Overview
TeeGrid is highly optimized for performance, but there are several techniques to maximize speed, especially with large datasets or complex formatting.
Rendering Engines
TeeGrid supports multiple rendering engines with different performance characteristics.
GDI+ (Default)
uses
VCLTee.Painter.GdiPlus;
procedure UseGDIPlus;
begin
TeeGrid1.Painter := TGdiPlusPainter.Create;
// Optional: Enable/disable anti-aliasing
TGdiPlusPainter(TeeGrid1.Painter).AntiAlias := True;
end;
GDI (Fastest)
uses
VCLTee.Painter;
procedure UseGDI;
begin
// GDI is faster but doesn't support anti-aliasing
TeeGrid1.Painter := TGdiPainter.Create(TeeGrid1.Canvas);
end;
Skia (RAD Studio 12+)
uses
VCLTee.Painter.Skia;
procedure UseSkia;
begin
TeeGrid1.Painter := TSkiaPainter.Create;
// Optional: Enable/disable anti-aliasing
TSkiaPainter(TeeGrid1.Painter).AntiAlias := True;
end;
Unit_Test_Speed.pas:
unit Unit_Test_Speed;
interface
uses
Vcl.Forms, Vcl.StdCtrls, Vcl.ComCtrls, Vcl.ExtCtrls,
VCLTee.Control, VCLTee.Grid;
type
TFormSpeed = class(TForm)
TeeGrid1: TTeeGrid;
Button1: TButton;
LabelResult: TLabel;
ComboGraphics: TComboBox;
CBAntiAlias: TCheckBox;
CBFormatting: TCheckBox;
TrackBar1: TTrackBar;
procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
procedure Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
procedure ComboGraphicsChange(Sender: TObject);
procedure CBAntiAliasClick(Sender: TObject);
procedure CBFormattingClick(Sender: TObject);
procedure TrackBar1Change(Sender: TObject);
private
procedure ClearCosmetics;
procedure RunBenchmark;
procedure SetCosmetics;
end;
implementation
uses
System.Diagnostics, Tee.GridData.Strings, Tee.Grid.Columns,
Tee.Painter, Tee.Format,
VCLTee.Painter, VCLTee.Painter.GdiPlus;
// Create sample data
function Sample_Data: TStringsData;
var
Row, Column: Integer;
begin
result := TStringsData.Create(20, 100);
// Fill data
for Row := 0 to result.Rows - 1 do
begin
result[0, Row] := IntToStr(Row);
for Column := 1 to result.Columns - 1 do
result[Column, Row] := IntToStr(Column);
end;
// Headers
result.Headers[0] := 'Row';
for Column := 1 to result.Columns - 1 do
result.Headers[Column] := 'Col' + IntToStr(Column);
end;
procedure TFormSpeed.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
TeeGrid1.Data := Sample_Data;
SetCosmetics;
end;
// Switch rendering engine
procedure TFormSpeed.ComboGraphicsChange(Sender: TObject);
begin
case ComboGraphics.ItemIndex of
0: TeeGrid1.Painter := TGdiPlusPainter.Create;
1: TeeGrid1.Painter := TGdiPainter.Create(TeeGrid1.Canvas);
// 2: TeeGrid1.Painter := TSkiaPainter.Create; // RAD 12+
end;
CBAntiAlias.Enabled := not (TeeGrid1.Painter is TGdiPainter);
end;
procedure TFormSpeed.CBAntiAliasClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
if TeeGrid1.Painter is TGdiPlusPainter then
TGdiPlusPainter(TeeGrid1.Painter).AntiAlias := CBAntiAlias.Checked;
end;
procedure TFormSpeed.CBFormattingClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
if CBFormatting.Checked then
SetCosmetics
else
ClearCosmetics;
end;
procedure TFormSpeed.TrackBar1Change(Sender: TObject);
begin
TeeGrid1.Rows.Spacing.Value := TrackBar1.Position;
end;
procedure TFormSpeed.SetCosmetics;
begin
// Text alignment
TeeGrid1.Columns[2].TextAlignment := TColumnTextAlign.Custom;
TeeGrid1.Columns[2].TextAlign.Horizontal := THorizontalAlign.Center;
TeeGrid1.Columns[3].TextAlignment := TColumnTextAlign.Custom;
TeeGrid1.Columns[3].TextAlign.Horizontal := THorizontalAlign.Right;
// Font styles
TeeGrid1.Columns[4].ParentFormat := False;
TeeGrid1.Columns[4].Format.Font.Style := [TFontStyle.fsBold];
TeeGrid1.Columns[5].ParentFormat := False;
TeeGrid1.Columns[5].Format.Font.Style := [TFontStyle.fsItalic];
// Background color
TeeGrid1.Columns[8].ParentFormat := False;
TeeGrid1.Columns[8].Format.Brush.Show;
TeeGrid1.Columns[8].Format.Brush.Color := clWebBisque;
// Font color
TeeGrid1.Columns[9].ParentFormat := False;
TeeGrid1.Columns[9].Format.Font.Color := clBlue;
// Custom row height
TeeGrid1.Rows.Heights[20] := 40;
end;
procedure TFormSpeed.ClearCosmetics;
var
Column: TColumn;
begin
for Column in TeeGrid1.Columns do
begin
Column.ParentFormat := True;
Column.TextAlignment := TColumnTextAlign.Automatic;
end;
TeeGrid1.Rows.ResetHeights;
end;
// Benchmark: scroll through all cells
procedure TFormSpeed.RunBenchmark;
var
Row: Integer;
Column: TColumn;
begin
for Row := 0 to TeeGrid1.Data.Count - 1 do
for Column in TeeGrid1.Columns do
begin
TeeGrid1.Selected.Column := Column;
TeeGrid1.Selected.Row := Row;
end;
end;
procedure TFormSpeed.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
t1: TStopwatch;
begin
ComboGraphics.Enabled := False;
try
TeeGrid1.SetFocus;
t1 := TStopwatch.StartNew;
RunBenchmark;
LabelResult.Caption := 'Time: ' + IntToStr(t1.ElapsedMilliseconds) + ' msec';
finally
ComboGraphics.Enabled := True;
end;
end;
end.
1. Use GDI for Maximum Speed
// Fastest rendering, no anti-aliasing
TeeGrid1.Painter := TGdiPainter.Create(TeeGrid1.Canvas);
2. Disable Anti-Aliasing
if TeeGrid1.Painter is TGdiPlusPainter then
TGdiPlusPainter(TeeGrid1.Painter).AntiAlias := False;
// Each custom format requires additional processing
// Avoid per-cell formatting for large datasets
// Good: Column-level formatting
TeeGrid1.Columns[0].Format.Font.Style := [fsBold];
// Slower: Cell-level formatting (use sparingly)
TeeGrid1.CellFormat.AddCell(10, 20);
TeeGrid1.CellFormat.Cell[10, 20].Format.Brush.Color := clYellow;
4. Reduce Row Spacing
// More compact = fewer rows visible = faster rendering
TeeGrid1.Rows.Spacing.Value := 0;
5. Disable Automatic Row Heights
// Much faster for large datasets
TeeGrid1.Rows.Height.Automatic := False;
TeeGrid1.Rows.Height.Value := 24; // Fixed height
6. Use Virtual Mode with Default Width
uses
Tee.GridData.Strings;
// Specify default column width to avoid calculation
Data := TVirtualModeData.Create(
ColumnCount,
RowCount,
60 // Default width - prevents OnGetValue calls for width calculation
);
7. Reduce Mouse Activity
uses
Tee.Grid;
// Only respond to mouse down/up, not move
TeeGrid1.Grid.MouseActivity := [TGridMouseSense.Down, TGridMouseSense.Up];
8. Disable Grid Lines
// Slightly faster without grid lines
TeeGrid1.Rows.RowLines.Hide;
TeeGrid1.Columns.Visible.Lines := False;
9. Batch Updates
// Disable repaints during updates
TeeGrid1.BeginUpdate;
try
// Make many changes
for i := 0 to 100 do
TeeGrid1.Columns[i].Width.Value := 50;
finally
TeeGrid1.EndUpdate; // Single repaint
end;
uses
Data.DB;
// Disable controls during bulk operations
ClientDataSet1.DisableControls;
try
// Add many records
for i := 1 to 10000 do
ClientDataSet1.AppendRecord([...]);
finally
ClientDataSet1.EnableControls;
end;
Large Dataset Strategies
Virtual Data for Millions of Rows
uses
Tee.GridData.Strings;
// Can handle millions of rows efficiently
Data := TVirtualModeData.Create(100, 1000000, 60);
Data.OnGetValue := GetValue;
TeeGrid1.Data := Data;
Database Paging
// Instead of loading all rows, use paging
Query.SQL.Text := 'SELECT * FROM LargeTable LIMIT 1000';
Query.Open;
TeeGrid1.DataSource := Query;
// Implement load-more functionality
Lazy Loading
// Load detail data only when needed
procedure GetDetailData(const Sender: TExpanderRender;
const ARow: Integer; out AData: TObject);
begin
// Data loaded on demand when row is expanded
AData := LoadDetailData(ARow);
end;
Benchmarking
uses
System.Diagnostics;
procedure BenchmarkRendering;
var
sw: TStopwatch;
begin
sw := TStopwatch.StartNew;
// Force full repaint
TeeGrid1.Invalidate;
Application.ProcessMessages;
ShowMessage(Format('Render time: %d ms', [sw.ElapsedMilliseconds]));
end;
procedure BenchmarkScrolling;
var
sw: TStopwatch;
i: Integer;
begin
sw := TStopwatch.StartNew;
for i := 0 to TeeGrid1.Data.Count - 1 do
begin
TeeGrid1.Selected.Row := i;
Application.ProcessMessages;
end;
ShowMessage(Format('Scroll time: %d ms', [sw.ElapsedMilliseconds]));
end;
| Configuration | Time (ms) | Notes |
|---|
| GDI, no formatting | ~50 | Fastest |
| GDI+, no AA, no formatting | ~80 | Good balance |
| GDI+ with AA | ~120 | Smooth appearance |
| GDI+ with AA + formatting | ~200 | Custom styles |
| Skia with AA | ~100 | Modern rendering |
Actual performance depends on hardware, data complexity, and formatting.
Memory Optimization
Use Virtual Mode
// Constant memory usage regardless of row count
Data := TVirtualModeData.Create(10, 10000000); // 10M rows!
Free Unused Resources
procedure TForm1.FormDestroy(Sender: TObject);
begin
// Free data if manually created
if Data <> nil then
Data.Free;
// Clear grid
TeeGrid1.Data := nil;
end;
Avoid Memory Leaks
// Bad: Memory leak
TeeGrid1.Data := TVirtualArrayData<TPerson>.Create(MyArray);
TeeGrid1.Data := TVirtualArrayData<TPerson>.Create(OtherArray); // Leaks first data!
// Good: Free old data first
if TeeGrid1.Data <> nil then
TeeGrid1.Data.Free;
TeeGrid1.Data := TVirtualArrayData<TPerson>.Create(MyArray);
Best Practices Summary
- Choose the right renderer for your needs (GDI for speed, GDI+/Skia for quality)
- Disable anti-aliasing unless smooth text is critical
- Use fixed row heights when possible
- Minimize custom formatting for large datasets
- Specify default column width in virtual mode
- Use virtual rendering for very large datasets
- Batch updates to avoid multiple repaints
- Disable mouse move events if not needed
- Profile your application to find bottlenecks
- Test with realistic data volumes
- Datasets with 10,000+ rows
- Real-time data updates
- Embedded/mobile devices
- Remote desktop scenarios
- Older hardware
- Complex custom rendering
Next Steps
