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SetText

procedure SetText(Text: PChar);

Example​

procedure ReplaceLines(const Items: TStringList);
begin
  Items.SetText('Alpha'#13#10'Beta');
end;

Usage​

SetText replaces all entries by splitting a null-terminated PChar into lines under the current TStrings line-break rules.

  • Prefer assigning Text for managed-string code.
  • The operation replaces rather than appends and is not rollback-safe after Clear.
  • Line splitting can allocate many entries; bound externally sourced text.

Additional Technical Info​

SetText is declared by hidden ancestor TStrings and is normally used through a concrete visible descendant such as TStringList. It is the pointer-oriented setter behind the safer managed Text property.

Source-backed behaviour​

The RTL converts the PChar to the text-setter path inside a balanced update. Existing entries are cleared first. With the default platform line break, CRLF, lone LF and lone CR are all accepted as line terminators; CRLF is consumed as one boundary. A trailing line break does not add a final empty entry, and nil/empty input clears the list.

Because the input is null-terminated, embedded #0 ends the visible text. The current importer passes script text as PChar; it does not expose a length parameter.

GetText allocates a PChar and has no exposed safe deallocator. Text joins and replaces using the same line semantics.

Official RTL references​

Created 2026-07-15