Lesson 1 - Bind Chart Series to Data

• Aug 03, 2020
• 6 minutes to read

This lesson explains how to add a series to a chart’s diagram, bind this series to a data source, and configure basic chart options.

• Step 1. Create a New Project and Add a Chart
• Step 2. Add a Data Model
• Step 3. Add a ViewModel
• Step 4. Specify the Data Context
• Step 5. Bind the Chart to Data
• Step 6. Populate the Series with Data
• Step 7. Customize the Chart
• Results

Step 1. Create a New Project and Add a Chart

• Run Microsoft Visual Studio 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 or 2019.
• Create a new WPF Application project. Name it Lesson1BindChartToData.

• Drag the ChartControl component from the DX.19.1: Data & Analytics toolbox section to the Main Window.

  

• Right-click the ChartControl and select Layout | Reset All in the context menu to make the chart fill the entire window.

  

The newly created chart contains a blank Side-By-Side Bar and a legend. The MainWindow’s markup should appear as follows:

XAML

<Window
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
        xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
        xmlns:local="clr-namespace:Lesson1BindChartToData"
        xmlns:dxc="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/charts" 
        x:Class="Lesson1BindChartToData.MainWindow"
        mc:Ignorable="d"
        Title="MainWindow" Height="315" Width="560">
    <Grid>
        <dxc:ChartControl>
            <dxc:ChartControl.Legends>
                <dxc:Legend/>
            </dxc:ChartControl.Legends>
            <dxc:XYDiagram2D>
                <dxc:BarSideBySideSeries2D DisplayName="Series 1"/>
            </dxc:XYDiagram2D>
        </dxc:ChartControl>
    </Grid>
</Window>

References to the following libraries are automatically added to the project:

• DevExpress.Data.v19.1
• DevExpress.Xpf.Core.v19.1
• DevExpress.Charts.v19.1.Core
• DevExpress.Xpf.Charts.v19.1
• DevExpress.Mvvm.v19.1
• DevExpress.Xpf.Printing.v19.1
• DevExpress.Printing.v19.1.Core

Note

The references are chosen from the Global Assembly Cache (GAC). To copy them locally or include them later in your product’s installation, use the following directory:

C:\Program Files (x86)\DevExpress 19.1\Components\Bin\Framework\

Step 2. Prepare a Data Model

You can bind the chart to a database, to an XML file or data created at runtime. The data source should implement the IEnumerable, IListSource or their descendants. Refer to the Providing Data section to for more information about how to populate a chart with data. In this topic, you bind a chart to an ObservableCollection<T>.

Use the DataPoint class implementation to develop a Data Model:

C#

using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
using System.Windows;

namespace Lesson1BindChartToData {
    public class DataPoint {
        public string Argument { get; set; }
        public double Value { get; set; }
        public static ObservableCollection<DataPoint> GetDataPoints() {
            return new ObservableCollection<DataPoint> {
                    new DataPoint { Argument = "Asia", Value = 5.289D},
                    new DataPoint { Argument = "Australia", Value = 2.2727D},
                    new DataPoint { Argument = "Europe", Value = 3.7257D},
                    new DataPoint { Argument = "North America", Value = 4.1825D},
                    new DataPoint { Argument = "South America", Value = 2.1172D}
                   };
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports System.Collections.ObjectModel
Imports System.Windows
Namespace Lesson1BindChartToData
    ''' <summary>
    ''' Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml
    ''' </summary>
    Partial Public Class MainWindow
        Inherits Window
        Public Sub New()
            InitializeComponent()
        End Sub
    End Class
    Public Class DataPoint
        Public Property Argument() As String
        Public Property Value() As Double
        Public Shared Function GetDataPoints() As ObservableCollection(Of DataPoint)
            Return New ObservableCollection(Of DataPoint) From {
                New DataPoint With {
                    .Argument = "Asia",
                    .Value = 5.289R
                },
                New DataPoint With {
                    .Argument = "Australia",
                    .Value = 2.2727R
                },
                New DataPoint With {
                    .Argument = "Europe",
                    .Value = 3.7257R
                },
                New DataPoint With {
                    .Argument = "North America",
                    .Value = 4.1825R
                },
                New DataPoint With {
                    .Argument = "South America",
                    .Value = 2.1172R
                }
            }
        End Function
    End Class
End Namespace

Step 3. Add a ViewModel

Use the code below to implement the MainWindowViewModel class:

C#

using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
using System.Windows;

namespace Lesson1BindChartToData {
    public class MainWindowViewModel {
        public ObservableCollection<DataPoint> Data { get; private set; }
        public MainWindowViewModel() {
            this.Data = DataPoint.GetDataPoints();
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Namespace Lesson1BindChartToData
    ''' <summary>
    ''' Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml
    ''' </summary>
    Partial Public Class MainWindow
        Inherits Window

        Public Sub New()
            InitializeComponent()
        End Sub
    End Class
    Public Class MainWindowViewModel
        Private privateData As ObservableCollection(Of DataPoint)
        Public Property Data() As ObservableCollection(Of DataPoint)
            Get
                Return privateData
            End Get
            Private Set(ByVal value As ObservableCollection(Of DataPoint))
                privateData = value
            End Set
        End Property
        Public Sub New()
            Me.Data = DataPoint.GetDataPoints()
        End Sub
    End Class
End Namespace

Step 4. Specify the Data Context

Build the solution.

Click the MainWindow’s smart tag and specify the DataContext property as shown below:

Step 5. Bind the Chart to Data

Click the Chart Control’s smart tag. Specify the ChartControl.DataSource property as the following image shows:

Step 6. Populate the Series with Data

Specify the data source’s fields that should provide values for series point arguments and values.

• Set the series’s Series.ArgumentDataMember property to Argument.

  

• Set the series’s Series.ValueDataMember property to Value.

  

Step 7. Customize the Chart

Specify the Series Name

Set the Series.DisplayName property to Annual Statistics. The display name identifies the series in the legend.

Add a Chart Title and Customize Its Position

Click the Chart Control Titles property’s ellipsis button to invoke the title collection editor. Use the Add button to create new title and add it to the chart.

Set the TitleBase.HorizontalAlignment property to Center.

Define TitleBase.Content to Sales by Regions. Click OK.

Configure the Crosshair Cursor’s Options

To customize crosshair options, click the ChartControl.CrosshairOptions property’s New button to create a CrosshairOptions instance.

Enable the following properties:

• CrosshairOptions.ShowArgumentLabels

• CrosshairOptions.ShowValueLabels

• CrosshairOptionsBase.ShowValueLine

Set XYSeries2D.CrosshairLabelPattern to ${V:f2}M.

Results

Run the project to see the results.

The resulting code looks as follows:

Markup

XAML

<Window
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" 
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml" 
    xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008" 
    xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006" 
    xmlns:local="clr-namespace:Lesson1BindChartToData" 
    xmlns:dxc="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/charts"
    xmlns:dx="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/core" 
    x:Class="Lesson1BindChartToData.MainWindow"
    mc:Ignorable="d" Title="MainWindow" Height="400" Width="650">
    <Window.DataContext>
        <local:MainWindowViewModel/>
    </Window.DataContext>
    <Grid>
        <dxc:ChartControl DataSource="{Binding Data}">
            <dxc:ChartControl.CrosshairOptions>
                <dxc:CrosshairOptions ShowArgumentLabels="True" 
                                      ShowValueLabels="True" 
                                      ShowValueLine="True"/>
            </dxc:ChartControl.CrosshairOptions>
            <dxc:ChartControl.Titles>
                <dxc:Title Content="Sales by Regions" 
                           HorizontalAlignment="Center"/>
            </dxc:ChartControl.Titles>
            <dxc:ChartControl.Legends>
                <dxc:Legend/>
            </dxc:ChartControl.Legends>
            <dxc:XYDiagram2D>
                <dxc:BarSideBySideSeries2D DisplayName="Annual Statistics" 
                                           ArgumentDataMember="Argument" 
                                           ValueDataMember="Value" 
                                           CrosshairLabelPattern="${V:f2}M"/>
            </dxc:XYDiagram2D>
        </dxc:ChartControl>
    </Grid>
</Window>

Code-Behind

C#

using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
using System.Windows;
namespace Lesson1BindChartToData {
    /// <summary>
    /// Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml
    /// </summary>
    public partial class MainWindow : Window {
        public MainWindow() {
            InitializeComponent();
        }
    }
    public class MainWindowViewModel {
        public ObservableCollection<DataPoint> Data { get; private set; }
        public MainWindowViewModel() {
            this.Data = DataPoint.GetDataPoints();
        }
    }
    public class DataPoint {
        public string Argument { get; set; }
        public double Value { get; set; }
        public static ObservableCollection<DataPoint> GetDataPoints() {
            return new ObservableCollection<DataPoint> {
                    new DataPoint { Argument = "Asia", Value = 5.289D},
                    new DataPoint { Argument = "Australia", Value = 2.2727D},
                    new DataPoint { Argument = "Europe", Value = 3.7257D},
                    new DataPoint { Argument = "North America", Value = 4.1825D},
                    new DataPoint { Argument = "South America", Value = 2.1172D}
                   };
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports System.Collections.ObjectModel
Imports System.Windows
Namespace Lesson1BindChartToData
    ''' <summary>
    ''' Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml
    ''' </summary>
    Partial Public Class MainWindow
        Inherits Window

        Public Sub New()
            InitializeComponent()
        End Sub
    End Class
    Public Class MainWindowViewModel
        Private privateData As ObservableCollection(Of DataPoint)
        Public Property Data() As ObservableCollection(Of DataPoint)
            Get
                Return privateData
            End Get
            Private Set(ByVal value As ObservableCollection(Of DataPoint))
                privateData = value
            End Set
        End Property
        Public Sub New()
            Me.Data = DataPoint.GetDataPoints()
        End Sub
    End Class
    Public Class DataPoint
        Public Property Argument() As String
        Public Property Value() As Double
        Public Shared Function GetDataPoints() As ObservableCollection(Of DataPoint)
            Return New ObservableCollection(Of DataPoint) From {
                New DataPoint With {
                    .Argument = "Asia",
                    .Value = 5.289R
                },
                New DataPoint With {
                    .Argument = "Australia",
                    .Value = 2.2727R
                },
                New DataPoint With {
                    .Argument = "Europe",
                    .Value = 3.7257R
                },
                New DataPoint With {
                    .Argument = "North America",
                    .Value = 4.1825R
                },
                New DataPoint With {
                    .Argument = "South America",
                    .Value = 2.1172R
                }
            }
        End Function
    End Class
End Namespace