In this article, you will find new features and enhancements added to Spread v8 categorized by platform.
JavaScript - HTML5
SpreadJS Introduced
We have added a JavaScript - HTML5 version of Spread to the Studio. Web developers get the same great technology they have come to expect out of Spread such as Excel input/output, visual designers, calculation engine, theming, and many Excel-like features. This version of Spread is built on the latest Web technology, is lightwieght, and very easy to use. Best of all, it is included in the Studio. SpreadJS is also sold separately.
Winforms
Table Support
Spreadsheet tables Tables are used to manage and analyze related data, sort, filter, and format data within a sheet. By using the table features, you can manage data in table rows and columns independently from data in other rows and columns in the worksheet. A table can include:
- Header row. By default, a table has a header row. Every table column has filtering enabled in the header row so that you can filter or sort your table data quickly.
- Banded rows. By default, alternate shading or banding has been applied to the rows in a table to better distinguish the data.
- Calculated columns. By entering a formula in one cell in a table column, you can create a calculated column in which that formula is instantly applied to all other cells in that table column.
- Total row. You can add a total row to your table that provides access to summary functions (such as the AVERAGE, COUNT, or SUM function). Also instead of using cell references, such as A1 and R1C1, you can use structured references that reference table names in a formula.
We also support importing and exporting Tables from or to Excel files.
New Skins
In this release, we've changed the default appearance of the control to a flat style, removed any stylistic choices that give the illusion of 3D (such as drop shadows, gradients) and focused on a minimalist use of simple elements, typography and flat colors. It’s pure and simple, elegant and neat. We've also provided a skin which appears just like Excel 2013, a new tab strip layout, new header color scheme, selection, and more.
MultiRow
MultiRow MultiRow for WinForms is a powerful grid component that allows you to add custom tabular input and display screens to your Visual Studio applications. It has extensive flexibility that allows you to place cells anywhere on the grid surface, and create elaborate tabular displays with a record in multiple rows with borders and formatting. We've enhanced MultiRow a lot in this release, with multi-touch support, a variety of CellTypes enhancements, layout enhancements, and enhancements of the Designer. These enhancements help you implement a comprehensive grid into your application easily and quickly.
- Multi-Touch support. Easily select, scroll, zoom, and edit by simple finger gestures on touch-able devices. The touch strip bar is also supported when touching the selection area.
- CellTypes. InputManCell and PlusPakCell are now built-in CellTypes, no need for an extra license. New ListBox, ListLable, and Shape CellTypes were added in this release. Many enhancements for existing CellTypes as well.
- Automatic merge. Automatically merge cells which have the same value in a column.
- Expand/Collapse columns. Now some columns may be expanded and collapsed by the end user.
- Horizontal layout. Besides showing records vertically, now you can show record template horizontally.
- Cell Note. Each cell can have a note like Excel comment, and the notes can also be editable.
- Print. Specify cell-by-cell page breaks for printing.
- Cell Style. Set border to current record, header allows alternate row, customize gradient background for mouse hover or editing mode.
- More enhancements such as auto-fit cell width, validation and header cell data binding.
Enhanced Subtotal Function
The subtotal function now does not calculate hidden cell data; it gets correct calculation result when the end user filters out some rows or hides some rows or columns.
Reduced Memory Usage for Excel Import/export
Performane improvements When importing Excel files, Spread now reads the Excel file "On Demand" and then releases the memory once the block of data is imported. This reduces the memory footprint during importing and drops MemoryStream which was needed to read all OOXML data into memory. For exporting, Spread now uses an iterator class to get the data dynamically during exporting instead of preparing a data array before exporting to an Excel file.
Enhanced Outline Group
Spread allows changing the position of the outline group icon, showing the icon on top of the grouped rows or to the left of grouped columns. You can also import/export this option to Excel files.
More Enhancements
- Supports using formulas with a custom name in Conditional Formatting.
- Adds new overloads for the penExcel function to keep InputMapKey unchanged after importing an Excel file.
- Supports multi-range expression, allowing for multiple range reference syntax such as "=Sheet1!A2:Sheet1!H2:Sheet1!N7".
- Sheet can be printed even with data in the frozen area.
- Optimizes Saving XML by adding a new overload for SaveXML to merge the same styleinfo into a NamedStyle.
- Allows customizing Filter Icon in the Filter Bar by using SpreadView.SetImage.
- Supports chart title overlay and plot area manual layout.
- .NET framework 4.5.2 support.
- InputMan includes new features for InputMan Celltypes.
ASP.NET
Modern Browser Support
Spread for ASP.NET adds additional support for all modern browsers, including Internet Explorer, Chrome, FireFox, and Safari.
iPad Touch Support
iPad touch support
- You can now easily select, scroll, zoom, and edit data with simple finger gestures on an iPad; in addition, the touch strip bar is also supported when touching the selection area in an iPad.
- Spread SP1 introduced support for momentum-based scrolling (-webkit-overflow-scrolling). When using momentum-based scrolling, the content continues to scroll for a while after finishing the scroll gesture and removing your finger from the touchscreen. The speed and duration of the continued scrolling is proportional to how vigorous the scroll gesture was.
New Skins
In this release we've changed the default appearance of Spread for ASP.NET to a flat, modern style. We've removed any style elements that give a 3D illusion (such as drop shadows and gradients) and focused on a minimalist use of simple elements, typography and flat colors. It’s pure and simple, elegant and neat. In this release, we've also provided an Excel 2013-like skin, a new tab strip layout, header color scheme, selection, and more.
ThemeRoller Support
Use the QueryUI ThemeRoller to skin your Spread applications with just a few lines of code. ThemeRoller has a variety of default skins or you can create your own. In either case, you will add a modern and consistent look to virtually every facet of your Spread application.
Date-Time Picker
When using date-time cell types, you can now display a calendar control from which users can pick dates.
Enhanced Clipboard Support
Spread's clipboard features now support more modern browsers such as Safari on iPad and FireFox.
Data Validation Enhancements
- Validation on Paste: Spread can now automatically validate data when a user pastes information in a cell.
- Server-side Validation: Spread now supports server-side validation, giving you access to more built-in .NET validation logic.
More Enhancements
- Spread for ASP.NET now supports MVC 5 projects.
- Spread for ASP.NET can now unify copy/paste behavior, similar to Microsoft Excel, in all browsers.
- Spread for ASP.NET now supports jQuery.
- Zoom now supported in most browsers.
WPF/Silverlight and WinRT
Print support enhanements Now you can easily print entire or partial worksheets and workbooks one or many at a time. Just like in Excel, you can customize several print settings including page order, orientation, and size. You can also specify alignment, margins, and whether to show a print header, gridlines, scale selection, page header/footer, and more. You can also print to a file instead of to a printer. This is useful when printing the workbook on a different printer from the one originally used. And in WPF applications, Spread includes a preview dialog box for previewing spreadsheets before printing.
Enhanced Excel Import Speed
Spread now imports Excel files asynchronously, loading data on demand for UI display while a background thread continues to load data. The end user sees the data displaying quickly, and the UI is still responsive while loading. This provides the end user with a smooth UI experience for Excel importing.
Structured Reference (Table Formula) Support
Structured reference Structured references make it much easier and more intuitive to work with table data when you are using formulas that reference a table (either portions of a table or the entire table). They are especially useful because table data ranges often change, and the cell references for structured references adjust automatically. This minimizes the need to rewrite formulas as rows and columns are added and deleted in a table, or when external data is refreshed.
New Skins
In this release we've changed the default appearance of Spread WinRT to flat style, removed any stylistic choices that give a 3D illusion (such as drop shadows and gradients) and focused on a minimalist use of simple elements, typography and flat colors. It’s pure and simple, elegant and neat. We've also provided an Excel 2013-like skin in our Skin sample, with a new tab strip layout, new header color scheme, selection, and more.
MESCIUS inc.