Create a Static Custom Item for the WinForms Dashboard
- 5 minutes to read
This tutorial shows how to create a custom item that displays the ‘Hello World!’ text. In this tutorial you will create and register a custom item’s metadata, create a custom control that displays the custom item, and add a button to the Ribbon. Refer to the next tutorial for more information on how to bind a custom item to data and create a binding panel: Create a Data-Aware Item.
First, create a WinForms Dashboard project and create the CustomItems folder in it to store custom item data. Then, follow the instructions below:
Create Metadata
Metadata is a CustomItemMetadata descendant that describes options and settings available to a user in the UI. Register the metadata object to be able to create custom items of this type. The structure you specified in metadata defines these custom items in a dashboard definition.
Add the HelloWorldItem.cs file to the CustomItems folder in your project. In the file, derive a class from CustomItemMetadata:
using DevExpress.DashboardCommon;
namespace TutorialsCustomItems.CustomItems{
class HelloWorldItemMetadata : CustomItemMetadata{
}
}
Add the SVG file you want to use as a custom item’s icon to the Images folder in your project. You can use SVG images from the example: WinForms Dashboard - Custom Items. Make sure the SVG file’s Build Action property is set to Embedded Resource.
Apply the following attributes to HelloWorldItemMetadata:
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| DisplayNameAttribute | Specifies a name for a custom item’s icon. |
| CustomItemDescriptionAttribute | Specifies tooltip text that is displayed for a custom item’s bar in the Ribbon. |
| CustomItemImageAttribute | Specifies an icon for a custom item’s bar in the Ribbon. |
using DevExpress.DashboardCommon;
using System.ComponentModel;
namespace TutorialsCustomItems.CustomItems{
[DisplayName("Hello World Item"),
CustomItemDescription("Hello World Description"),
CustomItemImage("TutorialsCustomItems.Images.HelloWorldIcon.svg")]
class HelloWorldItemMetadata : CustomItemMetadata{
}
}
Register a New Metadata Type
Call the CustomItemMetadataTypes.Register<T>() method before the main application form is created to allow the Dashboard Designer to read custom item data from a dashboard. Pass a new metadata type as a parameter. The metadata type is stored in the CustomItemMetadataTypes collection and corresponds to the HelloWorldItemMetadata class.
using DevExpress.XtraEditors;
using System;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using DevExpress.DashboardCommon;
using TutorialsCustomItems.CustomItems;
namespace TutorialsCustomItems {
static class Program{
/// <summary>
/// The main entry point for the application.
/// </summary>
[STAThread]
static void Main(){
// ...
Dashboard.CustomItemMetadataTypes.Register<HelloWorldItemMetadata>();
Application.Run(new Form1());
}
}
}
Add a Button to the Ribbon
Call the DashboardDesigner.CreateCustomItemBars(Type[]) method, which inserts a custom item’s bar in the Ribbon. A user can click this button to add a new custom item to a dashboard at runtime.
using System.Windows.Forms;
using DevExpress.DashboardCommon;
using DevExpress.DashboardWin;
namespace TutorialsCustomItems {
public partial class Form1 : Form {
public Form1(){
InitializeComponent();
dashboardDesigner1.CreateRibbon();
dashboardDesigner1.CreateCustomItemBars();
}
}
}
Create a Custom Control
A custom control displays a custom item in a dashboard. To configure the custom control, derive the HelloWorldItemProvider class from CustomControlProviderBase. The class creates and updates the control based on the data that the dashboard transfers to it.
The CustomControlProviderBase.Control property gets the control that displays the custom item.
using System.Windows.Forms;
using DevExpress.DashboardWin;
using DevExpress.XtraEditors;
namespace TutorialsCustomItems.CustomItems{
// ...
public class HelloWorldItemProvider : CustomControlProviderBase{
MemoEdit textbox;
protected override Control Control { get { return textbox; } }
public HelloWorldItemProvider(){
textbox = new MemoEdit();
textbox.Text = "Hello World!";
textbox.ReadOnly = true;
textbox.ContextMenu = new ContextMenu();
}
}
}
Visualize a Custom Item in a Dashboard
To visualize the custom control, assign the HelloWorldItemProvider object to the e.CustomControlProvider property in the DashboardDesigner.CustomDashboardItemControlCreating event handler.
using System.Windows.Forms;
using TutorialsCustomItems.CustomItems;
using DevExpress.DashboardCommon;
using DevExpress.DashboardWin;
namespace TutorialsCustomItems {
public partial class Form1 : Form {
// ...
private void DashboardDesigner1_CustomDashboardItemControlCreating(object sender,
CustomDashboardItemControlCreatingEventArgs e){
if (e.MetadataType == typeof(HelloWorldItemMetadata))
e.CustomControlProvider = new HelloWorldItemProvider();
}
}
}
Run the Project to See the Result
Run the project and click the Hello World Item button in the Ribbon to add the custom item to the dashboard:
This action adds the custom item that displays the ‘Hello World!’ text to the dashboard’s layout:
Next Step
Refer to the following tutorials for more information on how to bind a custom item to data and embed additional functionality:
-
This tutorial explains how to bind a custom item to data and create a binding panel.
Create an Interactive Data-Aware Item
This tutorial shows how to configure additional functionality, such as coloring, export, and interactivity.
Example
The following example shows how to implement a custom dashboard item in a WinForms application. The example contains custom items that you get once the tutorials are completed. You can find the Hello World item’s source code in this project.