This post gives you a sneak peek into some of the upcoming features slated for our next major update (v23.2). We invite you to explore these features and share your valuable feedback via the survey below or in the Support Center.
Before I begin — a quick reminder: If you are an active Universal or DXperience subscriber and want to review/test upcoming v23.2-related features before official release, please download our Early Access Preview build via the DevExpress Download Manager.
Early Access and CTP builds are provided solely for early testing purposes and are not ready for production use. This build can be installed side by side with other major versions of DevExpress products. Please backup your project and other important data before installing Early Access and CTP builds.
This EAP does not include all features/products we expect to ship in our v23.2 release cycle. As its name implies, the EAP offers an early preview of what we expect to ship in two months.
Accessibility Enhancements
Our Early Access Preview introduces a series of accessibility-focused enhancements across various Data Editor components and the TreeView:
- We've added alternative text descriptions to all elements.
- Corrected element structures for better compatibility with screen readers.
- Introduced WAI-ARIA attributes and roles where needed.
Bootstrap v5.3 and Dark Mode Support
Those who rely on Bootstrap colors in their Blazor applications can now upgrade their apps to Bootstrap version 5.3. Additionally, our DevExpress Blazor components used with Bootstrap themes now seamlessly integrate with the Dark Mode feature introduced in this Bootstrap release.
To try this feature, access the locally installed Blazor demos and select "Default Dark" in the theme picker.
You can also enable Dark Mode in your apps using the data-bs-theme attribute:
<html lang="en" data-bs-theme="dark">
Adaptivity Enhancements
Our adaptivity engine has received substantial upgrades. It now assesses various device and browser settings to determine when to display mobile-friendly user interfaces. This ensures a smoother experience, preventing mobile UI from appearing on systems equipped with touch monitors and a mouse. These enhancements extend to the following DevExpress Blazor components:
- Grid (Column Chooser window)
- Date Edit (the calendar)
- Popup
- Menu (the hamburger menu)
- Toolbar (submenus)
Grid
We introduced hierarchical filter menu support for DateTime columns. This new menu can group all unique dates within a column by months and years to simplify filter operations and enhance the user experience of your Blazor app.
To try this feature, access the locally installed Blazor demos and proceed to Grid → Filter Data → Column Filter Menu.
DevExtremeDataSource — Grouping Support
Our DevExpress Blazor Grid now offers grouping support when connected to remote data using DevExtremeDataSource. The Grid can request information about groups from the server without loading all records. Also, while this feature is not included in this Early Access Preview, we are actively developing the capability for server-side calculation of group summaries (totals) in the Grid.
To try this feature, download a sample project here.
Cell Editing Survey
Although Cell Editing is not a part of this Early Access Preview, we're actively developing this feature for release as a CTP in v23.2. With Cell Editing, you'll have the ability to edit cells seamlessly and post changes without explicitly pressing the Edit and Save buttons. You can also navigate between cells and rows and edit them using the keyboard. DxGrid will save changes on a per-row basis using the existing API (see EditModelSaving).
This image demonstrates a work-in-progress prototype. The final implementation may differ.
Please participate in our survey below to share your preferences and help shape this feature, including its future enhancements after the initial release.
Charts
We optimized our Charting engine to significantly enhance loading speeds in WebAssembly applications. While beneficial for any WebAssembly app with Charts, these changes are especially impactful when dealing with larger datasets. In such scenarios, Charts will load up to 5 times faster.
Label Font Customization API
You can now customize font settings for labels within DevExpress Blazor Charts, including Axis titles, Axis labels, Series labels, and Constant line labels. The new DxChartFont object offers customizable settings such as color, font family, opacity, size, and weight.
<DxChartSeriesLabel>
<DxChartFont Size="14" Weight="600"/>
</DxChartSeriesLabel>
To try this feature, access the locally installed Blazor demos and proceed to Charts → Customization → Series → Series Label Customization.
Rich Text Editor
Non-Windows OS Support
We successfully transitioned our Blazor Rich Text Editor's engine from System.Drawing.Common to the DevExpress Drawing graphics library. This upgrade enables Blazor Server, WebAssembly, and Hybrid apps to run on non-Windows platforms (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
DevExpress Reports v23.2 will include a number of important features, including EPC QR Code support and enhancements to the Report Viewer and Designer. For more information about these Reporting-related features, please review the following blog post: Reporting — Early Access Preview (v23.2).
Free DevExpress Products - Get Your Copy Today
The following free DevExpress product offers remain available. Should you have any questions about the free offers below, please submit a ticket via the
DevExpress Support Center at your convenience. We'll be happy to follow-up.