.NET 7 WPF News

Capture and Preserve Charts in a Static Image File

October 25, 2024
Transform charts into static images for effective communication and data sharing across platforms and devices.

Chart components with image export features empower users to save a chart's visual representation as a static image file, providing a convenient way to share, embed, or print data insights. This capability is valuable for developers and end-users alike, as it removes the need for access to the original dataset or charting software when distributing visualizations. With image export, users can preserve the chart's design, style, and formatting, ensuring that its presentation remains consistent across various platforms, from presentations to reports. Additionally, by offering support for standard formats such as PNG, JPEG, or SVG, this feature enables seamless integration of charts into documents, websites, or printed materials, enhancing flexibility and broadening the ways in which data insights can be shared and utilized.

Several WPF charting components support exporting to images including:

  • ComponentOne Charts for WPF (part of ComponentOne Studio WPF by MESCIUS) offers comprehensive features for exporting charts, including support for various image formats.
  • LightningChart .NET supports a wide range of image formats and allows for customization of export settings, such as resolution, quality, and compression.
  • ProEssentials by GigaSoft can easily export charts to several image formats, and control the quality and size of the exported images.
  • TeeChart WPF (part of TeeChart for .NET by Steema Software) enables flexible chart export options, allowing users to save charts as images such as PNG, JPEG, BMP and GIF.

For an in-depth analysis of features and price, visit our comparison of WPF charting components.

Compare WPF Chart Components

Streamline Report Design with XML Tree Navigation

October 24, 2024
ActiveReports.NET v18.2 makes it easy to navigate and interpret complex XML data with an intuitive tree structure, boosting productivity.

ActiveReports.NET from MESCIUS, is a comprehensive reporting solution for developers building applications in .NET. It empowers you to design and deliver visually appealing reports through user-friendly designers and a wide range of controls. ActiveReports simplifies report creation and distribution with a versatile API, rich data source connectivity, and support for multiple export formats. This translates to increased developer productivity and improved end-user experience with powerful reporting functionalities within your .NET applications.

The ActiveReports.NET v18.2 update enhances the XML Data Display in the Web Designer by introducing a tree structure for data fields, making it significantly easier to navigate and understand complex XML data. This intuitive format allows developers to quickly explore hierarchical data structures, streamlining the data binding process and reducing the effort required to interpret XML data. As a result, developers can focus more on designing reports efficiently rather than spending time deciphering the data itself, leading to a more productive and user-friendly report development experience.

To see a full list of what's new in 18.2, see our release notes.

ActiveReports.NET is licensed per developer and is available with or without a 12 month support and maintenance subscription. See our ActiveReports.NET licensing page for full details.

Learn more on our ActiveReports.NET product page.

Restrict the Modification of Grid Data in WPF Apps

October 23, 2024
The ability to display columns as read-only in WPF grid applications lets you protect data integrity and consistency whilst retaining visibility.

Read-only columns in a data grid are vertically displayed fields that are not editable by users, but can still be viewed. These columns typically display information that is derived from other data or is considered static and should not be altered. By stopping users from directly modifying certain content, developers can ensure data integrity and consistency while still providing full visibility. This feature prevents accidental or intentional changes that might disrupt the system's functionality. Such restrictions streamline workflows by distinguishing between editable and non-editable data, reducing the risk of errors and improving overall system reliability.

Several WPF grid components allow you to display read-only columns, including:

  • DevExpress WPF Data Grid (part of DevExpress WPF) allows you to designate specific cells as read-only, ensuring data integrity by preventing unwanted edits.
  • FlexGrid for WPF (part of ComponentOne Studio WPF by MESCIUS) provides functionality to mark columns as read-only, enhancing control over user access and data protection.
  • Xceed DataGrid for WPF by Xceed Software helps maintain data consistency and security by restricting editing via read-only mode for any portion of the grid.
  • Infragistics XamDataGrid for WPF (part of Infragistics Ultimate UI for WPF) enables read-only configuration to protect sensitive data from modification whilst maintaining visibility.

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

Compare WPF Grid Components

Unlock Speed and Fluidity with 3D Capabilities

October 23, 2024
LightningChart .NET v12.1.1 enhances 2D and 3D interactions with refined zooming, rotation, and panning, improving navigation for large datasets.

LightningChart .NET is a high-performance data visualization library designed for .NET developers working with WPF, WinForms, and UWP applications. It offers GPU-accelerated rendering for smooth real-time visualization of massive datasets, exceeding billions of data points. This library supports a wide variety of chart types, including 2D, 3D, polar, and geographic maps, along with extensive customization options for each. LightningChart .NET is a powerful tool for developers creating demanding data visualization applications requiring exceptional performance.

The LightningChart .NET v12.1.1 update delivers a substantial performance boost to 3D interactions, particularly for large surface-rendering objects such as SurfaceGridSeries3D, SurfaceMeshSeries3D, and MeshModel. This improvement allows for faster zooming, rotating, and panning, significantly enhancing the efficiency of workflows involving complex 3D models. Developers working on mid-level systems will experience at least double the performance, while high-end graphics setups can achieve up to a tenfold increase in speed. These optimizations enable smoother and more responsive interaction with large datasets, leading to more productive and seamless user experiences when working in demanding 3D environments.

To see a full list of what's new in v12.1.1, see our release notes.

LightningChart .NET is available per developer in packages for either WPF, WinForms, UWP or all 3. Each package comes as a subscription license (with 1 or 2 years of limited support), or a perpetual license (with 1 or 2 years of Standard or Premium support). Floating licenses and site licenses are available upon request. See our LightningChart .NET licensing page for full details.

Learn more on our LightningChart .NET product page.

Analyze Report Data with Greater Efficiency

October 18, 2024
List & Label 30 adds drilldown functionality to the web report designer, providing users with additional content on demand within the report.

List & Label by combit is a software development toolkit that empowers developers to integrate comprehensive reporting functionalities into their desktop, web, and cloud applications. It offers features such as data binding, complex data visualization, and a user-friendly report designer, along with printing, exporting, and previewing capabilities. List & Label operates independently of programming languages and data sources, providing developers with the flexibility to design and deliver informative reports within their development environment.

The List & Label version 30 update introduces the drilldown function to the Web Report Designer. This enables users to explore data hierarchies directly within web-based reports, allowing for more in-depth analysis by drilling down into detailed data layers without leaving the report context. Drilldown functionality enables developers to create interactive web reports, which provides users with a more intuitive and engaging experience when interacting with large and complex datasets.

To see a full list of what's new in version 30, see our release notes.

List & Label is licensed per developer and is available as an annual license with 1 year support. See our List & Label licensing page for full details.

List & Label is available in the following products: