TdxDashboardControl Class

Declaration

TdxDashboardControl = class(
    TdxCustomDashboardControl
)

Remarks

TdxDashboardControl is a visual component designed to display multiple interconnected data analysis UI elements within an automatically arranged layout. Interactive data analysis elements (dashboard visualization items) include grids, charts, maps, gauges, etc.

The VCL Dashboard implementation is based on the DevExpress JavaScript Dashboard Designer and Viewer for native VCL apps (using modern WebView and ASP.NET Core/JavaScript wrappers). All required .NET and JavaScript dependencies are transparently embedded into one self-contained EXE file.

VCL Dashboards: A Dashboard Content Example

Note

The ExpressDashboards Suite is available as a Community Technology Preview (CTP). Please review our pre-release software notes if you plan on using ExpressDashboards.

Bind to Data

Dashboard visualization items created using the TdxDashboardControl component can display data from different sources stored in memory or a database. The TdxBackendDataConnectionManager component allows you to manage data connection components designed to work with different data sources.

Tip

You can create data connection components directly in code, without TdxBackendDataConnectionManager.

Refer to data connection class descriptions for detailed information and code examples.

Data Connection Components

TdxBackendInMemoryJSONConnection

A component designed for interaction with data stored in memory (in the JSON format).

TdxBackendDataSetJSONConnection

A component designed to work with data in one or multiple VCL-compatible datasets (TDataSet descendants).

Use the TdxBackendDataSetJSONConnection component if you need to use Web-based TdxDashboardControl and TdxReport components together with VCL-compatible data sources.

TdxBackendDatabaseSQLConnection

A DevExpress XPO-based component designed to fetch data from an SQL database (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLite, etc.).

Tip

This component is based on the DevExpress XPO ORM engine (powered by ADO.NET). [TdxBackendDatabaseSQLConnection] has built-in support for Microsoft SQL/Azure SQL and SQLite engines (you can use them without additional dependencies and extra configuration).

Refer to the following topic for a complete list of supported database engines and corresponding connection string examples: VCL Backend: Supported Database Engines.

Main API Members

The list below outlines key members of the TdxDashboardControl class. These members allow you to configure and manage templates as well as export dashboard content to different target formats.

Dashboard Content and Layout

Clear: Clears the dashboard control (name, layout definition, state, and parameters).
DashboardName: Specifies the dashboard name (for template/layout management and content export).
Language: Allows you to switch between available UI and content localizations.
Layout: Provides access to the dashboard template (as individual XML strings).
LoadParametersFromDashboard: Populates the Parameters collection using the current dashboard layout definition as a source.
OnLayoutChanged: Allows you to respond to any dashboard layout changes.
Parameters: Provides access to the collection of dashboard parameters.

Note
The Parameters collection is initially empty. Call the LoadParametersFromDashboard procedure to populate the collection from the current dashboard layout definition.

End-User Interaction

ExportFormats: Specifies export formats available to users.
OnBrowserFileDownload: Allows you to execute code in response to dashboard content download operations or to prevent users from downloading dashboard content as a file (in any supported format).
OnStateChanged: Allows you to respond to any user interaction state changes.
ShowDesigner | ShowViewer: Display the modal Web Dashboard dialog in Designer and Viewer modes. Global skin and palette settings (defined using the Project Settings dialog or a TdxSkinController component) affect these dialogs.
State: Provides access to the dashboard/user interaction state.

Data Export

ExportTimeout: Specifies a timeout interval (in milliseconds) for all export operations.
ExportTo: Exports the current dashboard to a file or stream in any supported format.
ExportToCSV | ExportToPDF | ExportToXLS | ExportToXLSX: Export the current dashboard to a stream in corresponding document formats.
ExportToGIF | ExportToJPG | ExportToPNG | ExportToSVG: Export the current dashboard to a stream in corresponding image formats.

To see the TdxDashboardControl component in action, run the BI Dashboards Designer/Viewer demo in the VCL Demo Center installed with compiled VCL DevExpress demos. Click items on the left sidebar to switch between demo features.

Download: Compiled VCL Demos

Tip

You can find full source code for the installed compiled Report demo in the following folder:

%PUBLIC%\Documents\DevExpress VCL Demos\MegaDemos\Product Demos\ExpressDashboards\