VCL ExpressEditors Library
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The VCL ExpressEditors Library includes a variety of controls that can be divided into the following five categories:
- Editors
- Data input controls you can use in two modes – as standalone or in-place editors. As in-place editors, you can embed them into the Data Grid, Tree List, Ribbon, menus, and other controls.
- Controls
- A multi-purpose control library that includes more advanced versions of standard controls as well as unique controls not available in the default RAD Studio toolbox.
- Utility Components
- Non-visual components that help you enhance an application’s UI.
- Shell Components
- Skinnable editors and dialogs that allow you to add the shell navigation functionality to your application.
- Skinnable Message Boxes
- Message box dialogs that support the DevExpress Skin Engine.
#Editors
The ExpressEditors Library includes over 40 editor types you can use as standalone controls or in-place editors in container controls (Data Grid, Tree List, Vertical Grid, Pivot Grid, Ribbon, menus, etc.). The majority of editors in this category are shipped in unbound and data-aware versions.
#Barcode Editors
A barcode control is designed to generate and display a barcode or QR code from a source text string. Barcode controls support 13 barcode types.
#Barcode Editor Components
- TdxBarCode
- An unbound barcode control.
- TdxDBBarCode
- A data-aware barcode control.
#BLOB Editors
A BLOB (Binary Large Object) editor can display an image or text in a drop-down window.
#BLOB Editor Components
- TcxBlobEdit
- The BLOB editor.
- TcxDBBlobEdit
- Represents a data-aware control used for displaying and editing BLOB data from a data source.
#Calculator Editors
A calculator editor is a numeric editor with a pop-up calculator.
#Calculator Editor Components
- TcxCalcEdit
- An editor with a dropdown calculator window.
- TcxDBCalcEdit
- Represents a data-aware control that enables editing a value via a popup calculator.
#Check Boxes and Check Groups
A check box corresponds to an option, and can be in checked, unchecked, and grayed states. You can use a check group if it is possible to interpret the target edit value as a set of options.
#Check Box Editor Components
- TcxCheckBox
- Represents a check box control that allows selecting an option.
- TcxDBCheckBox
- Represents a data-aware control which supports “checked”, “unchecked” and “grayed” states.
#Check Group Editor Components
- TcxCheckGroup
- An editor displaying a set of check boxes.
- TcxDBCheckGroup
- Represents a data-aware check group control.
#Color Editors
A color editor allows users to pick a color from a color gallery embedded into a drop-down window.
#Color Editor Components
- TdxColorEdit
- An editor that allows users to pick a color from a color gallery embedded into a dropdown window.
- TdxDBColorEdit
- A data-aware color editor control.
#Color Galleries
A color gallery displays a palette from which users can pick a color. This gallery ships with a number of built-in palettes, including those found in Microsoft Office®.
#Color Gallery Components
- TdxColorGallery
- An unbound color gallery control.
- TdxDBColorGallery
- A data-aware color gallery control.
#Combo Boxes
A simple combo box allows users to select an option in a drop-down list. A check combo box enables users to select multiple options simultaneously.
#Simple Combo Box Components
- TcxComboBox
- An unbound combo box.
- TcxDBComboBox
- A data-aware combo box.
#Color Combo Box Components
- TcxColorComboBox
- Represents a color combo box control.
- TcxDBColorComboBox
- Represents the data-aware version of the TcxColorComboBox.
#Image Combo Box Components
- TcxImageComboBox
- An unbound combo box with support for images.
- TcxDBImageComboBox
- A data-aware image combo box.
#Check Combo Box Components
- TcxCheckComboBox
- An unbound combo box editor that can display items with check boxes.
- TcxDBCheckComboBox
- A data-aware combo box editor that can display items with check boxes.
#Currency Editors
A currency editor is a simple numeric editor designed to work with monetary values.
#Currency Editor Components
- TcxCurrencyEdit
- An unbound currency editor.
- TcxDBCurrencyEdit
- A data-aware currency editor.
#Date Editors
A date editor is an edit control with a drop-down calendar. The editor also allows users to adjust time in addition to the date selection functionality.
#Date Editor Components
- TcxDateEdit
- TcxDateEdit is an edit control with a dropdown calendar.
- TcxDBDateEdit
- Represents a data-aware edit control with a dropdown calendar that enables editing date values.
#Date/Time Wheel Pickers
A date/time wheel picker is a touch-friendly editor that can display and change a TDateTime value.
#Date/Time Wheel Picker Components
- TdxDateTimeWheelPicker
- An unbound date-time wheel picker editor.
- TdxDBDateTimeWheelPicker
- A data-aware date-time wheel picker editor.
#Formatted Labels
This label control can format its text based on BBCode-inspired tags. You can use the built-in Formatted Label Editor to specify markup code.
#Formatted Label Components
- TdxFormattedLabel
- An unbound formatted label control.
- TdxDBFormattedLabel
- A data-aware formatted label control.
#Hyperlink Editors
A hyperlink editor is a single-line text editor that displays its content as a hyperlink. The editor can start the default system browser to open a hyperlink when a user clicks it.
#Hyperlink Editor Components
- TcxHyperlinkEdit
- An unbound hyperlink editor.
- TcxDBHyperlinkEdit
- A data-aware hyperlink editor.
#Image Editors
An image editor is designed to store and display an image. Users can open a context menu to manage and edit images.
#Image Editor Components
- TcxImage
- An unbound image editor.
- TcxDBImage
- A data-aware image editor.
#Lookup Combo Boxes
A lookup combo box combines the functionality of a lookup grid and a combo box.
#Simple Lookup Combo Box Components
- TcxLookupComboBox
- Represents a lookup combo box control.
- TcxDBLookupComboBox
- Represents a data-aware editor displaying a set of values from a lookup dataset used for editing values in another dataset.
#Extended Lookup Combo Box Components
- TcxExtLookupComboBox
- Represents a lookup editor displaying a grid View in its dropdown window.
- TcxDBExtLookupComboBox
- Represents a control to edit a dataset field by picking up a record in its dropdown data-aware View.
#Memo Editors
A memo editor is a multi-line text box.
#Memo Components
- TcxMemo
- Represents an edit control that allows editing memo data.
- TcxDBMemo
- Represents a memo editor that enables editing dataset fields.
#Numeric Wheel Pickers
A numeric wheel picker is a touch-friendly spin editor for integer values.
#Numeric Wheel Components
- TdxNumericWheelPicker
- An unbound numeric value wheel picker editor.
- TdxDBNumericWheelPicker
- A data-aware numeric value wheel picker editor.
#Office Search Box
The Office Search Box editor is an auxiliary UI element inspired by the Tell Me search box found in Microsoft Office® applications. The Office Search Box simplifies command search in a complex Ribbon or Toolbar UI. You can use a TdxOfficeSearchBox editor as a standalone UI element or embed the editor into a toolbar item container (TcxBarEditItem).
#Pop-up Editors
A pop-up editor is a single-line text editor that allows you to embed other controls into a pop-up window. Users can work with embedded controls in the same way as with standalone controls.
#Pop-up Editor Components
- TcxPopupEdit
- Represents a text editor that enables embedding another control in its popup window.
- TcxDBPopupEdit
- Represents a data-aware text editor with a popup window embedding a control.
#Progress Bars
A progress bar gradually fills from left to right or from bottom to top, depending on its orientation.
#Progress Bar Components
- TcxProgressBar
- Represents an advanced progress bar control.
- TcxDBProgressBar
- Represents the data-aware version of the TcxProgressBar.
#Radio Groups
A radio group is a container for radio buttons that allow users to switch between available options.
#Radio Group Classes
- TcxRadioGroup
- A container for radio buttons, functioning together.
- TcxDBRadioGroup
- Represents a data-aware version of the radio group control.
- TcxRadioGroupItem
- Represents an individual radio button in a radio group.
#Range Track Bars
A range track bar editor is a track bar editor that displays two sliders (also called thumbs) to select a range of values on its bar.
#Range Track Bar Components
- TdxRangeTrackBar
- An unbound range track bar editor.
- TdxDBRangeTrackBar
- A data-aware range track bar editor.
#Rating Controls
A rating control allows users to rate content. Rating controls support custom element images.
#Rating Editor Components
- TdxRatingControl
- An unbound rating control.
- TdxDBRatingControl
- A data-aware rating control.
#Rich Text Editors
Rich text editors allow users to edit rich-formatted text.
#Simple Rich Text Editor Components
- TcxRichEdit
- Represents an edit control which allows rich text to be edited.
- TcxDBRichEdit
- Represents a data-aware version of the TcxRichEdit control.
Tip
The DevExpress VCL Subscription ships with a separate Rich Edit Control that allows you to create fully functional word processing applications.
#Single-Line Text Editors
Single-line text editors allow users to edit a non-formatted string value. Different single-line editor types offer additional functionality, such as input masks, extra buttons, etc.
#Text Box-Based Editor Components
- TcxButtonEdit
- An unbound single-line text editor with embedded buttons.
- TcxDBButtonEdit
- A data-aware single-line text editor with embedded buttons.
- TcxMaskEdit
- TcxMaskEdit implements a generic masked edit control.
- TcxDBMaskEdit
- Represents a masked editor that enables displaying and editing text fields within a dataset.
- TcxMRUEdit
- Represents a text editor displaying the list of most recently used items (MRU) within a dropdown window.
- TcxDBMRUEdit
- Represents a data-aware text editor that stores the list of most recently used items and allows the selection of a value from this list.
- TcxTextEdit
- An unbound single-line text editor.
- TcxDBTextEdit
- A data-aware single-line text editor.
#Sparkline and Lookup Sparkline Editors
A sparkline is a small line, point, area, or bar chart designed to visualize data as a condensed graph without axes and additional inscriptions. Sparklines are particularly useful as in-place editors if you need to display trends in a container control.
#Simple Sparkline Editor Components
- TdxSparklineEdit
- An unbound sparkline editor.
- TdxDBSparklineEdit
- A data-aware sparkline editor.
#Lookup Sparkline Editor Components
- TdxLookupSparklineEdit
- A lookup sparkline editor.
- TdxDBLookupSparklineEdit
- A data-aware lookup sparkline editor.
#Spin Editors
A spin editor allows users to enter a numeric value directly or adjust it with spin buttons. The Up and Down spin buttons increment and decrement the edit value by a specified amount.
#Spin Editor Components
- TcxSpinEdit
- Represents a spin editor.
- TcxDBSpinEdit
- Represents a spin editor, which enables editing numerical dataset fields.
#Time Editors
A time editor allows users to change the selected time value digit directly or adjust a time value with spin buttons. The Up and Down spin buttons increment and decrement the time value at the input caret position.
#Time Editor Components
- TcxTimeEdit
- Represents an editor displaying time values.
- TcxDBTimeEdit
- Represents a data-aware editor which enables editing time values.
#Toggle Switches
A toggle switch is a touch-friendly version of a check box. A toggle switch replaces a check mark with a thumb whose position corresponds to the current check state.
#Toggle Switch Components
- TdxToggleSwitch
- An unbound toggle switch editor.
- TdxDBToggleSwitch
- A data-aware toggle switch editor.
#Token Editors
A token editor validates the entered text and converts valid text blocks into tokens (clickable boxes that can display text and an image).
#Token Editor Components
- TdxTokenEdit
- An unbound token editor.
- TdxDBTokenEdit
- A data-aware token editor.
#Track Bars
A track bar displays a thumb that a user can drag to modify the edit value. A zoom track bar includes two adjacent scale ranges with individual settings for more granular control over thumb movements.
#General-Purpose Track Bar Components
- TcxTrackBar
- Represents the track bar editor that is used to edit values using a thumb.
- TcxDBTrackBar
- Represents the data-aware version of the TcxTrackBar.
#Zoom Track Bar Components
- TdxZoomTrackBar
- An unbound zoom track bar editor similar to the zoom slider found in Microsoft Office.
- TdxDBZoomTrackBar
- A data-aware zoom track bar editor similar to the zoom slider found in Microsoft Office.
#Controls
This section lists more advanced versions of standard controls as well as unique controls not available in the default RAD Studio toolbox.
#Activity Indicator
An activity indicator displays animation during ongoing events with an unknown duration. Use the activity indicator together with a label to display the status of such events.
#Button
An advanced variant of the standard VCL TButton component can work in the following modes:
- Standard Mode
The button behaves identically to the standard VCL button.
- Menu Mode
The button opens an associated drop-down menu.
- Drop-Down Button Mode
The button displays an additional drop-down button that opens an associated menu. A click on the main button executes an OnClick event handler.
- Command Link Mode
The button mimics the appearance of command links found in Microsoft Windows® Vista native applications. The button can display an additional description.
- Office Drop-Down Mode
The button mimics the appearance and behavior of buttons with drop-down menus found in Microsoft Office® 2010 and later versions. A click on the button opens an associated drop-down menu.
Refer to the TcxButton class description for details.
#Camera Control
The camera control allows you to capture a video or an image from a built-in or connected camera. The camera control displays the selected camera’s feed.
Refer to the following topic for details: Camera Preview Dialog.
#Gallery Control
The gallery control displays a set of items categorized into groups and arranged into columns.
Refer to the following topics for details:
#List View Control
The List View control allows a user to display items vertically or horizontally and arrange them in groups and columns. Each item can show its caption, subitems, images, check box, and hint. The control supports look & feel settings common to all DevExpress VCL controls. These settings allow you to keep application appearance consistent for all UI elements.
#Range Control
A range control is designed to help users select intervals and data ranges. The range control supports the following data range models:
- Numeric
Allows users to select ranges of integer, float, or currency values.
- Date/Time Model
Allows users to select value ranges on a single predefined scale with formatted TDateTime values.
- Date/Time Header Model
Allows users to select TDateTime value ranges on various predefined scales in different measurement units.
- Scheduler Model
Allows users to select and display ranges of TDateTime values in the TcxScheduler control associated with the range control.
Refer to the following topics for details:
#Tree View Control
The Tree View control allows a user to display data in nodes with customizable captions, images, check boxes, and hints. The control supports look & feel settings common to all DevExpress VCL controls. These settings allow you to keep applications appearance consistent for all UI elements.
#Wheel Picker
A wheel picker is a touch-friendly multi-choice editor.
Refer to the following topic for details: Wheel Picker Editors.
#Utility Components
This section lists non-visual components that help you enhance an application’s UI.
#Alert Window Manager
The Alert Window Manager is a non-visual component that arranges alert windows on screen, and sets their timing, animations, and look & feel settings. Use this component to display on-screen notifications such as those from messenger and e-mail clients.
Refer to the following topics for details:
#UI Adorner Manager
The UI adorner manager is a non-visual component designed to display the following adorner layers on top of the target form:
- Badge Layer
Displays custom marks anchored to specific UI elements.
- Guide Layer
Highlights specific UI elements or regions. Users can navigate between outlined regions called guides. The currently selected guide removes the darkening effect from the target UI element:
#Shell Components
This section lists components that allow you to add the shell navigation functionality to your application.
#Shell Combo Boxes
A shell combo box allows users to specify file paths and browse folder structure. Users can type the path within the editor box or display the editor’s drop-down window to display the folder tree:
#Shell Combo Box Components
- TcxShellComboBox
- A Shell Combo Box editor.
- TcxDBShellComboBox
- Represents the data-aware version of the shell combo box control.
#Shell Breadcrumb Editors
A shell breadcrumb editor offers the shell navigation functionality out-of-the-box. You can use this editor to complement shell combo box editors.
#Shell Breadcrumb Editor Components
- TdxBreadcrumbEdit
- Implements the virtual breadcrumb control.
- TdxDBBreadcrumbEdit
- Implements the data-aware breadcrumb control.
- TdxShellBreadcrumbEdit
- A Shell Breadcrumb control.
#Shell Dialogs
The ExpressEditors Library ships with the following set of skinnable counterparts for standard VCL shell dialog components:
| DevExpress Component | Standard Component | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tdx |
TOpen |
An Open dialog component. |
| Tdx |
TSave |
A Save As dialog component. |
| Tdx |
TOpen |
An Open dialog component for image files. |
| Tdx |
TSave |
A Save As dialog component for image files. |
You can use these components to keep your application appearance consistent for all UI elements, including shell dialogs:
Note
All DevExpress controls with the built-in Windows shell navigation functionality (such as Spreadsheet and Rich Edit controls) use skinnable shell dialogs. If you prefer standard system dialogs, set the dxTrue.
#Skinnable Message Boxes
All DevExpress products use the TdxMessageDialogForm class to display message dialog boxes with support for skins and BBCode-inspired markup tags:
The ExpressEditors Library includes multiple global methods that display skinnable message boxes. Refer to the following topic for a full list of available methods and their standard counterparts: Message Dialog Boxes.