Use DevExpress Templates to Create a WPF Viewer Application

• May 26, 2026
• 4 minutes to read

DevExpress Templates help you create a ready-to-use WPF application with a WPF Dashboard Viewer.

Project Template Kit (Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, JetBrains Rider) (.NET)

Use the Cross-IDE Project Template Kit to create a WPF application with a Dashboard Viewer.

Note

The DevExpress Template Kit includes project templates only for .NET 8+.

To create a WPF application with a Dashboard Viewer, follow the steps below.

1. Install the DevExpress Project Template Kit extension. Refer to the following sections in the Project Template Kit help topic for instructions depending on the IDE of your choice:

   • Install and Run the Project Wizard for Visual Studio
   • Install and Run the Project Wizard for Visual Studio Code
   • Install and Run the Project Wizard for JetBrains Rider

2. Select WPF or BI Dashboards in the Platforms list. Then select the project language (C# or VB).

   Select the WPF BI Dashboard Viewer Application template:

   

3. Specify additional template options. Click Create Project to generate the project.

.NET CLI Templates

Use CLI Project Templates to create a WPF application with the BI Dashboard component.

Note

.NET CLI DevExpress Templates include project templates only for .NET 8+.

You can install DevExpress WPF project templates with the DevExpress Unified Component Installer.

You can also install the templates from nuget.org.

Ensure that the nuget.org source is enabled. If it is disabled, you may encounter the NU1101: Unable to find package DevExpress.Wpf.ProjectTemplates error. To list sources with their status, run dotnet nuget list source. To enable a source, run dotnet nuget enable source <source name>.

To create a WPF application with a Dashboard Viewer, follow the steps below:

1. Run the following command to install DevExpress WPF project templates from nuget.org:

   .NET CLI

   dotnet new install DevExpress.Wpf.ProjectTemplates
   

2. Create a project with the Dashboard Viewer:

   .NET CLI

   dotnet new dx.wpf.dashboard -n WpfDashboardViewer
   

   You can use the following parameters to see available command options: -? | -h | --help. For example, execute the following command:

   .NET CLI

   dotnet new dx.wpf.dashboard --help
   

   Template Options

   The following list contains options you can specify when creating DevExpress WPF BI Dashboard project templates:

   -prerelease, --use-prerelease-dx-version

   A flag that indicates whether to use a pre-release DevExpress package version in the project.

   --framework <TFM>

   Specifies the target framework. It expects a target framework moniker (TFM). Example: net8.0.

   -lang, --language <C#>

   Specifies the template language to instantiate.

   --dx-version <version>

   Specifies DevExpress package version to be used in the project. Examples: 26.1.3, 26.1.*, 26.1.*-*

   -mcp, --use-devexpress-mcp

   Installs the DevExpress Documentation MCP Server for the generated solution. GitHub Copilot queries DevExpress documentation through this server to improve response accuracy and reduce model hallucinations. Refer to DevExpress Documentation MCP Server for setup details.

Template Gallery (Visual Studio) (.NET Framework)

The DevExpress Template Gallery (.NET Framework) contains predefined templates for building the Dashboard Designer and Viewer applications for all supported platforms. For a list of available Dashboard templates, see Template Gallery (.NET Framework).

The following steps explain how to quickly create a ready-to-use WPF Dashboard Viewer application with the DevExpress Template Gallery.

Create a New Project

1. In Visual Studio, create a new project. Select DevExpress v26.1 Template Gallery (.NET Framework) as the project template.

   

   Click Next.

2. Configure your new project and click Create. The Template Gallery opens.

Configure the Template

1. Select Dashboard Viewer Application in the WPF or BI Dashboard category. Specify the framework version and click Create Project.

   

2. Run the application to see the result.

   

   The WPF Viewer application displays a sample dashboard.

   Use the Visual Studio Designer to change the dashboard or create a new one.

Next Steps

Create Dashboards in the Visual Studio Designer

Describes how to create and configure dashboards in Visual Studio Designer.

WPF Viewer

Describes how to use the DashboardControl control to display a dashboard in a WPF application.