What's New for ASP.NET MVC

All MVC Controls

Combined JavaScript and Bundling

Users can combine multiple scripts into a single request by adding the scripts into the script manager to reduce the number of requests to the web page. In MVC 4, users can also add bundles to the script manager to further reduce the number of requests. Rendering custom script through HTML is not necessary because of this feature. As a result, the size of the files and the time needed by webpages to receive the files are minimized.

Registering Custom Scripts in the Script Manager

Requests Combined in a Webpage

BI Chart

OLAP Chart Component

Essential BI Chart extends the chart control to visualize business intelligence data in OLAP cubes. This interactive control uses SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) to retrieve and drill-down in multi-dimensional data and display the results. Essential BI Chart comes with rich presentation capabilities and is highly configurable.

Chart with OLAP Data

BI Grid

Client-Side Component

Essential BI Grid features a web API for initializing drill-down processes and virtual scrolling on the client-side. This greatly improves the performance of the control.

Drill-Down in Essential BI Grid

Diagram

Path Data Support for Nodes and Connectors

This feature allows users to draw custom shapes by defining the path data of the shape and setting it to a node or connector. It also allows users to embed HTML content in the diagram.

Custom Diagram Nodes

HTML Embedded in Diagram Nodes

Schedule

Customization of Time Displayed

This feature allows users to customize the time interval in schedules. The new built-in interval options are 60, 30, 20, 15, 10, 6, and 5 minutes. The time interval adjustment can be made dynamically through a context window. When the time interval is changed, the size of the appointments present in the schedule change accordingly.

This feature also enhances the behavior of the end time field when creating a new appointment. The default selection for the end time is populated based on the selected interval. The end time drop-down list is populated with 30-minute intervals from the start time.

Changing the Time Intervals through a Context Menu

Selecting an End Time

20-Minute Time Intervals

10-Minute Time Intervals

5-Minute Time Intervals

Add/Edit Appointment Template Enhancements

Users can now customize the Add/Edit Appointment template window with various editor controls such as text boxes, drop-down lists, combo boxes, and various other ASP.NET controls.

Custom Template Appointment Window

PDF

QR Barcode Support

Essential PDF has added support for the popular QR code. A QR code is a two-dimensional bar code widely used in the automotive and shipping industries. It is used for its fast readability and significant storage capacity. This feature provides support for encoding numeric and alphanumeric text as a QR code.

QR Code

All BI Products

MDX Query Binding with Drill-Up and Drill-Down Operations

In all business intelligence controls, users can perform drill-up and drill-down operations by using MDX queries to manipulate data at different levels.

Manipulating OLAP Data through MDX Queries

BI Client

Custom CSS Support

Users can manually write CSS to customize the theme of Essential BI Client for MVC. This helps users enhance the appearance of the control according to their needs.

OLAP Client with Customized Appearance

Architectural Improvements

Several architectural improvements have been added to Essential BI Client to enhance performance, filtering, report manipulation, scrolling, and action modes. They include an enhanced tree view and a report list that allows users to save multiple reports and switch between them. A filtering icon in the axis element builder can be used to indicate which members are filtered. Also, virtual scrolling and JSON mode support have been added to the grid to further improve the control's performance.

OLAP Client with Enhanced Tree View, Filtering, and Grid

Chart

Touch Events

This feature makes the HTML 5 Chart control more user-interactive in touch devices. It provides the following events:

TouchStart
TouchEnd
TouchMove
TouchTap

Users can customize chart objects using the client-side events.

Column Chart with Client-Side Events Implemented

Grid

Data Binding for Column Drop-Down Lists

Drop-down lists in grid columns can be bound to data so users can choose from items that are populated from a database.

Data Binding the Ship Country Field to a Database

New Record Added in Last Row

In addition to adding records in-line in the first row of a grid, new records can also be created by entering data in the last row of a grid.

Adding a New Record

Tools

Display Text in DatePicker Control

In addition to providing an interactive calendar, the DatePicker control allows users to provide default text as a string type value. The text will be displayed in the text box to prompt users to select a date. Upon clicking the text box, users will be able to select a date from a calendar that will appear below it. The size, appearance, and format of the calendar can also be customized.

DatePicker Text Box with Default Text

DatePicker Text Box with Calendar

Combine Localization Resources

This feature provides a single resource file that supports localization in all of the Essential Tools controls for ASP.NET MVC. This reduces the number of individual files used for localization in each control. This also reduces each control’s memory consumption and the number of requests the control has to make to the server.

Uncombined Resources Files

Combined Resource Files