Five of the features most-requested by users of our WPF grid control make their debut in version 3.1 of Xceed DataGrid for WPF Professional Edition. You spoke, and Xceed listened!

Data virtualization greatly improves performance and reduces memory usage, especially when working with large data sources. Because the data virtualization is asynchronous, it means the UI is decoupled from the data source, which keeps the application responsive while data is being retrieved. Furthermore, the data virtualization supports caching, pre-emptive loading, and delayed triggering of events to avoid needless querying during scrolling. Programmers have complete control over the number of records in memory and the size of data blocks.

Excel export has also been added, which lets the datagrid export its content using the XMLSS or CSV format. Groups, detail content, and statistical functions (formulas and values) can all be exported using this new feature.

Furthermore, user settings can now be persisted. This lets the datagrid save then restore settings such as the positions, sizes, and states of columns (whether a column is visible and/or fixed, grouping, sorting), in both master grids and details. The API is extensible, so persisting other aspects is easy for developers.

A new context menu column chooser lets end-users add or remove columns quickly with a simple right-click in certain regions of the datagrid.

Finally, support for UI automation has been added, which enables script-based testing and assistive technology.

Other features have been added to both the Professional and Express Editions. First, clipboard copy support allows content from the grid to be copied to any other supported application, such as Excel, Word, or Notepad. Content can be sent to the clipboard as HTML or CSV. Second, each theme now provides an alternating row style that can be activated through the TableView class. Third, a delete selected rows command has been added, which can remove rows in master grid, in details, or both. Various other minor fixes have also been applied to both editions.

For a complete list of the nearly 150 features of this product, see the Features list on our website. For details on the Express Edition, see the next article.

The Express Edition is the free version of Xceed DataGrid for WPF. Yet it has features that make it a stable, safe choice for developers considering using Microsoft’s free datagrid, or those not ready to commit to the Professional Edition. And it just got even better.

Unlike Microsoft’s basic WPF datagrid, Xceed DataGrid for WPF has a full two-year track record, during which nearly two dozen major and minor upgrades have been released. This translates to a stability that very few if any can claim to. What’s more, with our free WPF grid control, you have a clear, instant upgrade path: if you need more features, that option is just a phone call or a few mouse clicks away. With Microsoft’s datagrid, the only way to get more features is to do the development yourself—and there’s no guarantee the design of their datagrid will easily allow this! Few companies these days have the time and resources to undertake such extensive development and testing, so adding your own features is hardly an option!

When it comes to features, the Express Edition has Microsoft’s offering beat. The Express Edition offers hierarchical grouping, fast performance (load, sort, group, and scroll), more cell editors, data/input validation, rich design-time configuration, support for XML data sources, pixel-perfect themes, and more!

What this means for a developer is this: choosing our free WPF grid control is a smart choice.

As mentioned above, various new features have been added to both the Professional Edition and the Express Edition, namely: clipboard copy support, which allows content from the grid to be copied to any other supported application, such as Excel, Word, or Notepad, using the HTML or CSV format; alternating row styles in each theme that can be activated through the TableView class; and a delete selected rows command, which can remove rows in the master grid, in details, or in both.

Version 3.1 of the Express Edition also features some of the most recent performance enhancements that the Professional Edition has enjoyed. This is significant, as it means that developers have at their disposal a WPF datagrid capable of handling millions of rows and thousands of columns, for free!

What’s more, the new version of the Express Edition now has several features previously only available in the Professional Edition. This includes column virtualization, which means that columns and cells are only created when they are brought into the viewport or accessed; column auto sizing, and column widths supporting star values, which uses a weighted proportion of the grid’s available width; IDataErrorInfo support, which provides business-object level validation; support for XML data sources; programmatic control of fixed columns; and the ability to insert records into non-IBindingList sources.

Our products based on Xceed FileSystem Core are scheduled to be updated with important reliability and security improvements to their FTP capabilities in late February or in March.

Furthermore, Xceed Upload for Silverlight is being updated to version 1.1. This version supports uploading very large files using the chunking capabilities of the HTTP 1.1 protocol. Any HTTP 1.1 compliant Web server will consequently accept these uploads.

These products are available for individual purchase or as part of Xceed Data Manipulation Suite, which contains 16 meticulously designed and tested components, including the Xceed Zip for .NET and Xceed FTP for .NET, as well as some recently added new products. This package provides over $5500 worth of the highest-quality libraries for only $649.95!

Xceed is a stable yet growing company that is often first to embrace and release products for the latest Microsoft development technologies. If you like to work with the newest technologies, and appreciate a stimulating and fun environment, we want to hear from you! Take a look at our new Careers page for complete details.

The positions we are currently looking to fill as of January 2009 are as follows:

• .NET Software Designer
• .NET Software Designer – Technical Support
• Technical Designer
• Release Manager
• Graphic Designer