Object Data Source

• Feb 04, 2022
• 2 minutes to read

This tutorial shows how to add the DashboardObjectDataSource to an in-memory data source storage, and make it available to users.

1. In your application, create the SalesPersonData class and add the following code to it:

   public class SalesPersonData {
   
       public string SalesPerson { get; set; }
       public int Quantity { get; set; }
   
       public static List<SalesPersonData> CreateData() {
           List<SalesPersonData> data = new List<SalesPersonData>();
           string[] salesPersons = { "Andrew Fuller", "Michael Suyama",
                                   "Robert King", "Nancy Davolio",
                                   "Margaret Peacock", "Laura Callahan",
                                   "Steven Buchanan", "Janet Leverling" };
           var rnd = new Random();
           for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
               SalesPersonData record = new SalesPersonData();
               record.SalesPerson = salesPersons[rnd.Next(0, salesPersons.Length)];
               record.Quantity = rnd.Next(0, 100);
               data.Add(record);
           }
           return data;
       }
   }
   

2. In the Startup.cs file, create a public method that returns the configured dashboard’s data source storage (DataSourceInMemoryStorage) and define the Object data source.

   using DevExpress.DashboardCommon;
   using DevExpress.DataAccess.ObjectBinding;
   
   public DataSourceInMemoryStorage CreateDataSourceStorage() {
       DataSourceInMemoryStorage dataSourceStorage = new DataSourceInMemoryStorage();
   
       DashboardObjectDataSource objDataSource = new DashboardObjectDataSource("Object Data Source");
       dataSourceStorage.RegisterDataSource("objectDataSource", objDataSource.SaveToXml());   
   
       return dataSourceStorage;
   }
   

3. Use the DashboardConfigurator.DataLoading event to supply the dashboard with actual data at runtime.

   using DevExpress.AspNetCore;
   using DevExpress.DashboardAspNetCore;
   using DevExpress.DashboardWeb;
   
   public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services) {                    
       services.AddScoped<DashboardConfigurator>((IServiceProvider serviceProvider) => {
           DashboardConfigurator configurator = new DashboardConfigurator();
           // ...
   
           configurator.DataLoading += (s, e) => {
               if(e.DataSourceName == "Object Data Source") {
                   e.Data = SalesPersonData.CreateData();
               }
           };
           return configurator;
       });
   }
   

4. Call the DashboardConfigurator.SetDataSourceStorage method to configure the data source storage. Use the created CreateDataSourceStorage method as the SetDataSourceStorage parameter.

   using DevExpress.AspNetCore;
   using DevExpress.DashboardAspNetCore;
   using DevExpress.DashboardWeb;
   
   public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services) {            
       services.AddMvc();
       services.AddScoped<DashboardConfigurator>((IServiceProvider serviceProvider) => {
           DashboardConfigurator configurator = new DashboardConfigurator();
           // ...
           configurator.SetDataSourceStorage(CreateDataSourceStorage());
           return configurator;
       });
   }
   

The Object Data Source is now available in the Web Dashboard:

Users can now bind dashboard items to data in the Web Dashboard’s UI.

Example

The example shows how to make a set of data sources available for users in the Web Dashboard application.

View Example: How to Register Data Sources for ASP.NET Core Dashboard Control