Migrate from D2Bridge Framework to sgcHTML — Delphi web UI components | eSeGeCe

Migrate from D2Bridge Framework to sgcHTML

D2Bridge Framework publishes existing Delphi VCL forms to the web, and it is popular for a good reason: it is a fast path to get a legacy application reachable from a browser with minimal code changes. Teams usually look at sgcHTML at the next stage, when the mirrored desktop screens need to become a web application in their own right, with layouts, navigation and interaction patterns designed for browser and mobile users rather than carried over from the desktop.

ARCHITECTURE

What Changes Architecturally

From a mirrored desktop form to a web-first, component-built page.

As described by its vendor, D2Bridge Framework is a bridge: it takes the VCL forms you already have and generates a Bootstrap-based web UI that mirrors the desktop form layout, so an existing application becomes browser-accessible with very little rework. sgcHTML starts from the other end. You compose each page from 89 server-side components that render clean Bootstrap 5 markup, so the page is designed for the browser from the first line, and the desktop form is an inventory to learn from rather than a layout to reproduce.

Web-first UI

Pages, navigation and interactions are built for web and mobile users, not derived from a desktop form. The result is standard server-rendered HTML, SEO friendly and fast on any device.

Full markup control

You control every element of the generated Bootstrap 5 markup and can restyle it with any Bootstrap theme. Light and dark theming is built in.

htmx + WebSocket realtime

Partial page updates via htmx (~14 KB) and realtime pushed over WebSockets through the sgcHTMX engine are first-class features of the component set, including hx-swap-oob fragment broadcast.

Delphi, C++ Builder and .NET

The same components are native Delphi and C++ Builder classes, plus a pure managed .NET implementation with the same Tsgc* names. Full source code included, with commercial support and the sgcWebSockets networking stack underneath.

CONCEPT MAPPING

D2Bridge Concepts, sgcHTML Equivalents

Where each piece of a bridged VCL application lands in the sgcHTML model.

In D2Bridge Framework In sgcHTML
Exported VCL form Purpose-built sgcHTML page. Start from the mirrored screen inventory you already have.
VCL controls surfaced to the web Equivalent sgcHTML components chosen for web UX: grids, forms, charts, cards and more.
DB-aware VCL controls 27 data-aware sgcHTML components bound to the same TDataSet / DataSource logic.
Form events htmx fragment routes returning component HTML.
VCL look mirrored in the browser Bootstrap 5 layout designed for browser and mobile.
Application served by the bridge runtime sgcWebSockets server executable, or a WebBroker, DataSnap or RAD Server host.
Refresh or polling for changing data WebSocket push: the server broadcasts HTML fragments to connected browsers.
WHAT YOU KEEP

The Move Is Smaller Than It Looks

Migrating the UI does not mean rewriting the application.

Your code base and IDE

You keep working in RAD Studio with Delphi or C++ Builder. sgcHTML components are native classes compiled into your server binary.

Your data layer

Data modules, queries and TDataSet logic carry over as they are. Data-aware components bind straight to the datasets your VCL screens already use.

Your deployment habits

A single self-contained executable or service, no external runtime. Deployment stays as simple as the desktop application was.

Your team's skills

You write Object Pascal or C#; sgcHTML writes the HTML, CSS and JavaScript. No JavaScript is required from the developer.

MIGRATION PATH

A Pragmatic Migration Path

Page by page, with both servers running side by side.

1

Inventory the screens

List the forms your bridged application exposes, the data behind each one, and which screens users actually live in. The bridge already gave you this inventory.

2

Map screens to components

Match each screen to sgcHTML components: grids, forms, charts, dashboards. Browse the component gallery to pick the web pattern each screen deserves.

3

Rebuild page by page

sgcHTML serves standard HTTP, so the old and the new server can run side by side behind the same reverse proxy while you move one page at a time.

4

Wire interactivity and push

Add htmx interactions for partial updates, and WebSocket push where the application needs live data instead of refresh or polling.

MIGRATION SERVICE

We Help You Migrate

Tell us about your D2Bridge Framework application and the eSeGeCe team helps plan the migration: which screens map to which components, what to keep, what to redesign for the web. If you prefer, we rebuild the application for you through sgcCustomization HTML, one-time packages from €149, built from a written description of your application.

Request migration assistance sgcCustomization HTML
LIVE DEMOS

See It Running

Five complete applications, every one built only with sgcHTML + sgcWebSockets.

ERP

Customers, providers, products, invoices and reports.

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Admin CRUD

A compact admin console with CRUD screens and live search.

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Live Monitor

A realtime dashboard whose KPIs are pushed over WebSockets.

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Customer Portal

A self-service portal with orders, profile and support.

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Helpdesk

Support tickets with reply threads and an admin dashboard.

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To be fair to both approaches: if the requirement is only to expose an existing VCL screen set quickly with minimal rework, a bridge approach like D2Bridge Framework is a legitimate first step, and it solves that problem well. sgcHTML is the path when the web UI must become a first-class product. For a neutral view of how sgcHTML compares with other Delphi and .NET web frameworks, see the side-by-side matrix with sources. sgcHTML is licensed per developer from €299 with full source code, and requires sgcWebSockets Professional or Enterprise.

Best value: All-AccessEvery eSeGeCe product, Premium Support included, from €1,059/year.
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Build the Web-First Version

Download the free trial with all 89 components and rebuild your first screen as a page designed for the browser.

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