NetAdvantage for Web Client 2009.1 – What’s coming in ASP.NET?

We are about 2 weeks away from the RTM of NetAdvantage for Web Client 2009.1, so I wanted to give you all an update on what to expect when we ship!

We are shipping 4 newly designed controls, a JavaScript framework, performance enhancements & WebDataGrid column moving behavior.

No… I am not talking about our 2009 road map … this is all in the April 6th release of Web Client.  If you think that sounds exciting, it’s just the beginning … continue reading …

This is our biggest ASP.NET release ever, our Aikido framework based on ASP.NET AJAX extensions has matured and we are proud to have numerous controls shipping in the next release based on our framework.  All of the controls come with CSS based styling support, animations and cross browser support, including Google Chrome! Just because we like the extensions so much, we are going to refer these controls as ASP.NET AJAX controls. So, be sure to look for the lightest and the fastest when you download our next version of ASP.NET toolset. With so much to talk about I am not even sure where to start, so here is the list in no particular order:

WebDataTree: Add this light-weight ajax enabled Tree control on your page for navigation, or to make use of any of the complex features that this tree can support. A part from hierarchical view, you now have node selections, images, keyboard navigation, templating, checkboxes and load on demand capabilities. 

WebDataMenu: Having a menu in a site is an essential control that most sites use today, allowing their users to navigate within the website. This WebDataMenu lets you take your end-user navigation experience a bit further. Use items as is for hyperlinks around your site, or use items as templates and you can pretty much put any content in there, allowing you to create a richer experience for your application users. It also comes with other menu items like separators, images, orientation settings, keyboard navigation and it can even be turned into a custom context menu.

WebDropDown: Just put about anything in the drop down area, this drop down controls knows no limits! WebDropDown control has a templateable drop down area, you can use it to show a simple list of items for your users to choose from like a drop down list, or fill it with complex control(s). When used as a drop down editor, it can give you the feature that the end-users today have come to expect, filtering, auto-suggestions, auto-completion, keyboard navigation, single and multiple selections... and so on.

WebProgressBar: A well-designed new control that can add more user friendliness to your web applications. Use the control to notify users of any process that you are running behind the scenes. Some of its features include animation support, tooltips & label highlighting.

 

WebDataGrid - Column Moving: This feature speaks for itself. We’ve added a new WebDataGrid behavior to allow re-ordering columns to enable your application users to customize how they view their data. They can simply grab a column header and place it in a different column order, its that simple.  

Drag & Drop Framework: If you’ve used any of our ASP.NET AJAX controls that support feature which involves mouse dragging, well guess what, you’ve already have had a glimpse of the framework. We have added a lot more features to the framework and are releasing it as a stand- alone library so that you can use it for any drag and drop operations you want to implement within your browser to build richer applications. You can customize mouse cursors, drag elements, and it can work with any HTML DOM element, not just a Infragistics control! And remember, this is cross-browser supported as well.

So what’s next… keep an eye on our website and be sure to download and try out the 2009 volume 1 when it comes out, there is a lot more features included in each of these controls. Also, thanks for all the great feedback we’ve gotten from you all and please keep your suggestions coming.

Wait! We are not done yet. Right after the release, keep ASP.NET CTP page on your watch list, as you will be seeing our next CTP in just about weeks following the release with more exciting stuff.   And of course, I can’t neglect Silverlight … which is part of your Web Client subscription.  We just released a brand new March CTP based on Silverlight 3 with tons of updated features and new controls as announced on Devin's Blog.  For more information and to download click here!