RadDiagram for WPF and Silverlight - What's new and improved in Q1 2013

Ever since the CTP release of RadDiagram, we've been constantly trying to improve and extend the capabilities it provides out-of-the-box. Now that the Q1 2013 release is out, we're ready with a bunch of new features and improvements implemented throughout the entire Diagramming Framework.

Services
Probably one of the largest tasks we implemented was wrapping most diagramming user interactions in services which can be accessed and modified to meet different custom scenarios and requirements. You can find a list of the diagramming services in our documentation but if you'd like to examine a real-life scenario implementation that modifies the default behavior of the diagramming services, you can do so by checking out the CustomServices example in github.

Dynamic Polyline Connections
During this release we also improved the RadDiagramConnection logic and specifically the connection types. Now you can create Polyline connections dynamically - all you need to do is hold down the Ctrl key and use the mouse to place connection points throughout your connections. Once you're done you can manipulate the path of the connections using these points. Make sure to check out the documentation describing this feature in further details.



But the improvements implemented in the RadDiagramConnections don't stop here - now RadDiagram provides connection bridges.

ConnectionBridges
The connection bridge is essentially what you see when two connections collide. The RadDiagram allows you to define what kind of bridge to display in these cases - a bow, a gap or none. This feature is described in our documentation but you can also check it out live in the ClassDiagram demo.


TextTool
If you've been desperately seeking a tool allowing you to insert comments and captions in your diagramming solutions, you can now rest as the answer is here - use the new RadDiagram TextTool. Once activated, the tool helps you easily edit the content of any shapes or connections and what is more, it even allows you to create text shapes out-of-the-box. Just start drawing a rectangle text shape and as soon as you release the mouse, you will be able to enter any text input on the diagramming surface thus further extending the usability of your diagramming structures. You can try this tool out in the FirstLook Diagrams demo - just click on the Text button and caption away.


PagesPreview on the canvas
RadDiagram now includes a new background - pages preview. It provides a better view over the DiagramItems layout in the context of a print page. By default the size of single page matches an A4 format so that you can use this background as an overview of your print area, but you can easily modify the size of the pages, their visual representation and visibility through the properties exposed by the BackgroundPageGrid class (Read more).


TouchSupport
We have further extended the touch support provided by RadDiagram so please make sure to check out the Touch Support tutorial.

Layout Settings
With the Q1 2013 release you can control the level from which a tip-over tree arrangement should be applied in a hierarchical diagramming structure. Moreover, you  can now apply animations on your diagramming structures while dynamically changing their layout arrangement - all you need to do in order to take advantage of this feature, is to set the AnimateTransitions property. These updated are reflected in the Layout tutorial.

Keyboard Shortcuts
And as we're constantly trying to extend the usability of RadDiagram, we keep adding new keyboard shortcuts to facilitate your users interactions within a diagramming solution. So please make sure to check out the extended list of shortcuts described in this tutorial and give them a try in your application.

Last but not least, be sure to check out the Diagrams section in github where you can browse through a list of useful examples and drop us a line if there is a particular scenario you'd like to see demonstrated there.