What is FormChart.Net?

FormChart.Net is a custom user control library that you can use on Windows Forms to render your data in the sahpe of charts or graphs. Last month we release our ASPChart.Net library for drawing graphs and charts. The same library acts as the drawing engine for this custom user control.

What Functionlaity Is Supported In Current Version?

As it has been mentioned earlier that this component is based on ASPChart.Net engine, it supports all the features of that library. But we have taken that library to a higher level. This control provides you complete design time support. Following are some of the highlights of this control library.

Where Can I User It?

The control has infinite possibilites. You can use it anywhere where you need to display the information as Pie Charts, Bar Charts, Line Graphs, etc.

How to install it?

We have created a install document. You can download it from our web site and follow it step by step to get going.

How to use it?

The control is very easy to use like any other .Net windows controls. Drag and drop the control onto Windows Forms designer, modify the properties to specify the appearance and alignment you want. And the necessary code will be added to your CS or VB file.

After you have completed the initial step. There are two more steps that are needed. Without this control will not function.

• The control accepts the data as an XML document. In the current version of control we don't have support for DataBinding. This support will be added in next version. For now you will need to create the XML document and load it in control.
• The control gives you ability to select option to specify if you want to use random colors generated by ASPChart.Net drawing engine or you want to specify your own list of colors. If you select Random Color generation, then you don't need to perform any more steps. Otherwise, create a StringCollection object containing string representation of KnownColor values. And set to Colors property of this control.

The following code demonstrates the steps we discissed above. For more details, look at the source code of the attached WinChartApp project.

public ChartForm()
{
	InitializeComponent();
	barChart2DControl1.LoadData(this.CreateChartData());

	if (!barChart2DControl1.UseRandomColors)
	{
		barChart2DControl1.Colors = this.CreateColorNames();
	}
}

public XmlDocument CreateChartData()
{
	XmlDocument obXmlDoc = new XmlDocument();
	obXmlDoc.Load("BarChartData.xml");
	return obXmlDoc;
}

private StringCollection CreateColorNames()
{
	StringCollection obColorNames = new StringCollection();
	obColorNames.Add("Red");
	obColorNames.Add("Blue");
	obColorNames.Add("Black");
	obColorNames.Add("Pink");
	obColorNames.Add("Khaki");
	obColorNames.Add("Green");
	obColorNames.Add("Gray");
	obColorNames.Add("Beige");
	obColorNames.Add("Purple");
	obColorNames.Add("Yellow");
	return obColorNames;
}