Desktop (WinForms and WPF) and Web Specifics
- 3 minutes to read
The DevExpress Dashboard has a similar dashboard definition for different platforms. The dashboard created in the designer or in code can be loaded into WinForms, WPF, or Web application. However, each platform has its specifics.
The table below lists supported features and main differences between platforms:
Dashboard items | 16 dynamic dashboard UI elements and 2 static presentation items | 16 dynamic dashboard UI elements and 2 static presentation items | 16 dynamic dashboard UI elements and 2 static presentation items + Custom items to extend the built-in dashboard item set |
Dashboard Editing | End-User Dashboard Designer & Visual Studio Embedded Designer | End-User Dashboard Designer & Visual Studio Embedded Designer | |
Data Source Editing | End-User Data Source Wizard and Query Builder | Visual Studio Embedded Data Source Wizard | End-User Query Builder for server-secured connections |
Interactivity | |||
Data-based Coloring | |||
Conditional Formatting | |||
Advanced data processing options | window calculations, calculated fields, grouping, data aggregates, summaries | window calculations, calculated fields, grouping, data aggregates, summaries | window calculations, calculated fields, grouping, data aggregates, summaries |
Export and Printing | Data-aware and WISIWYG export and Printing with Preview | Data-aware and WISIWYG export and Printing with Preview | Data-aware and WISIWYG export |
Themes and Skins | Generic, Generic Compact, and Material Design Compact DevExtreme themes |
A list below describes some differences and limitations in detail:
Dashboard Item Appearance
Certain dashboard items can have different appearances on different platforms.
Fonts and Colors
- Font settings (size, type, etc.).
- Colors used to indicate delta values.
- Colors used to render financial charts.
Feature Set
Certain features are not implemented on the web or on the WPF platform. For instance, cell merging is not available for the Grid dashboard item.
Printing and Exporting
Despite various WinForms, WPF and web specifics, a dashboard and dashboard items are exported in the same manner, but not exactly WYSIWYG. For instance, dashboard items have no borders on the printed document, or font settings can vary.
End-User Capabilities
The use of different platforms imposes the following limitations to end-user capabilities.
- On the web, a dashboard item does not provide a context menu used to switch between different layers and export items.
- Multi-selection in the desktop (WinForms and WPF) application and on the web is utilized using different approaches. For instance, an end-user can use the CTRL/SHIFT keys to select multiple elements in the WinForms and WPF application. On the web and in WinForms application which use the Touch UI mode, the Multi-Select button in the item’s captions serves for this purpose.