.NET News

Annotate Charts to Enhance Visual Insights

February 21, 2024
Leverage annotations for precision and clarity, transforming your .NET WPF charts into powerful data storytelling tools.

Annotations in a chart refer to additional textual or graphical elements overlaid onto the visual representation of data. They serve to provide context, explanations, or highlights within the chart, making it easier to understand. Software developers can utilize annotations to label specific data points, mark significant events, or add explanatory notes, thereby improving the clarity and insightfulness of the chart for end-users. By incorporating annotations, developers can effectively convey complex information, facilitate better data comprehension, and enable more informed decision-making processes within their applications.

Several WPF chart controls support annotations including:

  • Nevron Chart for WPF empowers data visualization with versatile annotations, enabling dynamic and interactive charting experiences in your WPF applications.
  • LightningChart .NET offers extensive customization for adding and managing annotations seamlessly within your .NET applications.
  • ProEssentials integrates robust annotation features into its WPF charts, allowing users to annotate data points with ease and enhance data interpretation effortlessly.

Many WPF suites contain chart controls with annotation support including:

  • DevExpress WPF Chart (part of DevExpress WPF) delivers sophisticated annotation capabilities, empowering users to annotate charts with rich content and customize annotations for comprehensive data representation.
  • ComponentOne Charts for WPF (part of ComponentOne Studio WPF) provides advanced annotation tools, facilitating the integration of descriptive elements into charts for clearer and more insightful data visualization.
  • Telerik WPF Chart (part of Telerik UI for WPF) offers intuitive annotation features, enabling users to add context and insights to data visualizations effortlessly, creating a compelling and informative display.

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

Compare .NET WPF Chart Controls

Navigate Large Spreadsheets Without Losing Context

February 20, 2024
Adding freeze pane support to your spreadsheets allows users to scroll through extensive data whilst keeping crucial reference points in view.

Freeze pane support allows you to fix specific rows or columns in place while scrolling through the rest of the data. This is particularly useful for large spreadsheets with header rows or key columns you need to reference constantly. By freezing panes, you ensure these crucial elements remain visible even as you navigate across vast datasets, improving readability and data analysis efficiency.

Several WinForms spreadsheet controls offer freeze pane support including:

  • DevExpress WinForms Spreadsheet (part of DevExpress WinForms) provides you with the ability to fix headers and key columns for seamless navigation in massive datasets.
  • Aspose.Cells for .NET allows you to lock specific rows and columns in place while scrolling, improving spreadsheet readability and navigation.
  • Syncfusion WinForms Spreadsheet (part of Syncfusion Essential Studio Enterprise) allows you to freeze rows or columns for effortless scrolling within complex spreadsheets.
  • Telerik WinForms Spreadsheet (part of Telerik UI for WinForms) enables you to pin headers and columns for intuitive navigation and improved data comprehension.

For an in-depth analysis of features and price, visit our WinForms spreadsheet controls comparison.

Compare WinForms Spreadsheet Controls

Optimize Chart Text Rendering at High DPI

February 19, 2024
LightningChart .NET v11.0.1.1 delivers sharp text across all screen resolutions, ensuring your charts look stunning on any display.

LightningChart .NET is a 2D and 3D data visualization SDK empowering developers with high-performance and flexibility. Boasting over 100 chart types, advanced technical indicators, and real-time rendering capabilities, it handles demanding scientific, financial, and engineering challenges, while its rich API and comprehensive support equip developers to craft informative and interactive dashboards.

The LightningChart .NET v11.0.1.1 release enhances text rendering fidelity in WinForms applications, ensuring exceptional clarity and readability across diverse screen resolutions and DPI configurations. This update guarantees a visually consistent and crisp user experience, independent of the user's device display characteristics. Additionally, it optimizes per-monitor DPI awareness for text rendering in both WinForms and WPF applications, particularly within the .NET 6 build environment. This refinement assures well-rendered and accurately scaled text across multiple monitors with varying DPI settings.

To see a full list of what's new in v11.0.1.1, 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.

For more information, see our LightningChart .NET product page.

Add a .NET Spreadsheet Ribbon Bar using C#

February 19, 2024
Boost user productivity and enhance your .NET app's UI with an Excel-like ribbon that offers contextual behaviors, command execution, and more.

Spread.NET helps you create spreadsheets, grids, dashboards, and forms. It includes a powerful calculation engine with 450+ functions and the ability to import and export Excel spreadsheets. Leverage the extensive .NET spreadsheet API and powerful calculation engine to create analysis, budgeting, dashboard, data collection and management, scientific, and financial applications. You can develop in Visual Studio using VB or C# for WinForms, ASP.NET, and WPF. Spread.NET ensures maximum performance for your enterprise apps and its modular architecture lets you add only the features you need, reducing unnecessary bloat.

In this blog post, MESCIUS Product Marketing Specialist Mackenzie Albitz shows you how to add a spreadsheet ribbon bar control to a .NET 8 WinForms app using C#. Steps include:

  • Creating a WinForms .NET 8 app
  • Adding a .NET Spreadsheet Component to the Form
  • Attaching a Ribbon Bar Control to the .NET Spreadsheet Instance
  • Programmatically Customizing the .NET Spreadsheet Ribbon Bar Control

Read the complete blog and unlock the powerful capabilities of the Spread.NET component.

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.

Supercharge Your Data Grid with Easy CRUD Actions

February 19, 2024
Leverage the new DevExpress Blazor Grid toolbar section for intuitive Create, Read, Update, and Delete functionality.

DevExpress ASP.NET and Blazor includes 110+ UI controls for ASP.NET (including Reporting), server-side MVC extensions or client-side controls with everything you need to build Office-inspired applications, over 70 high-performance ASP.NET Core UI controls, ASP.NET Bootstrap Controls for Office-inspired and Data Visualization apps, Blazor Components (including a Data Grid and Pivot Grid) so you can design rich user experiences for both server-side (Razor Components) and client-side (Blazor) platforms and the DevExtreme JavaScript component suite for responsive web development.

The DevExpress Blazor Grid UI component includes a new toolbar section for displaying custom content. In this blog post, DevExpress's Svetlana Mikheeva describes how to use this powerful component to create rich UIs displaying icons, text, or both. Steps include:

  • Setting up the Blazor Toolbar
  • Attaching the Toolbar to the Grid
  • Placing a Search Box withing the Toolbar

Read the complete blog and get started creating rich Blazor Grid applications.

DevExpress ASP.NET and Blazor is licensed per developer and includes a 12 month subscription for minor and major updates. Subscription renewals are also available. See our DevExpress ASP.NET and Blazor licensing page for full details.

Learn more about DevExpress ASP.NET and Blazor.