DevExpress VCL Shared Libraries
- 6 minutes to read
The DevExpress VCL Library includes functionality common to other products, as well as tools and utility components.
Fluent Design UI
The Fluent Design concept aims to create an intuitive and immersive user experience. Microsoft introduced this technology with the “Fall Creators Update” for Windows® 10 (Version 1803, build 17064). Fluent Design features include the following:
- Minimalistic and single-purpose UI layouts.
- Separate views and windows for independent application parts.
- Soft visual effects that draw attention to navigation controls.
Refer to the TdxFluentDesignForm class description for details.
Glyphs and Images
The DevExpress Icon Library includes multiple extensive bitmap and vector images created by our design team. All image files are arranged into collections and categories in the %DevExpress VCL Installation Folder%\ExpressLibrary\Sources\Icon Library\ folder.
Image Picker
Image Picker is the main design-time tool for interaction with the DevExpress Icon Library and related functionality, such as operating system-dependent font icons and custom icon management.
Supported Image Formats
- BMP | EMF | GIF | JPEG | PNG | TIFF | WMF
- Support for these image formats relies on corresponding native encoders from the Windows Imaging Component (WIC).
- SVG
- DevExpress controls use our own SVG engine implementation. Refer to the following topic for detailed information on supported SVG elements and their attributes: SVG Image Support.
Localizer Editor
The Localizer Editor is a tool designed to translate resource strings you can use to localize an application.
Refer to the following topics for detailed information on the Localizer Editor and localization:
Scrollbar Annotations
Scrollbar annotations are clickable colored marks that denote data records that meet certain criteria. These annotations allow users to quickly locate the most important entries and navigate between them in a grid control-based application with a large number of records.
The following controls support scrollbar annotations:
Support for Per-Monitor DPI Awareness
A per-monitor DPI-aware application dynamically scales all of its visual elements when a user moves an application window between two monitors with different DPIs. The host operating system sends the WM_DPICHANGED message to a DPI-aware application every time the target DPI changes (that is, when an application window is halfway between two monitors with different DPIs, and the application adjusts its UI scale factor).
Refer to the following topic for general recommendations on how to create DevExpress-powered DPI-aware applications: High DPI and Graphics.
Support for Right-to-Left Languages
Certain languages, such as Hebrew and Arabic, use a right-to-left (RTL) writing system that requires a mirrored UI layout and a reversed text direction.
Refer to the following topic for the list of DevExpress products that support right-to-left layouts: Right-to-Left Layout.
Supported Render Modes
Most DevExpress controls rely on standard GDI-based rendering mechanisms available in the VCL library and use a combination of GDI and GDI+ API-based canvases to draw content and UI elements. However, the following controls rely on a universal rendering mechanism and can switch between GDI (default), GDI+, and DirectX render modes:
- VCL Chart Control
- Allows you to visualize data as bar, area, line, pie, and doughnut series with multiple chart appearance customization options.
- VCL Tile Controls
- TdxTileControl and TdxTileBar controls allow you to create touch-friendly user interfaces inspired by Microsoft Windows® 8.
- VCL Gallery Control
A gallery control is designed to display a set of items categorized into groups and arranged into rows and columns. Gallery controls include:
- TdxGalleryControl
- A gallery control.
- TdxColorGallery
- An unbound color gallery control.
- TdxDBColorGallery
- A data-aware color gallery control.
- VCL List View Control
- A list view control allows users to arrange items in groups and columns horizontally or vertically. Each item can show its caption, subitems, images, check box, and hint.
- VCL Gantt Control
- A project management tool that allows users to schedule activities related to project goals.
The DirectX render mode can boost rendering performance only for supported controls on high-DPI (4K+) displays. Refer to the following topic for details: DirectX & GDI Render Modes.
Touch Gesture Support
The majority of DevExpress controls supports Windows Touch gestures out-of-the-box. Refer to the following MSDN article for general information on Windows Touch gestures: Windows Touch Gestures Overview (Windows).
Touch-Friendly Scrollbar Mode
In this mode, scrollbar buttons are never displayed, and the horizontal or vertical scrollbar thumb appears when a user hovers the mouse pointer over a control or scrolls through its content. The scrollbar disappears if the mouse pointer remains stationary or the control’s content is not scrolled for some time.
Refer to the following topic for information on touch gesture support and touch-friendly scrollbar mode: Integrated Touch Gesture Support.
Utility Components
This section lists non-visual components that allow you to add extra functionality to your application.
Authorization Agents and Data Providers
Authorization agents are components that perform all authentication and authorization operations in your application. The DevExpress Library ships with the following authorization agent components:
Each authorization agent is designed to work together with one or more data providers that implement resource access and management routines specific to a supported online service type.
- User Information Providers
Allow you to retrieve the user display name and e-mail from a connected online account. The DevExpress Library includes the following user information provider components:
- Online Calendar Data Providers
Allow you to synchronize calendar and event data between an application and a connected online account. The DevExpress Library includes the following calendar data provider components:
- Cloud Storage Data Providers
Allow you to access and manage files and folders stored in cloud storage. The DevExpress Library includes the following calendar data provider components:
Refer to the following topic for details: Authorization Agents and Data Providers.
Callout Pop-up
The Callout Pop-up component allows you to display macOS/iOS style callout pop-ups with custom content.
You can optionally stretch the pop-up across the associated control to mimic flyout panels and auto-hide toolbars.
Cloud Storage
The Cloud Storage component allows you to interact with files in cloud storage.
Refer to the following topic for details: Cloud Storage Component.
Image List
The TcxImageList component extends the standard VCL TImageList with support for:
- 32-bit bitmap images
- Vector (SVG) images
- Alpha blending
The TcxImageList component ships with the design-time Image List Editor dialog. Use it to import, manage, export, and browse images within the list.
