DevExpress WinForms extension kit

A small library to solve some troubles, which I met during my work with DevExpress.

List of components

Forms

• XtraFormDev, XtraUserControlDev. The extensions which supports the update mechanism (Begin/EndUpdate to prevent visual/data changes during updating).

Editors

• CheckedListBoxControlDev. The extension for the standard component supports hotkeys for fast check/uncheck of items: check/uncheck all, invert check state.
• ColorPickEditDev, RepositoryItemColorPickEdit. The extensions for the standard components allows to save custom user colors during the program, so each ColorPickEdit and RepositoryItemColorPickEdit will have the same, actual user colors.
• DateDoubleTrackbarControlDev. The visual component, which allows users to select range of dates: start, end and date between them.

  

• PasswordTextEditDev. The extension for working with passwords, allows user to show/hide input characters.

  

• InputBoxValidableDev. InputBox with possibility of using custom function for user input validation.

  

• GroupControlCheckedDev. GroupControl with checkbox in header, allows user to disable/enable all controls in the GroupControl.

  

• MatrixGridControl and MdiManagerHelper. Use together to provide users the ability to conveniently and quickly arrange MDI forms;

• LookUpDev, RepositoryItemLookUpDev. The extensions for the standard component which supports:
  1. Show hints for each element in an editor;
  2. Draw splitter between elements (for example, to realize LRU spiltting). Just add interface to your DataSource item:

  internal struct MusicStyleDataItem : ILookUpSplitableItem

  

  

• TreeListDev, TreeListSearchable. The extensions for the standard component which supports:
  1. Hotkes for fast check/uncheck, collapse/expand nodes;
  2. Correct bounds for nodes without stateImage;
  3. Set up correct checkState for TreeList with multiselection option;
  4. Set up correct checkState for children/parent nodes according to their parent/children checkStates;
  5. Optional filtration panel on top.

     

• GridView/BandedGridView extensions:
  1. Allows merging a Column and a Band header panel;

  new GridPainterDev(bandedGridViewDev);  // Init merger
  GridPainterDev.DisposePainter(bandedGridViewDev);  // Dispose merger

  2. Improvement of 'BestFitColumns' to use width of band's title, not only columns;
  3. Improvements to work with merged cells: correct odd/even color, applying user changes to merged cells;
  4. Correct multiple checked changes for 'bool' columns with multiple selected rows;
  5. Cache for FormatRules, in case of DataSource changing;
  6. Auto-drawing histogram in a cell - just add keyword to a column Tag add set array of numbers in a grid cell;

  colHistogram.Tag = GridHelper.IsHistogramColumn;

  7. Provides fast way to fill a DataTable structure based on the GridView structure;
  8. Custom user column header colorizing.

     

     

  9. Export full GridView table as an image ('GetAsImage'). DevExpress allows to export as an image only visible part of GridView, this method helps to export it all;
  10. Hotkeys for collapsing/expanding groupped rows, copy to clipboard with/without column headers, fast remove/clear selected rows;
  11. Custom group footer height.

      

ProgressManager

Easy way to attach a ProgressBar to any XtraUserControl for long operations with user cancellation.

          var handler = ProgressManager.InitMarquee(this);

          //// Perform long business logic
          new Task(() =>
          {
              while (true)
              {
                  if (handler.Token.IsCancellationRequested)
                  {
                      //// Rollback logic
                      handler.Drop();
                      break;
                  }
              }
          }).Start();

Extensions

• BaseEditExtension. Contains method 'IsValueEmpty' which allows validating input data of each BaseEdit control for emptiness. If necessary, set up the background color of the control to warning color.
• DateEditExtension. Contains method 'UpdateView' for DateEdit and RepositoryItemDateEdit to initialize the view of the control according to the datetime interval type.
• TreeListNodeExtension. Contains methods for correct processing of CheckState and Filtering for situations, when checkstate of the parent node depends on children and vice versa.
• ChartControlExtension:
  1. Contains method 'ColorizeSameColoredSeries', allowing to auto-change a hue for series with the same color;
  2. Contains lasso processor which provides functionality to select/deselect points in Point Series with lasso tool. Uses hotkeys: ctrl+mouse - to select, shift+mouse - to deselect, double click to clear selection.

  

• PropertyGridControlExtension. Contains method 'UpdateFieldsOrderByDisplayOrder' to sort created rows after 'RetrieveFields' based on a System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.Order field (was fixed in v22 DevExpress).

    /// <summary>
    /// Base row info for a PropertyGridControl demo
    /// </summary>
    public class BaseRowInfo
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Price
        /// </summary>
        [Category("Level"), Display(Name = "Price", Order = 0)]
        public decimal Price { get; set; }
    }
  
    /// <summary>
    /// Extended row info for a PropertyGridControl demo
    /// </summary>
    public sealed class ExtendedRowInfo :BaseRowInfo
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Is level usable
        /// </summary>
        [Category("Level"), Display(Name = "Use level", Order = 3)]
        public bool Use { get; set; }
    }

• EnumExtension. Useful methods to work with enums:
  1. Allows to get caption/enum-value by DescriptionAttribute;
  2. Fill different DevExpress editors with enum values.

    public enum TestEnum
    {
        [Description("Show angles on the map")]
        Angles,
  
        [Description("Show axis on the graph")]
        Axis
    }
    
    var caption = TestEnum.Angles.GetCaption();

Utils

• SkinHelper. Utils to work with colors considering the App Theme, get skin preview image.

  

• SolidBrushesCache. LRU cache for solid brushes.

    SolidBrushesCache.GetBrushByColor(ForeColor)

• RegexMaskHelper. Common regex patterns to use as a Mask in editors/repositories.
• XtraUserControlHelper. Allows to show a XtraUserControl in popup window with float/dialog-box modes.

    using (var control = new CalcProgressControl())
    {
    	XtraUserControlHelper.ShowControl(this, control, "Calculator", isSizable: true);
    }

• MDITabsDragHelper. Allows to switch between MDI tabs during standard .NET drag'n'drop operation.

    _mdiTabsDragHelper = new MDITabsDragHelper(documentManager);
    _mdiTabsDragHelper.SelectNewPageOnDrag = true;

• NaturalStringComparer. Allows to do natural comparing/sort. DevExpress has it's own NaturalComparer, however it's not work for my case, such strings: 'S_505' and 'S_0505' will equal in DevExpress. But it shouldn't be.
• FormHelper. Give an opportunity to find, get and focus on a specific form with a specific title and tag. It is often used when you need to show a modal window only once.
• ControlScreenshotCapture. Class, which allows to capture screenshot from each sub-control/XtraTabPage/MDI form. On the screenshot a user selected the DateDoubleTrackbarControlDev component on the form and got image of it.