How to: Bind a Dashboard to a List Object

• Mar 31, 2018
• 4 minutes to read

To learn how to bind a dashboard to the Object data source using the Dashboard Designer, see Binding to Object Data Sources.

The following example demonstrates how to bind a dashboard to a List object.

The quantity values are provided at runtime. The dashboard data source is added to the Dashboard.DataSources collection on the first load.

Click the Reload Data button to call the DashboardViewer.ReloadData method. It raises the DashboardViewer.DataLoading event and supplies the dashboard with updated data.

Note

The complete sample project How to Bind a Dashboard to a List of Objects is available in the DevExpress Examples repository.

Data.cs

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Threading;

namespace Dashboard_BindingToList {
    public class Data {
        public string SalesPerson { get; set; }
        public int Quantity { get; set; }

        public static List<Data> CreateData() {
            List<Data> data = new List<Data>();
            string[] salesPersons = { "Andrew Fuller", "Michael Suyama", "Robert King", "Nancy Davolio",
                "Margaret Peacock", "Laura Callahan", "Steven Buchanan", "Janet Leverling" };

            for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
                Data record = new Data();
                int seed = (int)DateTime.Now.Ticks & 0x0000FFFF;
                record.SalesPerson = salesPersons[new Random(seed).Next(0, salesPersons.Length)];
                record.Quantity = new Random(seed).Next(0, 100);
                data.Add(record);
                Thread.Sleep(3);
            }
            return data;
        }
    }
}

Form1.cs

using DevExpress.DashboardCommon;
using DevExpress.DashboardWin;
using DevExpress.DataAccess;
using DevExpress.XtraEditors;
using System;

namespace Dashboard_BindingToList {
    public partial class Form1 : XtraForm {
        public Form1() {
            InitializeComponent();
            dashboardViewer1.DataSourceOptions.ObjectDataSourceLoadingBehavior = DocumentLoadingBehavior.LoadAsIs;
            dashboardViewer1.CustomizeDashboardTitle += DashboardViewer1_CustomizeDashboardTitle;
        }

        private void Form1_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e) {
            Dashboard dashboard = new Dashboard();

            DashboardObjectDataSource dataSource = new DashboardObjectDataSource("Data Source 1");
            dashboardViewer1.DataLoading += (s, ev) => {
                if (ev.DataSourceName == "Data Source 1")
                    ev.Data = Data.CreateData();
            };
            dashboard.DataSources.Add(dataSource);

            PieDashboardItem pies = new PieDashboardItem();
            pies.DataSource = dashboard.DataSources[0];
            Dimension salesPersonArgument = new Dimension("SalesPerson");
            Measure quantity = new Measure("Quantity");
            pies.Arguments.Add(salesPersonArgument);
            salesPersonArgument.TopNOptions.Enabled = true; salesPersonArgument.TopNOptions.Count = 3;
            salesPersonArgument.TopNOptions.Measure = quantity;
            pies.Values.Add(quantity);

            GridDashboardItem grid = new GridDashboardItem();
            grid.DataSource = dashboard.DataSources[0];
            grid.Columns.Add(new GridDimensionColumn(new Dimension("SalesPerson")));
            grid.Columns.Add(new GridMeasureColumn(new Measure("Quantity")));

            dashboard.Items.AddRange(pies, grid);
            dashboardViewer1.Dashboard = dashboard;

        }

        private void DashboardViewer1_CustomizeDashboardTitle(object sender, CustomizeDashboardTitleEventArgs e)
        {
            DashboardToolbarItem titleButton = new DashboardToolbarItem("Load Data",
                new Action<DashboardToolbarItemClickEventArgs>((args) =>
                {
                    dashboardViewer1.ReloadData();
                }));
            titleButton.Caption = "Reload Data";
            e.Items.Add(titleButton);
        }
    }
}

Form1.vb

Imports DevExpress.DashboardCommon
Imports DevExpress.DashboardWin
Imports DevExpress.DataAccess
Imports DevExpress.XtraEditors
Imports System

Namespace Dashboard_BindingToList
    Partial Public Class Form1
        Inherits XtraForm

        Public Sub New()
            InitializeComponent()
            dashboardViewer1.DataSourceOptions.ObjectDataSourceLoadingBehavior = DocumentLoadingBehavior.LoadAsIs
            AddHandler dashboardViewer1.CustomizeDashboardTitle, AddressOf DashboardViewer1_CustomizeDashboardTitle
        End Sub

        Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Load
            Dim dashboard As New Dashboard()

            Dim dataSource As New DashboardObjectDataSource("Data Source 1")
            AddHandler dashboardViewer1.DataLoading, Sub(s, ev)
                If ev.DataSourceName = "Data Source 1" Then
                    ev.Data = Data.CreateData()
                End If
            End Sub
            dashboard.DataSources.Add(dataSource)

            Dim pies As New PieDashboardItem()
            pies.DataSource = dashboard.DataSources(0)
            Dim salesPersonArgument As New Dimension("SalesPerson")
            Dim quantity As New Measure("Quantity")
            pies.Arguments.Add(salesPersonArgument)
            salesPersonArgument.TopNOptions.Enabled = True
            salesPersonArgument.TopNOptions.Count = 3
            salesPersonArgument.TopNOptions.Measure = quantity
            pies.Values.Add(quantity)

            Dim grid As New GridDashboardItem()
            grid.DataSource = dashboard.DataSources(0)
            grid.Columns.Add(New GridDimensionColumn(New Dimension("SalesPerson")))
            grid.Columns.Add(New GridMeasureColumn(New Measure("Quantity")))

            dashboard.Items.AddRange(pies, grid)
            dashboardViewer1.Dashboard = dashboard

        End Sub

        Private Sub DashboardViewer1_CustomizeDashboardTitle(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As CustomizeDashboardTitleEventArgs)
            Dim titleButton As DashboardToolbarItem = New DashboardToolbarItem("Load Data", New Action(Of DashboardToolbarItemClickEventArgs)(Sub(args)
                dashboardViewer1.ReloadData()
            End Sub))
            titleButton.Caption = "Reload Data"
            e.Items.Add(titleButton)
        End Sub
    End Class
End Namespace

Data.vb

Imports System
Imports System.Collections.Generic
Imports System.Threading

Namespace Dashboard_BindingToList
    Public Class Data
        Public Property SalesPerson() As String
        Public Property Quantity() As Integer

        Public Shared Function CreateData() As List(Of Data)

            Dim data_Renamed As New List(Of Data)()
            Dim salesPersons() As String = {"Andrew Fuller", "Michael Suyama",
                                            "Robert King", "Nancy Davolio",
                                            "Margaret Peacock", "Laura Callahan",
                                            "Steven Buchanan", "Janet Leverling"}

            For i As Integer = 0 To 99
                Dim record As New Data()
                Dim seed As Long = CLng(Date.Now.Ticks And &HFFFF)
                record.SalesPerson = salesPersons((New Random(seed)).Next(0, salesPersons.Length))
                record.Quantity = (New Random(seed)).Next(0, 100)
                data_Renamed.Add(record)
                Thread.Sleep(3)
            Next i
            Return data_Renamed
        End Function
    End Class
End Namespace