Question

Delphi allows a stored keyword when defining properties as follows:

property Fields: TIndexDefs read FFields write SetFields stored FieldsStored;

What is the purpose of the keyword and what does it do?

Answer 1

From my Delphi 7 help file:

The optional stored, default, and
nodefault directives are called
storage specifiers. They have no
effect on program behavior, but
control whether or not to save the
values of published properties in form
files.

The stored directive must be followed
by True, False, the name of a Boolean
field, or the name of a parameterless
method that returns a Boolean value.
For example,

property Name: TComponentName read FName write SetName stored False;

If a property has no stored directive,
it is treated as if stored True were
specified.

It controls whether or not to store a property relating to a component in the .DFM file for the form.