UI for WinForms Q1 2014 is here featuring RadCollapsiblePanel, Paging in RadGridView and much more!

The Q1 2014 release of UI for WinForms is packed with some great new controls and cool new features. Let’s take a quick look at what this release has to offer.

New Controls

Simplifying Data Entry with RadDataEntry

RadDataEntry makes its entrance to the UI for WinForms control suite. This versatile control will save you loads of time by automatically generating a data entry form based on an underlying data source. You no longer have to painstakingly lay out simple data entry forms, let this control take care of this for you. RadDataEntry handles the CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) to the data source automatically. On top of this, you retain full control over how the form gets rendered. You can specify how many columns of fields you want to have displayed as well as other visual attributes like the width of the data entry controls and the directional flow of the form. A rich event model gives you even more flexibility where you can include things like data validation or swap out an automatically generated editor. RadDataEntry also has ErrorProvider support as well as an integrated validation panel where you can conveniently display any error messages.

I know what you’re asking. Since when will I ever need to edit and maintain a single object? What do I do when I’m working with a collection of data and I need to move between records in my form? Luckily Telerik UI for WinForms has you covered in this scenario as well. RadBindingNavigator is another new control being introduced in Q1 2014. RadBindingNavigator is a familiar looking navigation control that allows the user to move between objects in an underlying data source, as well as initiate the creation of a new object, or delete an existing one. Simply pair the RadBindingNavigator with the same binding data source and they become automatically connected.

Saving Screen Real Estate with RadCollapsiblePanel

As an application matures, sometimes the ability to add another field or another section to a form becomes unwieldy and downright difficult. Many times user experience is made to suffer as you make your form elements smaller and smaller to just fit another section in. Other times, you may just want a cool and slick way to have portions of your window move in and out of sight as they are needed, like a hide-away navigation bar. Introducing RadCollapsiblePanel that can help you accomplish both of these goals. RadCollapsiblePanel can contain any number of controls and is the easiest way you can accomplish an expandable and collapsible form section. You can even customize the expansion direction, animation, and animation speed as well as the header positioning.

Functional Enhancements

RadGridView

RadChartView

Print and distribute hard copies of your charted sales projections at your next meeting. RadChartView has been enhanced to include Print and Print Preview functionality. A new series type has also been added to the control so that you are now able to produce StepLine charts. 

RadSpellChecker

Now you can add spell checking functionality to textbox controls. Equipped with a large dictionary, RadSpellChecker can identify misspellings and will flag them with a red squiggly underline. By right-clicking on a flagged word, you can choose to replace the word with one of the word suggestions, choose to ignore the flagged word, or add the flagged word to the dictionary.

Analytics

Having analytics in your application is a big deal. With analytics you can obtain quantifiable information regarding your application and your users. Having this information can help you decide where to invest your time and money. Do you need to continue to support Windows XP? How many people are still running version 1.1 of the application? Do I invest in enhancing the data entry screen or the user preference screen? All these questions can be answered by the data gathered with application analytics. 

The good news is that UI for WinForms has been enhanced to integrate directly with Telerik Analytics. By choosing to use this feature you will have access to a rich dashboard and multiple reports that can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about your application. Find out exactly the most common features used in your application, this will help you determine where to invest in enhancements. Determine what versions of your application are currently deployed in your environment as well as the operating systems that they are deployed on. Discover information about your users such as the number of monitors they have as well as their preferred screen resolution. Be notified of exceptions that occur in your application even when they are not reported by your users. This is just a sampling of some of the insight you can obtain about your application and users through application analytics. You can use Telerik Analytics free of charge for your first application for up to 100 installations, I recommend you give it a try.

Wrapping Up

Take advantage of these great new controls and features by updating to the latest version of UI for WinForms. Be sure to update your projects or download a trial today!