Version 2009 vol 2
New HTTP Handler for Resources
Instead of the standard HTTP Resource handler provided by ASP.NET to acquire resources from the server, we've implemented our own handler which allows us to significantly increase performance. The DevExpress handler allows transmission of compressed scripts, images and CSS files, which makes round-trips to the server much faster. It also reduces code size by providing shorter links to resources.
Another performance advantage is the result of smarter script transmission to the client side. Previously, all scripts required by a particular assembly were joined in a single batch and were always sent to the client, even when some parts were not required. With this new HTTP Handler, our controls can analyze which scripts are actually needed, join those scripts dynamically into a single batch and then send them to the client.
ASP.NET Theme Assembly
DevExpress ASP.NET Controls now provide a DLL file with themes – making our controls easier to deploy since you no longer need to deal with multiple CSS files and images in a hierarchical folder structure...The new DevExpress HTTP Handler obtains all required resources from the DLL.
Support for IE8 Standard Mode
All our ASP.NET controls are now correctly rendered in Internet Explorer 8 (standard mode).
Full Table Support
ASPxHtmlEditor now provides a complete UI for table management. All commands related to table generation/customization can either be placed into a separate toolbar or into a dropdown menu, as demonstrated in the following screenshot.
As you can see, the command list includes structure-related commands like splitting/merging cells and commands used to add/delete elements. There are also a number of items allowing you to customize table element styles. All these items invoke user-friendly designer dialogs.
Custom Processing on the Server Side
Our HTML Editor control now provides a client function allowing you to initiate a callback so that you can provide server side processing by handling a specially designed event.
Version 2008 vol 3
ASP.NET Controls for SharePoint
During the DXperience v2008 vol 3 development cycle, our ASP.NET team invested the resources necessary to enable our controls within SharePoint portals (built with both Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Services 2007). With this release, ALL DevExpress ASP.NET Controls can be integrated into SharePoint pages.
For details on embedding DevExpress ASP.NET AJAX Controls into SharePoint pages, please refer to the following Knowledge Base articles:
Codeless Integration for ASP.NET Grid and HTML Editor
Additionally, we provide SharePoint add-ons allowing codeless integration of our ASP.NET Grid View and HTML Editor controls.
After registration, you can simply navigate to Site Settings to enable DevExpress features and then embed these controls where necessary.
The following codeless integration scenarios are now possible:
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Display SharePoint list data using the ASPxGridView Web Part. (Screenshot)
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Embed an HTML editor into any page as a standalone web part. (Screenshot)
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Use HTML editors to edit data column values in SharePoint lists. (Screenshot)
- In MOSS 2007, use HTML editors to edit text fields.
Section 508 and Web Accessiblity Initiative (WAI) Support
To enable accessibility, ASP.NET controls must obviously generate more code. For instance, many elements must include links simply to allow keyboard navigation. Because of this additional HTML code, accessibility rendering is disabled by default in advanced controls like the ASPxGridView. If you don't need accessibility support in your application, you will still have optimized rendering. If you need Section 508 and WAI compliance, simply toggle a single property to enable it.
Blogs: Section 508: Enable Support In ALL DevExpress ASP.NET Controls,
"Section 508 Compliant" Renamed "Accessibility Compliant"
Better Localization Support
We now provide an easier way to localize all built-in dialogs in the HTML Editor, spell checker and all other controls. You need only to write a few lines of code to translate your application's UI into the desired language.
Faster Page Loading
We've combined a series of smaller scripts into larger files so that fewer requests are made to the server, resulting in faster page loading.
Pasting from Microsoft Word
As we all know, the HTML output produced by Microsoft Word is pretty lengthy. It contains lots of attributes that aren't really required to produce the same document view. When you needed to copy text from Microsoft Word to the ASPxHTML Editor, all those unnecessary attributes were copied.
With this release, our HTML Editor control allows you to automatically eliminate these extra attributes and obtain cleaner and more compact HTML code.
Print HTML Editor Content
Printing the contents of the ASPxHTML Editor is now a piece of cake – just a single click for your end users.
Version 2008 vol 2
Useful Classes for Client-Side Scripting
We've published a new ASPxClientUtils class allowing you to easily perform typical client-side actions, including the following:
- Determine web browser type
- Work with arrays
- Access an object's parent or child object
- Obtain event parameters
Easily Transmit Data onto the Client
All DevExpress AJAX-enabled controls allow you to use callbacks to easily exchange data with the web server. Controls expose a JSProperties property, which allows you to declare custom properties for the client control. You can specify these property values on the server and then access them on the client...as you would with built-in properties.
Enabling/Disabling Controls and Control Elements on the Client Side
Previously, enabling or disabling a control or a particular control element required a round trip to the server. In v2008 vol 2 the ASPxEditors and ASPxperience Libraries allow you to change their enabled state or the state of their elements (e.g., tabs and menu items) on the client side, to reduce the number of round trips and increase web site responsiveness.
Distinguishing Between Callbacks and Postbacks
A new server-side IsCallback property has been added to our web controls. This property enables you to determine whether a control is taking part in callback processing.
Native Rendering for Data Editors
Some controls from the ASPxEditors Library (ASPxTextBox, ASPxMemo, ASPxListBox, ASPxComboBox and ASPxButton) can now be rendered as HTML INPUT elements. This allows you to enable native rendering for these elements to provide a Windows® style UI across your web site.
Note that native rendering results in less HTML code thus improving the application's overall performance.
Integrated Spell Checker
We've integrated the ASPxSpellChecker control into the ASPxHTML Editor and thus enabled spelling validation in the editor's Design View. To check spelling, end-users can now simply press a built-in toolbar button.
Predefined Styles for Text Formatting
Previously, every toolbar button performed a very basic formatting operation – for instance, applying bold or italic formatting, changing background color, etc. Now you can create buttons that change multiple style attributes at once. This is extremely useful if end-users need to highlight multiple text fragments using the same style settings.
To enable this functionality, all you need is to create a custom CSS style and expose it via a toolbar's specially designed dropdown editor.
Responding to Focus Changes via Client-side Events
Newly implemented client-side events allow you to respond to focus received or lost by the editor's Design View. For instance, this enables you to implement client-side user input validation when an end-user tries to leave the editor.
Complete XHTML compliance
With this release, HTML code entered into the editor's HTML View can be automatically validated and transformed into the XHTML 1.0 Transitional compliant markup. As a result, the editor's content is always kept safe, since the editor removes all potentially harmful code - unknown tags and attributes, script elements, client-side event handlers and URLs with script content. Automatic validation also helps to keep HTML code validity by correcting invalid tag hierarchies and changing invalid attribute values.
The editor exposes several options allowing you to control which automatic transformations are required. You can also update HTML code manually by handling an appropriate event.