.NET News

Bring Modern Outlook Navigation to WPF Ribbons

January 9, 2026

DevExpress WPF 25.2 adds a Ribbon Page Header Button to toggle navigation panes, mirroring the familiar UX of Microsoft Outlook.

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 helps 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 25.2 update introduces support for a Page Header Button positioned directly in the ribbon’s page header area. This new UI element allows developers to replicate the toggle behavior seen in recent versions of Microsoft Outlook, where users can expand or collapse navigation panes with a single click. It is a simple yet effective way to enhance usability in complex applications, particularly those that rely on dynamic side panels or menus. This new functionality brings a modern and intuitive interaction model to WPF-based interfaces, aligning with common user expectations.

To see a full list of what's new in version 25.2, 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:

Filter and Customize Reports with Parameters

January 9, 2026

Apply dynamic filtering and user-defined conditions to deliver more relevant, accurate, and actionable reports tailored to specific scenarios.

Report parameters allow users to customize and control how data is displayed by filtering results or supplying specific values at runtime. This enables more personalized, relevant reporting without the need to create multiple versions of the same report. By using parameters, organizations can improve data accuracy, improve report management, and help users to explore insights independently. Common use cases include filtering reports by date range, region, department, or product, setting thresholds or targets for performance analysis, and dynamically updating dashboards based on user-selected criteria.

Several .NET reporting components include support for parameters:

Telerik Reporting facilitates parameterized reporting to customize data views, reuse reports efficiently, and support interactive decision-making for diverse audiences.
DevExpress Reporting lets you define parameters to filter data, personalize layouts, and deliver interactive, context-aware reports across applications and dashboards.
List & Label Enterprise Reporting Edition by combit lets developers use parameters to tailor output and reduce duplication.
Stimulsoft Reports.NET allows runtime parameters for dynamic filtering, user-driven input, and adaptable reports that respond instantly to changing business requirements.

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

Compare .NET Report Controls

Enable Easy Data Editing with Grid Forms

January 9, 2026

Make quick updates without leaving the data view by editing records directly in place.

Forms in grids combine tabular data display with built-in form editing, allowing users to view and update records directly within the grid instead of switching to separate edit screens. This approach improves efficiency by keeping users in context, reducing navigation, and providing immediate validation and feedback. Forms in grids are commonly used in administrative dashboards, configuration screens, and data-heavy business applications where users need to edit multiple records quickly while maintaining visibility of related data.

Several .NET grid components enable form-based editing within grids, including:

DevExpress WinForms Data Grid (part of DevExpress WinForms) lets you embed forms within rows for fast editing and validation in complex application scenarios.
Telerik UI for WPF DataGrid (part of Telerik UI for WPF) allows you to combine grid-based forms with native styling for efficient in-place data editing.
Wisej.NET facilitates form-driven editing directly inside grids, enabling responsive web-like experiences with server-side logic for enterprise applications and rapid development.
NOV Grid for .NET allows you to manage complex datasets using integrated grid forms that support validation, customization, and scalability.

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

Compare .NET Grid Controls

Work with PDFs Directly in .NET Apps

January 9, 2026

Xceed PDF Library for .NET helps developers edit, sign, secure, and extract PDF content using a lightweight, high-performance, easy-to-use API.

Xceed PDF Library for .NET by Xceed Software is a developer-focused component that enables interaction with PDF documents directly within .NET applications. It provides a clean, intuitive API for creating, editing, and processing PDFs, allowing users to add, modify, or extract content such as text and images without relying on external tools or dependencies.

Designed for reliability and ease of integration, the library supports key features including digital signatures, document encryption, and permission controls to help secure sensitive information. These capabilities make it well suited for a wide range of use cases, from automating document generation and updating existing PDFs to applying security policies and extracting data for reporting or archiving. Ideal for both desktop and server-side applications, Xceed PDF Library for .NET helps teams improve PDF processes while maintaining control and consistency.

Xceed PDF Library for .NET is licensed per developer and is available as a perpetual license with 1 year of updates and support. See our Xceed PDF Library for .NET licensing page for full details.

For more information, visit our Xceed PDF Library for .NET product page.

Bind Reports to IList in .NET Apps

January 6, 2026

Use in-memory .NET collections as direct data sources for building flexible, database-free reports at runtime.

IList data source support in .NET Reporting components allows developers to bind reports directly to in-memory collections that implement the IList interface, such as generic lists or arrays. This capability offers flexibility for working with dynamically generated data or data not stored in a traditional database, making it easier to integrate with object-oriented models. It reduces the need for intermediary storage, supports runtime data manipulation, and is particularly effective in applications where data is constructed or retrieved at runtime through APIs rather than direct database access.

Several .NET Reporting controls offer IList data connectivity including:

DevExpress Reporting lets you connect reports to IList-based collections, enabling flexible in-memory data binding without requiring a database layer.
ActiveReports.NET Professional by MESCIUS allows you to use IList objects as data sources, supporting direct reporting from application-level collections.
Telerik Reporting facilitates binding to IList implementations, making it easy to report on dynamically generated or API-fetched in-memory data.
List & Label Professional Reporting Edition by combit supports IList data sources, allowing efficient report generation from structured objects or arrays within your application.

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

Compare .NET Reporting Controls