.NET 8 WPF News

Simulate Motion with Precise Assembly Mates

March 26, 2025
Eyeshot 2025 lets you define how components move together, making it easier to model and test mechanical behavior in real time.

Eyeshot by devDept Software empowers you to integrate robust CAD functionalities into your .NET applications. Supporting both Windows Forms and WPF natively, it offers a comprehensive suite of tools accessible through the Visual Studio toolbox. These include design for 2D/3D geometry creation and editing, drawing for automatic 2D view generation, simulation for geometry validation, and manufacture for CNC toolpath generation and simulation.

The Eyeshot 2025 release introduces Assembly Mates, enabling developers to define geometric relationships between components in a 3D assembly. As each mate is added, it restricts specific degrees of freedom, guiding how parts can move or rotate relative to each other. This makes it possible to simulate and visualize mechanical behavior in real time, offering a clearer understanding of component interaction before finalizing design constraints. By integrating mates directly into the modeling workflow, Eyeshot now supports a more dynamic and precise assembly modeling experience for engineering and CAD applications.

To see a full list of what's new in version 2025, see our release notes.

Eyeshot is licensed per developer and is available as an annual license, with either Lite or Priority support. See our licensing pages for Eyeshot Pro, Eyeshot Ultimate, and Eyeshot Fem for full details.

Eyeshot is available to buy in the following products:

Improve PDF Security and Branding with Watermarks

March 25, 2025
Easily add customizable watermarks to PDFs to enhance document security, protect intellectual property, and reinforce branding.

Watermarks in PDFs are semi-transparent text or image overlays that serve as a security and branding tool by marking documents with identifying information. They help protect intellectual property, prevent unauthorized distribution, and reinforce authenticity by displaying ownership, confidentiality, or document status (e.g., "Draft," "Confidential," or "Approved"). Watermarking also enhances professionalism by incorporating company logos or copyright notices. Common use cases include securing legal contracts, corporate reports, research papers, and sensitive business documents to ensure proper handling and compliance. By integrating customizable watermarking, organizations can maintain control over their digital documents while preserving readability and usability.

Several .NET WPF PDF components allow you to add watermarks, including:

  • Syncfusion WPF PDF (part of Syncfusion Essential Studio Enterprise) lets you add customizable watermarks to PDFs, enhancing security, branding, and document control.
  • Telerik UI PDF for WPF (part of Telerik UI for WPF) enables dynamic watermarking in PDFs, ensuring confidentiality, copyright protection, and professional branding.
  • IronPDF for .NET by Iron Software facilitates advanced PDF watermarking, allowing developers to overlay text or images for security and authenticity in .NET projects.

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

Compare .NET WPF PDF Components

Create Drill Through Reports in a C# .NET Application

March 25, 2025
Build interactive drill through reports using ActiveReports.NET by passing parameters and setting up navigation actions.

ActiveReports.NET helps you deliver beautiful reports with intuitive Visual Studio integrated report designers and rich controls. It provides code-based cross-platform reporting, easy-to-use designers, and a flexible API, enabling you to design and deliver powerful reports with intuitive, reliable, and user-friendly report designers and controls.

In this blog post, MESCIUS Product Manager Alec Gall shows you how to use ActiveReports to drill through from one report to another in your .NET application. Steps include:

  • Defining Parameters for Drill-Through Reports in ActiveReports
  • Creating Dynamic Report Titles and Data Filtering with Parameters
  • Adding Interactive Drill-Through Actions to Images

Detailed source code is completed and there is even a video that you can watch as you go through the steps.

Read the complete blog and begin providing a seamless way to navigate between related datasets in your .NET applications.

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.

Simplify Date Editing with Auto Type Support

March 21, 2025
DevExpress WPF v24.2 adds automatic DateOnly and TimeOnly editor support in Grid, TreeList, and Property Grid, enhancing data handling.

DevExpress WPF is a powerful suite of controls that enhances your WPF development toolkit. It offers data grids, ribbon menus, rich text editors, spreadsheets, charts, and more – all with beautiful themes and touch-friendly interfaces. DevExpress WPF empowers you to build professional-looking, responsive applications that meet modern user expectations, saving you time and effort while adding polish and functionality.

The DevExpress WPF v24.2 update enhances data handling in Grid, TreeList, and Property Grid by introducing automatic support for DateOnly and TimeOnly properties. This improvement ensures that the appropriate data editors are automatically assigned to cells, filters, and conditional formatting dialogs without requiring manual configuration. By streamlining the editing experience, the update provides a more intuitive approach to working with date and time values while reducing development effort. Users can now rely on built-in editor selection, improving efficiency and ensuring a seamless user experience across their applications.

To see a full list of what's new in version 24.2, see our release notes.

DevExpress WPF is licensed per developer and is available as a Perpetual License with a 12 month support and maintenance subscription. We can supply new subscriptions, subscription renewals, and additional licenses. See our DevExpress WPF licensing page for full details.

DevExpress WPF is available to buy in the following products:

Protect Sensitive Documents with Strong Encryption

March 14, 2025
Encrypting and decrypting PDFs protects sensitive information, blocks unauthorized access, and ensures safe document sharing.

Encrypting and decrypting PDFs protect sensitive information by preventing unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyber threats. With strong encryption, password protection, and role-based access control, it ensures document confidentiality while allowing secure sharing and controlled modifications. Decryption enables authorized users to access protected files without compromising security. Essential for businesses, legal firms, and financial institutions, it safeguards contracts, financial records, and proprietary data while ensuring compliance with data protection regulations.

Several .NET WPF PDF controls offer encryption and decryption support including:

  • Syncfusion WPF PDF (part of Syncfusion Essential Studio Enterprise) lets you encrypt and decrypt PDFs with strong AES encryption, ensuring secure access  and compliance.
  • Telerik UI PDF for WPF (part of Telerik UI for WPF) allows you to apply encryption and decryption, safeguarding sensitive PDFs with password protection.
  • ComponentOne Studio WPF PDF (part of ComponentOne Studio WPF by MESCIUS) enables secure encryption and decryption of PDFs, preventing unauthorized access.
  • ImageGear for .NET by Accusoft facilitates robust PDF encryption and decryption, protecting confidential data with security protocols and flexible access controls.

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

Compare .NET WPF PDF Controls