Table of Contents
Introduction
The goal is to build a simple contacts application with a SQLite backend, demonstrating a complete UI-to-database workflow.
Success Criteria
- Add, list, and delete contacts with data persisted in SQLite
- Clean, structured implementation using Delphi (FireDAC + VCL)
Design Notes
- The application was built incrementally, starting with an in-memory model and transitioning to a database-backed implementation.
- UI structure was refactored (ListBox → ListView) to better align with the underlying data model.
- Emphasis was placed on clarity and simplicity over feature completeness.
Development Roadmap
Principles
- Keep it simple
- Prefer clarity over features
- Build in small, testable increments
Phase I - UI Skeleton
Create a simple form that contains:
- Name
- Phone Number
- Add Button
- Delete Button
- Refresh Button
- Contacts List Box
Phase II - In Memory Logic
Simulate persistence using an in-memory store.
- Store contacts in a list
- Implement
- Add > Push to the list
- Refresh > Display the list
- Delete > Remove the selected entry
Phase III - DB Integration
Setup SQLite.
- Use SQLite via FireDAC (no external server dependency)
- Create the DB
- Create the DB table
- Implement insert, select, delete
- Replace the in-memory store with the database
- Update UI to read directly from the DB
Phase IV - Extend the App
Add a few small enhancements:
- Split name into first name and last name
- Confirm delete feature
- Replace the
TListBoxwithTListViewto support structured data display - Auto-refresh the contacts on app startup
- Auto-refresh the contacts on add
- Auto-refresh the contacts on delete
- Add database problem handling
Phase V - Code Review
- Code review
- Variable names
- Ensure code is readable; add comments if necessary
Phase VI - Documentation
Create documentation for this application:
- What it does
- Tech stack
- Design notes
- Next steps, if I were to continue