WinForms and WPF Tile Navigation Control (Coming Soon in v14.1)

If you’ve ever used Microsoft Dynamics CRM, then you are familiar with its innovative navigation menu and breadcrumbs with 3 levels of hierarchy. In our upcoming major update v14.1 (scheduled for release late May, 2014), you’ll be able to introduce this very UI to your next WinForms and WPF application with ease.

WinForms and WPF TileNav Pane

Designed to be positioned at the top of your application window (like a Ribbon), the TileNavPane can be thought of as a touch-friendly version of traditional navigation elements used within Windows desktop apps. With it, you and your end-users will be able to:

• Navigate the app’s structure much like our Outlook-inspired Navigation Bar.
• Introduce animations within the NavPane using our new Transition Manager Control.
• Quickly determine where the user is within the application’s navigation hierarchy.
• Display and activate a drop down menu with sub nodes for each Tile.
• Fully customize individual Tiles and associated drop down menus (from its height and appearance all the way to group header look and feel).
• Use custom Tile buttons and custom category buttons.
• Manage navigation processes using the SelectedElementChanging event.

TileNav Pane with Custom Buttons

Now, if you like the idea of using the TileNav but don’t require hierarchy levels and/or breadcrumbs, v14.1 will ship with a simplified version called the TileBar.

WinForms and WPF TileBar Control

As its name implies, the TileBar displays a set of tiles within its container and allows you to introduce simple/straightforward navigation experiences to your WinForms and WPF applications. Planned features include the following:

• Display drop downs for each individual Tile.
• Place any control within the Tile’s drop down region.
• Position the TileBar anywhere within your app (Top, Bottom, Left and Right)
• Customize the appearance of individual Tile items.
• Built-in glyph skinning. You provide a monochrome glyph for the Tile and the TileBar will colorize it to a complimentary color.
• Finally, as you might expect, the TileBar will ship with a Visual Studio designer so you can quickly create the user experience most appropriate for your business needs.

Customized TileBar Items

We are working hard to make v14.1 the best ever and over the coming weeks, we’ll share many other new features/products we have planned for our upcoming release.

I look forward to your feedback…let me know what you think of our upcoming TileNav and TileBar Controls.

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