.NET 7 WinForms News

Summarize Datasets with Built-In Pivot Tables

January 6, 2026
Spread.NET v19 adds a pivot table engine that lets users summarize, analyze, and explore large datasets directly within the spreadsheet.

Spread.NET by MESCIUS is a tool for building Excel-like applications in your .NET projects. It lets you create interactive spreadsheets, grids, dashboards, and even forms within WinForms, ASP.NET, and WPF applications. With its rich feature set, including a robust calculation engine, formula support, and Excel compatibility, Spread.NET helps developers to build data analysis tools, budgeting apps, scientific dashboards, and more, all within the familiar .NET environment.

The Spread.NET v19 update introduces a new pivot table engine that enables software developers to summarize, analyze, and explore large datasets directly within WinForms applications. This built-in capability supports interactive grouping, filtering, and multidimensional analysis inside the spreadsheet, allowing users to work with complex data without exporting it to external reporting or business intelligence tools. By delivering Excel-like pivot table functionality with high performance and programmatic control, the pivot engine helps developers simplify application architecture, reduce dependencies, and provide a more integrated and responsive data analysis experience for end users.

To see a full list of what's new in v19, see our release notes.

Spread.NET is licensed per developer and is available as a Perpetual License with a 12 month support and maintenance subscription. We can supply any Spread.NET license including new licenses, maintenance renewals, and upgrade licenses. See our Spread.NET licensing page for full details.

For more information, visit our Spread.NET product page.

Enable PDF Annotation in WinForms Apps

December 19, 2025
PDF viewers with built-in annotation tools let users review, comment, and collaborate on documents without modifying the original content.

PDF annotation in .NET WinForms PDF viewer components refers to the ability to add visual and textual markup directly onto PDF documents without altering the original content. These tools allow users to draw shapes, highlight text, insert comments, and place notes within the viewing interface, supporting workflows such as document review, feedback, and approval. This functionality improves collaboration and clarity in document handling, making it well-suited for document processing tasks in WinForms applications.

Common features include:

  • Freehand Draw (Ink Annotation) allows users to sketch, underline, or handwrite directly on the page using a mouse, stylus, or touch input, making it ideal for markups and signatures.
  • Lines provide a simple way to connect points or emphasize linear elements within a document, often with configurable thickness, color, and opacity.
  • Rectangles enable users to highlight or frame areas of interest, supporting both outlined and filled styles for visual emphasis.
  • Ellipses offer a similar highlighting function to rectangles but with a rounded shape, useful for circling content or marking irregular regions.
  • Arrows are commonly used to direct attention to specific content, combining line styling with arrowheads to clearly indicate focus or flow.
  • Sticky Note annotations allow users to attach comments to precise locations in the document, typically displayed as icons that reveal text on interaction.
  • Free Text enables direct placement of typed text onto the page with control over font, size, color, and alignment, supporting clear, visible commentary without pop-ups.

For an in-depth analysis of features and price, visit our WinForms PDF viewer components comparison.

Explore WinForms PDF Annotation Features

Celebrating 15 Year Partnership with combit

December 15, 2025
ComponentSource and combit have partnered for 15 years, empowering developers to deliver data-driven applications with trusted reporting tools.

ComponentSource and combit have partnered for 15 years, providing developers worldwide with powerful reporting, reporting designers, and data visualization tools to build professional, data-driven applications.

combit is a leading provider of reporting components for software developers, best known for List & Label – a multiple award-winning reporting tool used by development teams around the globe. Their components make it easier to design and integrate customized reports, dashboards, lists, and labels into business applications. Through ComponentSource, customers can conveniently license, and maintain these combit products, confident they’re choosing proven technology backed by professional support and ongoing innovation.

Together, ComponentSource and combit help development teams deliver applications faster, with flexible licensing options, reliable updates, and expert assistance. As demand for advanced reporting and analytics continues to grow, this long-standing collaboration ensures customers can rely on a trusted combination of combit’s technology and ComponentSource’s global distribution and customer service for many years to come.

Learn more about combit.

Optimize Report Inputs with Purpose-Built Dialogs

December 11, 2025
Create cleaner, more consistent reports with dialog parameter forms, ensuring accurate, validated inputs for filters, groupings, and calculations.

Dialog forms for parameters in reporting provide a structured and user friendly way to collect the inputs needed for accurate, relevant reports. Instead of relying on manual entry or remembered criteria, users are guided through fields that ensure consistent and valid information. This improves report quality and reduces errors in scenarios such as choosing date ranges, product categories, regions, or departments. By centralizing parameter entry in a clean interface, dialog forms let users focus on interpreting results rather than managing input details.

Several .NET WinForms reporting components allow you to create dialog forms for parameters, including:

  • DevExpress Reporting lets you create guided parameter dialogs that collect accurate user inputs, improving report precision, usability, and efficiency across applications.
  • Telerik Reporting allows you to build intuitive parameter dialogs that improve data selection, ensuring users generate consistent, reliable reports with minimal effort.
  • FastReport .NET WinForms facilitates customizable parameter dialogs that validate user input, enhancing report accuracy and simplifying complex filtering and configuration tasks.
  • Stimulsoft Reports.NET enables structured parameter dialog creation that helps users supply correct reporting criteria, delivering clearer insights and more dependable results.

For an in-depth analysis of features and price, visit our comparison of .NET WinForms reporting components.

Compare .NET WinForms Reporting Components

Fine-Tune Value Input with Sliding Controls

November 27, 2025
Provide users with an intuitive trackbar data editor that improves numeric input, maintains valid ranges, and delivers visual feedback.

A trackbar in data editors provides a sliding control that allows users to adjust numeric values within a defined range through an interactive visual interface. It reduces the need for manual text entry, prevents invalid inputs by enforcing minimums, maximums and step increments, and offers immediate feedback as values change. Trackbars are especially useful in scenarios where users need to fine tune settings such as selecting volume levels, adjusting brightness, setting filter thresholds or choosing time or price ranges, making them ideal for applications that benefit from quick, intuitive and precise value selection.

Several .NET WinForms components offer Trackbar Data Editors including:

For an in-depth analysis of features and price, visit our comparison of .NET WinForms Data Editors.

Compare .NET WinForms Data Editors