │  WebView2 Runtime        │  │
│   └────────────────┘ 127.* └──────────────────────────┘  │
│           │                                              │
│           ▼                                              │
│   ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│   │  Starlette + Uvicorn (in-process daemon thread)    │ │
│   │    /api/files/scan    /api/dproj/normalize         │ │
│   │    /api/dproj/load    /api/dproj/save              │ │
│   │    /api/files/browse  /api/files/image             │ │
│   └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│           │                                              │
│           ▼                                              │
│   ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│   │  Dproj/  (Python package)                          │ │
│   │    tree.py        ─ MSBuild XML parser             │ │
│   │    normalize.py   ─ canonical / DELPHI_FRIENDLY    │ │
│   │    diff.py        ─ section + property diff        │ │
│   │    subvalues.py   ─ token & key-value diffs        │ │
│   │    platform_sort.py ─ PropertyGroup reorder        │ │
│   │    xmltree.py     ─ ProjectExtensions tree diff    │ │
│   │    save.py        ─ apply + write + backup         │ │
│   │  (lxml under the hood for everything XML)          │ │
│   └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The frontend (www/app.js, index.html, style.css) is pure vanilla JavaScript — no framework, no build step, no bundler. The HTML file is ~240 lines, the JS is ~3400 lines including the layout sync engine and the diff renderer.

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Building from source

Requirements: Python 3.11+, uv installed.

git clone https://github.com/Rollo62b/dproj-manager.git
cd dproj-manager

Run from source (web mode, no EXE)

uv run python Src/__SubRoutines/Py/Dproj/launcher.py

Opens a pywebview window pointing at a local Uvicorn server. Add --debug for DevTools, --pick to re-choose the workspace.

Alternatively, run the headless web mode:

Src\_Steps\0103_Dproj_Manager_Serve.cmd

Then open http://localhost:8481/ in any browser.

Build the Windows EXE

Src\_Steps\0110_Build_Exe.cmd

The script invokes PyInstaller with the manifest at Src/__SubRoutines/Py/Dproj/DPROJ-Manager.spec and produces Bin/DPROJ-Manager/ ready to zip and ship.

Run tests

uv run --group test pytest

Tests cover the normalizer (~155 tests), the section/property diff, the XML node tree, subvalues handling, and the CLI.

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Project status

DPROJ Manager grew out of an internal milestone series (M0005 through M0008) to support a multi-RadStudio-version migration. It is production-tested against an internal codebase with 56-section dprojs, and is usable today for any Delphi project file. The roadmap includes:

• macOS build (PyInstaller on macOS, WKWebView via pywebview) — in progress
• Workspace session persistence — restore selected files / view state after restart
• Manual node moves in the ProjectExtensions tree (today reorder is only via canonical normalize)

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License

DPROJ Manager is released under the MIT License — see LICENSE for the full text.

Third-party components bundled in the distributed EXE are listed in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.txt with their respective licenses (mostly BSD-3-Clause and MIT).

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Trademarks

DPROJ Manager is an independent open-source project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Embarcadero Technologies, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, or the Python Software Foundation.

• Delphi, RAD Studio, and Embarcadero are registered trademarks of Embarcadero Technologies, Inc.
• Windows, Microsoft Edge, and WebView2 are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
• Python is a trademark of the Python Software Foundation.
• All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Acknowledgements

DPROJ Manager stands on the shoulders of excellent open-source projects. Special thanks to the maintainers of:

• lxml — fast, lenient MSBuild XML parsing
• Starlette + Uvicorn — minimal, fast ASGI stack
• pywebview — native WebView shell without bundling a browser
• PyInstaller — Python-to-EXE packager
• uv — fast Python project management

Built and maintained by @Rollo62b.