Blazor — Year-End Roadmap (v23.2)

This post details upcoming features/capabilities we expect to introduce in our next major update (v23.2 - December 2023). As always, your feedback will help us shape future development directions. If you have questions or suggestions, feel free to submit your thoughts in the survey at the end of this post or submit a ticket via the DevExpress Support Center. 

.NET 8 Support

DevExpress Blazor UI components already support the latest preview of .NET 8. Once .NET 8 is released to manufacturing, we'll update our Blazor libraries and officially release .NET 8 support.

Accessibility and WCAG Support

We understand the importance of accessibility, and that's why we're allocating significant resources to improve Grid, Data Editors, Layout & Navigation component accessibility features. Expect a wide range of fixes and enhancements to improve accessibility for your next DevExpress powered Blazor app. 

Bootstrap v5.3 and Dark Mode Support

While the majority of DevExpress Blazor controls don't rely on Bootstrap any longer, they can still use colors and other variables from Bootstrap-based themes. In v23.2, we expect to integrate DevExpress Blazor components with Bootstrap v5.3 - while also embracing the newly introduced Dark Mode.

Adaptivity Enhancements

Our adaptivity engine is getting a major overhaul. Instead of checking for touch devices, we will now assess various device and browser settings, leading to a more stable adaptive mechanism. This means that DevExpress Blazor mobile-based interfaces will no longer appear on systems with touch monitors and a mouse. We are rolling out these enhancements for the following components:

• Grid (Column Chooser window);
• Date Edit (the calendar);
• Popup;
• Menu (the hamburger menu);
• Toolbar (submenus).

Grid

Hierarchical Filter Menu

We're adding a hierarchical filter menu for DateTime columns in our Blazor Grid. This feature will simplify record filter operations within specific date ranges (and of course, streamline the user experience of your Blazor app).

Column Best Fit

To help improve data presentation and information clarity, DevExpress Blazor Grid columns will automatically modify width to fit actual content. You can trigger this functionality via the Grid's API (using BestFitColumn/BestFitColumns methods) or with a simple double-click on the column delimiter/seperator. You will also be able to automatically calculate column width when the Grid is displayed for the first time.

Toolbar / Header Template

With our next major update you will be able to add a toolbar with your own commands (or any custom content) to our Blazor Grid's header region.

DevExtremeDataSource and CustomDataSource - Caching Support

When bound to remote data with DevExtremeDataSource or CustomDataSource, our Blazor Grid will cache records retrieved from the server. This will improve usability and fewer requests sent to the server, especially in Virtual Scrolling mode.

Virtual Scrolling Enhancements

Virtual Scrolling mode, initially released as CTP in v23.1, will go RTM in v23.2. We've listened to your feedback and are implementing additional fixes and optimizations, especially for scenarios where the Grid displays large amounts of data (100,000+ records).

Shortcuts and Keyboard Support Enhancements

We've read your feedback  and are working on fixes and enhancements for our keyboard support in the Blazor Grid. Our goal is to expand keyboard interactions across various usage scenarios and introduce a wider range of keyboard shortcuts for common Grid-related actions.

API Enhancements

We expect to implement new APIs for key customization scenarios:

• Header alignment customization;
• Group and total summary prefix customization;
• The ability to disable column movement (for all/specific columns).

Data Editors

Calendar — Keyboard Support

The DevExpress Blazor Calendar will support keyboard navigation and selection via the keyboard within its cells.

Navigation

Toolbar, Menu & Context Menu — Focus & Keyboard Support

Our Blazor Toolbar, Menu, and Context Menu components will be fully accessible with the keyboard. They will support keyboard navigation within items, menus, and sub-menus, and will highlight the current (focused) item.

Toolbar — Adaptivity Enhancements

We are rewriting the adaptivity engine for our Blazor Toolbar to ensure items hide or minimize consistently, eliminating any inconsistencies or unexpected behavior.

Rich Text Editor

Non-Windows OS Support

Our Rich Text Editor will use the DevExpress Drawing graphics library instead of System.Drawing.Common internally. This will enable Blazor Server, WebAssembly, and Hybrid apps to run on non-Windows machines (Linux, Mac, Android, iOS, and other Unix-based systems) where the System.Drawing.Common library is not supported. If you’re unfamiliar with this topic/issue, please refer to the following post: DevExpress Cross-Platform Products — Getting Ready for .NET 7.

Reporting

Report Designer — Print Preview Support for Blazor WebAssembly

To finalize the Blazor WebAssembly support for DevExpress Reports, we will re-organize the internal implementation of our JS-based Blazor Web Report Designer to enable end-users to display a report’s print preview and immediately view change results applied to a report in the designer.

Report Designer — Property Descriptions

In v23.2, properties selected in the Report Designer will display a brief description of associated functionality. As a result of this user experience enhancement, end-users will gain a better understanding of property behavior and understand how property values impact report creation.

Report Designer — Report Control Smart Tags and Context Menus

We will reimagine the properties panel UI for the DevExpress Web Report Designer.

We'll move contextual actions displayed at the top of the properties panel (i.e., insertion of bands, table modifications, layout rearrangement, etc.) to context menus.

We'll move the Tasks section to smart tags/popup toolbars like the one displayed for a report’s Rich Text control:

EPC QR Code (SEPA Credit Transfer Scheme)

We plan to extend barcode generation support in reports and allow you to create EPC QR Codes. The EPC QR Code (SEPA Credit Transfer) is a secure and efficient payment method that simplifies electronic fund transfers within the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). It utilizes a Quick Response (QR) code format to encode payment information, such as the beneficiary account details, payment amount, and the purpose of the transaction. This enables users to easily initiate and process SEPA credit transfers by scanning the QR code with a compatible mobile banking app or device.

Enhanced Tagged (Accessible) PDF Export

We have listened to your valuable feedback and planned improvements to our PDF/A export feature. Based on feedback, we understand that it is essential not just to validate PDF files for compliance with accessibility standards but also to ensure the creation of PDF files with the most accurate logical structure (helpful for screen readers). In our next update, we will research ways to tag the following elements in generated  PDF files:

• Tables and column headers;
• Text headings (h1, h2, etc);
• Alt-text for pictures.

Enhanced Watermark Capabilities

Extended watermark capabilities will allow you to assign different text/image watermarks to different report pages while creating reports in Report Designer.

Drill-Through Reports

This interactive enhancement will allow end-users to navigate to detail reports by clicking on report items within our Report Viewers. In addition, we will allow users to switch back to master reports through a built-in panel with breadcrumbs.

To set up navigation and specify values passed to detail reports, you will need to utilize the new Actions property at the report control level.

Additional Features: A Sneak Peek into the Future

While our roadmap showcases the key features we expect to deliver in v23.2, we're also researching other possibilities. Some of these capabilities may or may not make it to the final release. Some of these features include: 

• Grid — Cell (Batch) Editing mode;
• Grid — Grouping support for DevExtremeDataSource and CustomDataSource;
• Grid — Additional built-in UI to select DateTime and numeric ranges in the Filter Menu;
• Grid — Additional API enhancements;
• ListBox — New UI and data engine
• Charts — Performance & API enhancements;
• Pivot Grid — Visual enhancements and new features;
• Reduced deployment size for Blazor WebAssembly apps.

Please remember that these items are still in early development stages, and some may be delayed or subject to change before v23.2 is released. Nevertheless, we've listed them here to keep you in the loop and gather your valuable feedback.

Share Your Thoughts with Us

We can't wait to bring these exciting enhancements to life, and we look forward to creating an even better experience for our user community. Your feedback is crucial so please take a moment to share your thoughts on upcoming Blazor features using the form below. We look forward to hearing from you!

What's New in v23.1

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