.net controls advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter John
  • Start date Start date
J

John

Hi

I am contemplating purchasing either Infragistics or DV Express .net
controls. I need advise on which one is better if any. I need the usual
controls that both offer i.e. grid, tab, explorer bars etc.

Many Thanks

Regards
 
DevExpress is a great set of controls... we have been using them for 2 years
now and they make life so much easier
 
My experience with 3rd party components ( >10 years) - don't use them.
Sooner or later they won't work and you will have to wait a year or two
for a fix.

Write youself.

MH
 
I have used Infragistics Netadvantage for Windows form and is pretty
satisfied with it.
 
Hi John,

I have been using the DevExpress controls for a while now (5 years+), starting with the ActiveX controls they still provide, and using the .NET controls for WinForms today. I know what one can do with them, and it isbringing what a developper needs, even in complex situations.
I use mainly the Grid, Tree, LookUp (multi column Combo-box), Image combo, color combo (nicely arranged colors, by the way), DateCombo with Vista look with a clock + zooming effects also under XP (first ever DateCombo that worked the way I needed it, and yes, the Sheridan DateCombo couldn't handle it (ActiveX version at that time), and I have tried 5 or 6 different one without being happy with them), using these controls directly in Forms or embeded in Grids/Trees for direct edition (exactly these same controls embedded in their Grid, not fake and limited subset copies)..

I also used the Infragistics/Sheridan controls in the past, and I remember replacing them with the DevExpress controls with ease and benefit forthe end-user. The DevExpress controls are more flexible.

When I look at the Infragistics-site (by the way, I can't render every page of their site with Opera, I need to switch to IE7 there), the .NET editors still look like the old activeX controls:
http://www.infragistics.com/dotnet/netadvantage/winforms/wineditorsgallery.aspx

The DevExpress controls can work with each other well. For example, the editors are used in the grid/tree (exactly the same controls). Their look is clean and nice. They support look and feel.
http://www.devexpress.com/Products/NET/WinForms/XtraGrid/
http://www.devexpress.com/Products/NET/WinForms/XtraEditors/

DevExpress has some unique feature/components:

If you do WinForms:
- Layout Control (end-users have the ability to rearrange every control dynamically on the Form and persist their size/position/tab for the nexttime).
- Visual inheritance (even MS controls do not support it well, http://cs..rthand.com/blogs/blog_with_righthand/archive/2005/12/01/224.aspx).
- An ORM framework called XPO (Object relational mapping) that handles DBs dynamically (MSSQL, Oracle, AS400, etc.) without writing SQLs, manipulating objects directly, replacing DataSets and DataTables with your ownobjects, giving you full access to the power of OO and by the way far bether than MS Link for SQL that will come in .NET 3.5.
- CodeRush, Refactor Pro: Visual Studio Productivity Tools (a light version of it is included in VS2005 directly).
- There is one unique super control for printing/reporting that comes with DevExpress (no more Crystal Reports !!!).
- etc. (Charting, Printing, Ribbon, Scheduler, Navbar, FontEditor, SpellChecker, ...).

If you do Web development, you will want their new ASPxGridView, the fastest grid on the market, check it out in the demo for yourself.
http://demos.devexpress.com/ASPxGridViewDemos/DataBinding/XPOLargeDB.aspx?Section=1

So if you are thinking of buying components, give a try to the DevExpress ones (free trial + 60 days money back guarantee).

DevExpress provides help through:
- directly in their web site, with support questions or Knowledge base search engine,
- peer to peer user forums (very active, hard to follow it all)
- web or local help integrated in VS.
- blog posts from the DevExpress team, rss feeds.

Regards
 
My experience with 3rd party components ( >10 years) - don't use them.
Sooner or later they won't work and you will have to wait a year or two
for a fix.

Write youself.
Click to expand...

It's a no-win situation. I distrust 3rd-party controls with a passion and
will only use them if absolutely necessary (which for me is almost never).
However, I trusted MSFT's "DataGridView" and now more than a year later I'm
sorry I did. While it has great potential it's still not ready for serious
prime-time use IMO (too many problems including very serious performance
issues). Had I trusted a 3rd-party control however I would likely have had
even more problems (now or later). I also don't have the time (list most) to
spend an inordinate amount of time rolling my own. It's 2007 and something
is still serious wrong with the software industry (after a generation
working in the field)
 
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