How to simulate bit-fields in Delphi records?

Thanks everyone!

Based on this information, I reduced this to :

RBits = record
public
  BaseMid: BYTE;
private
  Flags: WORD;
  function GetBits(const aIndex: Integer): Integer;
  procedure SetBits(const aIndex: Integer; const aValue: Integer);
public
  BaseHi: BYTE;
  property _Type: Integer index $0005 read GetBits write SetBits; // 5 bits at offset 0
  property Dpl: Integer index $0502 read GetBits write SetBits; // 2 bits at offset 5
  property Pres: Integer index $0701 read GetBits write SetBits; // 1 bit at offset 7
  property LimitHi: Integer index $0804 read GetBits write SetBits; // 4 bits at offset 8
  property Sys: Integer index $0C01 read GetBits write SetBits; // 1 bit at offset 12
  property Reserved_0: Integer index $0D01 read GetBits write SetBits; // 1 bit at offset 13
  property Default_Big: Integer index $0E01 read GetBits write SetBits; // 1 bit at offset 14
  property Granularity: Integer index $0F01 read GetBits write SetBits; // 1 bit at offset 15
end;

The index is encoded as follows : (BitOffset shl 8) + NrBits. Where 1<=NrBits<=32 and 0<=BitOffset<=31

Now, I can get and set these bits as follows :

{$OPTIMIZATION ON}
{$OVERFLOWCHECKS OFF}
function RBits.GetBits(const aIndex: Integer): Integer;
var
  Offset: Integer;
  NrBits: Integer;
  Mask: Integer;
begin
  NrBits := aIndex and $FF;
  Offset := aIndex shr 8;

  Mask := ((1 shl NrBits) - 1);

  Result := (Flags shr Offset) and Mask;
end;

procedure RBits.SetBits(const aIndex: Integer; const aValue: Integer);
var
  Offset: Integer;
  NrBits: Integer;
  Mask: Integer;
begin
  NrBits := aIndex and $FF;
  Offset := aIndex shr 8;

  Mask := ((1 shl NrBits) - 1);
  Assert(aValue <= Mask);

  Flags := (Flags and (not (Mask shl Offset))) or (aValue shl Offset);
end;

Pretty nifty, don't you think?!?!

PS: Rudy Velthuis now included a revised version of this in his excellent "Pitfalls of converting"-article.

Rudy's Delphi Corner is the best resource I know of regarding Delphi and C/C++ interoperability. His Pitfalls of conversion is pretty much a must read when using C/C++ APIs in Delphi. The chapter you'll be most interested in is Records and alignment -> Bitfields, but I urge you to read the entire thing top to bottom, twice. The other articles are definitely worth the time investment, too.

Ok, my bit manipulation is a bit rusty, so I could have reversed the bytes. But the code below gives the general idea:

type
  TBits = record
  private
    FBaseMid     : Byte;
    FTypeDplPres :  Byte;
    FLimitHiSysEa: Byte;
    FBaseHi      : Byte;

    function GetType: Byte;
    procedure SetType(const AType: Byte);
    function GetDpl: Byte;
    procedure SetDbl(const ADpl: Byte);
    function GetBit1(const AIndex: Integer): Boolean;
    procedure SetBit1(const AIndex: Integer; const AValue: Boolean);
    function GetLimitHi: Byte;
    procedure SetLimitHi(const AValue: Byte);
    function GetBit2(const AIndex: Integer): Boolean;
    procedure SetBit2(const AIndex: Integer; const AValue: Boolean);

  public
    property BaseMid: Byte read FBaseMid write FBaseMid;
    property &Type: Byte read GetType write SetType; // 0..31
    property Dpl: Byte read GetDpl write SetDbl; // 0..3
    property Pres: Boolean index 128 read GetBit1 write SetBit1; 
    property LimitHi: Byte read GetLimitHi write SetLimitHi; // 0..15

    property Sys: Boolean index 16 read GetBit2 write SetBit2; 
    property Reserved0: Boolean index 32 read GetBit2 write SetBit2; 
    property DefaultBig: Boolean index 64 read GetBit2 write SetBit2; 
    property Granularity: Boolean index 128 read GetBit2 write SetBit2; 
    property BaseHi: Byte read FBaseHi write FBaseHi;
  end;

  function TBits.GetType: Byte;
  begin
    Result := (FTypeDplPres shr 3) and $1F;
  end;

  procedure TBits.SetType(const AType: Byte);
  begin
    FTypeDplPres := (FTypeDplPres and $07) + ((AType and $1F) shr 3);
  end;

  function TBits.GetDpl: Byte;
  begin
    Result := (FTypeDplPres and $06) shr 1;
  end;

  procedure TBits.SetDbl(const ADpl: Byte);
  begin
    FTypeDblPres := (FTypeDblPres and $F9) + ((ADpl and $3) shl 1);
  end;

  function TBits.GetBit1(const AIndex: Integer): Boolean;
  begin
    Result := FTypeDplPres and AIndex = AIndex;
  end;

  procedure TBits.SetBit1(const AIndex: Integer; const AValue: Boolean);
  begin
    if AValue then
      FTypeDblPres := FTypeDblPres or AIndex
    else
      FTypeDblPres := FTypeDblPres and not AIndex;
  end;

  function TBits.GetLimitHi: Byte;
  begin
    Result := (FLimitHiSysEa shr 4) and $0F;
  end;

  procedure TBits.SetLimitHi(const AValue: Byte);
  begin
    FLimitHiSysEa := (FLimitHiSysEa and $0F) + ((AValue and $0F) shr 4);
  end;

  function TBits.GetBit2(const AIndex: Integer): Boolean;
  begin
    Result := FLimitHiSysEa and AIndex = AIndex;
  end;

  procedure TBits.SetBit2(const AIndex: Integer; const AValue: Boolean);
  begin
    if AValue then
      FLimitHiSysEa := FLimitHiSysEa or AIndex
    else
      FLimitHiSysEa := FLimitHiSysEa and not AIndex;
  end;