Generate UUIDs in Delphi

Generating a UUID in Delphi is straightforward thanks to the RTL (Runtime Library) functions provided by Delphi. Here's how you can generate a UUID (or GUID, as it is often referred to in Windows programming) in Delphi:

Basic UUID Generation in Delphi

You can use the CreateGUID function from the SysUtils unit to generate a UUID. Here is a simple example:

program GenerateUUID;

{$APPTYPE CONSOLE}

uses
  SysUtils;

var
  Guid: TGUID;
  GuidString: string;
begin
  try
    // Generate a new UUID
    if CreateGUID(Guid) = S_OK then
    begin
      // Convert the UUID to string format
      GuidString := GUIDToString(Guid);
      // Output the generated UUID
      WriteLn('Generated UUID: ' + GuidString);
    end
    else
      WriteLn('Failed to generate UUID.');
  except
    on E: Exception do
      WriteLn(E.ClassName, ': ', E.Message);
  end;
end.

Explanation

• CreateGUID(Guid): This function generates a new GUID and stores it in the Guid variable. It returns S_OK if successful.
• GUIDToString(Guid): This function converts the GUID to its string representation in the standard format (e.g., {123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000}).

Running the Code

1. Create a new console application in your Delphi IDE.
2. Copy and paste the code above into your main project file.
3. Run the application to see the generated UUID printed to the console.

Output Example

When you run the code, the output will be similar to:

Generated UUID: {123E4567-E89B-12D3-A456-426614174000}

Each time you run the program, a different UUID will be generated.

Additional Formatting

If you need the UUID in a different format, you can manipulate the string representation of the GUID. Here are some examples:

Remove Braces

GuidString := StringReplace(GUIDToString(Guid), '{', '', [rfReplaceAll]);
GuidString := StringReplace(GuidString, '}', '', [rfReplaceAll]);
WriteLn('UUID without braces: ' + GuidString);

Convert to Uppercase

GuidString := UpperCase(GUIDToString(Guid));
WriteLn('UUID in uppercase: ' + GuidString);

Convert to Lowercase

GuidString := LowerCase(GUIDToString(Guid));
WriteLn('UUID in lowercase: ' + GuidString);

These additional formatting options allow you to customize the UUID string to match the requirements of your application.