2008
Mar15

Coming back on the scene

I know, VisualHint’s blog has been quiet for some time now, simply because internal activity has increased and the next version of SPG and SFPE are in the starting blocks. In the next days/weeks, you will see again that a lot is actually happening under the hood. Here are the next events at VisualHint: SPG 3.0, which is already available as a preview for customers, will be published as a public beta as soon as I have updated the documentation. Here is a (resized) screenshot of the revamped [...]

2007
Nov03

Another SPG tour de force

Did you know that the Microsoft PropertyGrid is not able to let the user set a common value for collections coming from multiple target instances? Take a list or an array, this is the same story. The CollectionEditor will popup, you will alter the displayed collection and when you hit OK, nothing happens. Well, up to last week, this was the same in SPG. But with the new build, you can now edit collections when you target multiple instances with SelectedObjects. Here is a screencast to see it [...]

2007
Oct27

Smart PropertyGrid.Net 2.5 RC1 is available

When I decided to fix the behavior of the grid regarding multiple target instances, I though it would be difficult and that after a lot of efforts it would produce a release perceived as minor (something that should be version 2.2.6) because this feature should have worked from the beginning or at least from version 2.0. So I gathered my courage and began investigating. I still learned a lot during the process and I realized that I could do better than what the Microsoft PropertyGrid does when [...]

2007
Oct24

Trackbars for any numerical value in Smart PropertyGrid

This was a long time requested feature: being able to attach a trackbar feel to any type of numerical value. As a last minute surprise in SPG 2.5 (which is in beta), I implemented it for integers, floats, doubles and decimals (it’s ready for more but let’s see what you actually need in the future). The feel still needs a PropertyValidator attached to it so that it can have the minimum and maximum values. There is also a new attribute (TrackBarSettings) to set the Resolution (new notion for [...]

2007
Oct23

How to filter out base classes properties from the PropertyGrid

I like to post some howtos or tips when the initial concern comes from a customer or visitor. One of them in the forums asked if it was possible to filter out properties while using SelectedObject and even if all properties from ancestor classes could be removed automatically. Well, yes, it’s feasible in Smart PropertyGrid. This is very quick. Here is how: Let's say you have a class MyControl derived from the Control class. You must first add a handler for the PropertyPreFilterOut event or [...]

2007
Oct16

Two screencasts to showcase the great support of SelectedObjects

The support for SelectedObjects in version 2.5 of Smart PropertyGrid.Net has been totally reworked. Previously it was rather limited, so I wanted to bring it equal to the Microsoft PropertyGrid and finally it appears it is now far better. It is now possible to select several target instances and to see and edit any common properties even for immutable properties, the ones whose TypeConverter returns true for CreateInstanceSupported(). Add the existing power of SPG, like the numerous editors, [...]

2007
Oct04

The best way to attach a unit to a numerical value in the PropertyGrid

When you expect your end-user to enter a numerical value in a given unit, you usually want to make this information available near the editor. Entering a value in millimeter or centimeter makes a difference and it is mandatory to clear the ambiguity. In the Microsoft PropertyGrid or in SPG, it could be done like this: Write this information in the comments area at the bottom of the grid. But what if you don't want to display this area? Put it in the property label: "Frequency (in Hz)". Not very [...]

2007
Sep12

Two values in a single DateTimePicker

To set two different dates in an application, e.g. a starting time and an ending time, you need two labels and two editors (as far as times are concerned) as showcased in this Outlook screenshot: SFPE can reduce the space used inside a single editor and the result would look something like this: Here is how it's done: SFPE defines a new DateTimePicker class. But we won't use this one here. It is a convenient class that mimics the API of the Microsoft DateTimePicker so that you get all the [...]

2007
Sep04

Smart FieldPackEditor.Net prices explained

SFPE.Net is due out very soon, so I'm just giving the final touches like preparing the web site, building installation packages and creating license files. I have also finalized the price plan and I wanted to share with you why it looks like this: I want to emphasize several important points: Some of you will want to replace the old MS DateTimePicker and that's it. The option starting at 49$ is for you. It is very affordable and not too low (some people think that too low means "no value"). At [...]

2007
Aug22

Performance hit under Vista ... solved!

Some customers reported the following problem under Windows Vista: when positionning the mouse over the PropertyGrid, the cpu was raising at 100% and as a consequence the grid was experiencing redrawing problems when expanding nodes, checking radiobuttons, etc. I worked this week on this issue and discovered the culprit: VisualTips. This wonderful component from Skybound was indirectly sending a ton of MouseMove events to the grid (and to any control on the form). The cause of this behaviour [...]