ComponentOne WinForms Edition
Walkthrough / Using DataFilter with FlexChart
In This Topic
Using DataFilter with FlexChart
In This Topic

DataFilter allows you to add different controls as custom filters. The custom filters can be added to DataFilter for filtering data using complex data visualization controls, such as FlexChart and Maps. This walkthrough uses FlexChart as a custom filter in DataFilter to filter FlexGrid data.

The following GIF shows FlexGrid data getting filtered based on the category selection in the custom filter "Category-wise Sales" from the DataFilter UI:

DataFilter with FlexChart

To create a custom filter using FlexChart, complete the following steps:

Step 1: Setting up the Application UI

  1. Create a new Windows Forms App.
  2. Drag and drop the MS SplitContainer from the Toolbox onto your form to create separate panels for placing controls.
  3. Drag and drop the DataFilter control from the Toolbox onto Panel1 of the SplitContainer control to display the custom filter. Set its Dock property to Fill.
  4. Drag and drop the FlexGrid control from the Toolbox onto Panel2 of the SplitContainer control to display sales data. Set its Dock property to Fill.
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Step 2: Create the View

  1. Create a class named FlexChartFilterView to be used as a View for using FlexChart as a Filter and update the class constructor using the following code.
    Visual Basic
    Copy Code 
    Private _selectedIndices As List(Of Integer)
Private _items As IEnumerable(Of Object)
Private _chbClear As CheckBox
Protected FlowLayoutPanel _pnlControlOptions
Public ReadOnly Property Chart As FlexChart
    Get
        Return _chart
    End Get
End Property
Public ReadOnly Property IsFilterApplied As Boolean
    Get
        Return Not _chbClear.Checked
    End Get
End Property
Public Event SelectionChanged As EventHandler
 
Public Sub FlexChartFilterView(ByVal items As IEnumerable(Of Object), ByVal bindingX As String, ByVal binding As String, ByVal Optional chartType As ChartType = ChartType.Column)
    InitializeComponent()
    _selectedIndices = New List(Of Integer)()
    Me._items = items
    _chart = New FlexChart() With {
        .ChartType = chartType,
        .DataSource = items,
        .BindingX = bindingX,
        .Binding = binding,
        .BackColor = Color.White,
        .Dock = DockStyle.Fill,
        .Margin = New Padding(0, 30, 0, 0)
    }
    Dim ser = New Series()
    Me.Chart.Series.Add(ser)
    Me.Chart.SelectionStyle.Stroke = Brushes.DarkBlue
    Me.Chart.SelectionStyle.StrokeWidth = 2
    Me.Chart.SelectionStyle.Fill = New SolidBrush(Color.FromArgb(200, Color.CornflowerBlue))
    Me.Chart.ToolTip.Content = "X: {x} " & vbLf & "Y: {y}"
    Me.Chart.AxisX.LabelMax = CSharpImpl.__Assign(Me.Chart.AxisX.LabelMin, True)
    Me.Chart.MouseClick += OnChartMouseClick
    ser.SymbolRendering += OnSeriesSymbolRendering
    _pnlControlOptions = New FlowLayoutPanel() With {
        .FlowDirection = FlowDirection.LeftToRight,
        .Dock = DockStyle.Top,
        .Height = 30,
        .AutoScroll = True
    }
    _chbClear = New CheckBox() With {
        .Text = "Clear",
        .Checked = True,
        .Enabled = False,
        .AutoSize = True
    }
    _chbClear.CheckedChanged += Function(s, e) OnClearChanged()
    _pnlControlOptions.Controls.Add(_chbClear)
    Controls.Add(_pnlControlOptions)
    Controls.Add(Chart)
End Sub
    C#
    Copy Code 
    private List<int> _selectedIndices;
private IEnumerable<object> _items;
private CheckBox _chbClear;
private FlexChart _chart;
protected FlowLayoutPanel _pnlControlOptions;
public FlexChart Chart { get { return _chart; } }
public bool IsFilterApplied
{
    get { return !_chbClear.Checked; }
}
/// <summary>
/// Raised when the selection changes by mouse click.
/// </summary>
public event EventHandler SelectionChanged;
public FlexChartFilterView(IEnumerable<object> items,
    string bindingX,
    string binding,
    ChartType chartType = ChartType.Column)
{
    InitializeComponent();
    _selectedIndices = new List<int>();
    this._items = items;
    // Initialize Chart
    _chart = new FlexChart()
    {
        ChartType = chartType,
        DataSource = items,
        BindingX = bindingX,
        Binding = binding,
        BackColor = Color.White,
        Dock = DockStyle.Fill,
        Margin = new Padding(0, 30, 0, 0)
    };
    var ser = new Series();
    this.Chart.Series.Add(ser);
    this.Chart.SelectionStyle.Stroke = Brushes.DarkBlue;
    this.Chart.SelectionStyle.StrokeWidth = 2;
    this.Chart.SelectionStyle.Fill = new SolidBrush(Color.FromArgb(200, Color.CornflowerBlue));
    this.Chart.ToolTip.Content = "X: {x} \nY: {y}";
    this.Chart.AxisX.LabelMax = this.Chart.AxisX.LabelMin = true;
    // Use MouseClick event on chart to update the Selected/Filtered items
    this.Chart.MouseClick += OnChartMouseClick;
    // Use SymbolRendering event on series for rendering Selected/Filtered items(data-points) with the SelectionStyle
    ser.SymbolRendering += OnSeriesSymbolRendering;
    _pnlControlOptions = new FlowLayoutPanel()
    {
        FlowDirection = FlowDirection.LeftToRight,
        Dock = DockStyle.Top,
        Height = 30,
        AutoScroll = true,
    };
    _chbClear = new CheckBox()
    {
        Text = "Clear",
        Checked = true,
        Enabled = false,
        AutoSize = true,
    };
    _chbClear.CheckedChanged += (s, e) => OnClearChanged();
    _pnlControlOptions.Controls.Add(_chbClear);
    Controls.Add(_pnlControlOptions);
    Controls.Add(Chart);
}
                        
  2. Use the MouseClick event on FlexChart for allowing user to filter the rendered data by the clicked items, i.e, data-points.
    Visual Basic
    Copy Code 
    Private Sub OnChartMouseClick(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As MouseEventArgs)
    Dim hitTest = Chart.HitTest(e.Location)
    If hitTest.Item IsNot Nothing AndAlso hitTest.Distance = 0 Then
        Dim currentSelected = hitTest.PointIndex
        If Not _selectedIndices.Contains(currentSelected) Then
            _selectedIndices.Add(currentSelected)
        Else
            _selectedIndices.Remove(currentSelected)
        End If
        OnSelectedPointsChanged()
    End If
End Sub
              
    C#
    Copy Code 
    private void OnChartMouseClick(object sender, MouseEventArgs e) {
 //Check for the item/data-point at the location of click and change the selection accordingly.
 var hitTest = Chart.HitTest(e.Location);
 if (hitTest.Item != null && hitTest.Distance == 0) {
  var currentSelected = hitTest.PointIndex;
  if (!_selectedIndices.Contains(currentSelected))
   _selectedIndices.Add(currentSelected);
  else
   _selectedIndices.Remove(currentSelected);
  OnSelectedPointsChanged();
 }
}
  3. Use SymbolRendering event on the series for rendering the selected or filtered items as highlighted.
    Visual Basic
    Copy Code 
    Private Sub OnSeriesSymbolRendering(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As RenderSymbolEventArgs)
    If _selectedIndices.Contains(e.Index) Then
        If Chart.SelectionStyle.Stroke IsNot Nothing Then e.Engine.SetStroke(Chart.SelectionStyle.Stroke)
        If Chart.SelectionStyle.StrokeWidth > 0 Then e.Engine.SetStrokeThickness(Chart.SelectionStyle.StrokeWidth)
        If Chart.SelectionStyle.Fill IsNot Nothing Then e.Engine.SetFill(Chart.SelectionStyle.Fill)
    End If
End Sub
    C#
    Copy Code 
    private void OnSeriesSymbolRendering(object sender, RenderSymbolEventArgs e) {
 if (_selectedIndices.Contains(e.Index)) {
  if (Chart.SelectionStyle.Stroke != null)
   e.Engine.SetStroke(Chart.SelectionStyle.Stroke);
  if (Chart.SelectionStyle.StrokeWidth > 0)
   e.Engine.SetStrokeThickness(Chart.SelectionStyle.StrokeWidth);
  if (Chart.SelectionStyle.Fill != null)
   e.Engine.SetFill(Chart.SelectionStyle.Fill);
 }
}
  4. Raise the SelectionChanged event on this view whenever selected or filtered items change.
       
    Visual Basic
    Copy Code 
    Private Sub OnSelectedPointsChanged()
    _chbClear.Checked = If(_selectedIndices.Count = 0, True, False)
    Chart.Refresh()
    RaiseEvent SelectionChanged(Me, Nothing)
End Sub
                        
    C#
    Copy Code 
    private void OnSelectedPointsChanged()
{
    _chbClear.Checked = _selectedIndices.Count == 0 ? true : false;
    Chart.Refresh();
    if (SelectionChanged != null)
        SelectionChanged(this, null);
}
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Step 3: Create a Custom Filter

  1. Create a class named FlexChartFilter, inheriting CustomFilter class, to be used as a custom filter, initialize FlexChartFilterView and use a control for FlexChartFilter.   
    Visual Basic
    Copy Code 
    Public Sub New(ByVal items As IEnumerable(Of Object), ByVal xProperty As String, ByVal yProperty As String, ByVal Optional chartType As ChartType = ChartType.Column, ByVal Optional filterUsingXY As Boolean = False)
        filterView = New FlexChartFilterView(items, xProperty, yProperty, chartType) With {
            .Height = 250
        }
        Control = filterView
        propertyX = xProperty
        propertyY = yProperty
        Me.filterUsingXY = filterUsingXY
    End Sub
              
    C#
    Copy Code 
    public FlexChartFilter(IEnumerable<object> items, string xProperty, string yProperty, ChartType chartType = ChartType.Column, bool filterUsingXY = false)
{
    // Create FlexChartFilterView instance which provides the UI for this filter.
    filterView = new FlexChartFilterView(items, xProperty, yProperty, chartType) { Height = 250 };
    // Set the FlexChartFilterView as the control to be used for filtering.
    Control = filterView;
    propertyX = xProperty;
    propertyY = yProperty;
    this.filterUsingXY = filterUsingXY;
}
  2. Subscribe the SelectionChanged event on the view to create/update the FilterExpression.
                                 
    Visual Basic
    Copy Code 
    'Subscribe SelectionChanged event on filter view for creating the new filter expression when the selected items changes
Dim args As ValueChangedEventArgs = New ValueChangedEventArgs()
args.ApplyFilter = True
filterView.SelectionChanged += Function(s, e) OnValueChanged(args)
                          
    C#
    Copy Code 
    //Subscribe SelectionChanged event on filter view for creating the new filter expression when the selected items changes
ValueChangedEventArgs args = new ValueChangedEventArgs();
args.ApplyFilter = true;
filterView.SelectionChanged += (s, e) => OnValueChanged(args);

  3. Use the selected items provided by the view for creating the FilterExpression.

    Visual Basic
    Copy Code 
    Class SurroundingClass
    Protected Overrides Function GetExpression() As Expression
        Dim selectedItems = filterView.GetSelectedValues()
        Return CreateExpression(selectedItems)
    End Function
    Protected Overrides Sub SetExpression(ByVal expression As Expression)
        Throw New NotImplementedException()
    End Sub
    Public Overrides ReadOnly Property IsApplied As Boolean
        Get
            Return filterView.IsFilterApplied
        End Get
    End Property
    Private Function CreateExpression(ByVal selectedItems As IEnumerable(Of Object)) As Expression
        Dim exp As CombinationExpression = New CombinationExpression()
        exp.FilterCombination = C1.DataCollection.FilterCombination.[Or]
        For Each item In selectedItems
            Dim comboExp = New CombinationExpression() With {
                .FilterCombination = C1.DataCollection.FilterCombination.[And]
            }
            comboExp.Expressions.Add(New OperationExpression With {
                .PropertyName = propertyX,
                .Value = GetPropertyValue(propertyX, item),
                .FilterOperation = C1.DataCollection.FilterOperation.Equal
            })
            If filterUsingXY Then
                For Each [property] In propertyY.Split(","c)
                    comboExp.Expressions.Add(New OperationExpression With {
                        .PropertyName = [property].Trim(),
                        .Value = GetPropertyValue([property].Trim(), item),
                        .FilterOperation = C1.DataCollection.FilterOperation.Equal
                    })
                Next
            End If
            exp.Expressions.Add(comboExp)
        Next
        Return exp
    End Function
    Protected Function GetPropertyValue(ByVal name As String, ByVal obj As Object) As Object
        Dim propInfo = obj.[GetType]().GetProperty(name)
        Return propInfo.GetValue(obj)
    End Function
End Class
    C#
    Copy Code 
    protected override Expression GetExpression()
{
    var selectedItems = filterView.GetSelectedValues();
    return CreateExpression(selectedItems);
}
protected override void SetExpression(Expression expression)
{
    throw new NotImplementedException();
}
public override bool IsApplied {
get {
 return filterView.IsFilterApplied; }
}
private Expression CreateExpression(IEnumerable<object> selectedItems)
{
    CombinationExpression exp = new CombinationExpression();
    exp.FilterCombination = C1.DataCollection.FilterCombination.Or;
    //Create Expressions for each selected item
    foreach (var item in selectedItems)
    {
        var comboExp = new CombinationExpression() { FilterCombination = C1.DataCollection.FilterCombination.And };
        //Expression to match X-Value.
        comboExp.Expressions.Add(new OperationExpression
        {
            PropertyName = propertyX,
            Value = GetPropertyValue(propertyX, item),
            FilterOperation = C1.DataCollection.FilterOperation.Equal,
        });
        if (filterUsingXY)
        {
            //Expressions to match corresponding Y-Values
            foreach (var property in propertyY.Split(','))
            {
                comboExp.Expressions.Add(new OperationExpression
                {
                    PropertyName = property.Trim(),
                    Value = GetPropertyValue(property.Trim(), item),
                    FilterOperation = C1.DataCollection.FilterOperation.Equal,
                });
            }
        }
        exp.Expressions.Add(comboExp);
    }
    return exp;
}
protected object GetPropertyValue(string name, object obj)
{
    var propInfo = obj.GetType().GetProperty(name);
    return propInfo.GetValue(obj);
}
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Step 4: Use the Custom Filter with DataFilter

  1. Bind the FlexGrid control to a data source and update data source when filter condition or expression gets changed.  
    Visual Basic
    Copy Code 
    Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
        Me.WindowState = FormWindowState.Maximized
        salesData = New ObservableCollection(Of Sales)(DataService.GetSalesData(500))
        ' FlexGrid Settings         c1FlexGrid1.DataSourceChanged += AddressOf C1FlexGrid1_DataSourceChanged
        c1FlexGrid1.DataSource = salesData
        ' Set source for DataFilter         c1DataFilter1.DataSource = salesData
        c1DataFilter1.FilterChanged += Function(s, args)
                                           c1FlexGrid1.DataSource = c1DataFilter1.View.ToList()
                                       End Function
        ' Initialize Custom Filters         InitFilters()
    End Sub 
    Private Sub C1FlexGrid1_DataSourceChanged(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
        For i As Integer = 1 To c1FlexGrid1.Cols.Count - 1
            c1FlexGrid1.Cols(i).StarWidth = "*"
        Next
    End Sub
    C#
    Copy Code 
    private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
this.WindowState = FormWindowState.Maximized;
salesData = new ObservableCollection<Sales>(DataService.GetSalesData(500));
//FlexGrid Settings
c1FlexGrid1.DataSourceChanged += C1FlexGrid1_DataSourceChanged;
c1FlexGrid1.DataSource = salesData;
// Set source for DataFilter
c1DataFilter1.DataSource = salesData;           
c1DataFilter1.FilterChanged += (s, args) =>
{
    //Reset FlexGrid's DataSource whenever there is change in filter condition/expression.
    c1FlexGrid1.DataSource = c1DataFilter1.View.ToList();
};
// Initialize Custom Filters
InitFilters();  
}
private void C1FlexGrid1_DataSourceChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    for (int i = 1; i < c1FlexGrid1.Cols.Count; i++)
        c1FlexGrid1.Cols[i].StarWidth = "*";
}
  2. Set the AutoGenerateFilters property of DataFilter to false in the Form Load event handler for using custom filters.
    Visual Basic
    Copy Code 
    c1DataFilter1.AutoGenerateFilters = false
    C#
    Copy Code 
    c1DataFilter1.AutoGenerateFilters = false;
  3. Create an instance of the FlexChartFilter and add it to the Filters collection of DataFilter.
    Visual Basic
    Copy Code 
    'Initialize Custom Filters : Create and Add the FlexChartFilter to the Filters collection of DataFilter
Dim categoryWiseSales = salesData.GroupBy(Function(s) s.Category).[Select](Function(grp) New With {Key
        .Category = grp.Key, Key
        .Amount = grp.Sum(Function(item) item.Amount)
    })
    Dim categoryFilter = New FlexChartFilter(categoryWiseSales, "Category", "Amount")
    categoryFilter.HeaderText = "Category-wise Sales"
    categoryFilter.FlexChart.AxisX.LabelAngle = 45
    c1DataFilter1.Filters.Add(categoryFilter)
    C#
    Copy Code 
    // Create and Add the FlexChartFilter to the Filters collection of DataFilter           
var categoryWiseSales = salesData.GroupBy(s => s.Category).Select(grp => new {
 Category = grp.Key, Amount = grp.Sum(item => item.Amount) });
var categoryFilter = new FlexChartFilter(categoryWiseSales, "Category", "Amount");
categoryFilter.HeaderText = "Category-wise Sales";
categoryFilter.FlexChart.AxisX.LabelAngle = 45;
c1DataFilter1.Filters.Add(categoryFilter);

Run the application and observe how the data appearing in FlexGrid gets filtered based on the categories selected from the custom filter used in the DataFilter control.
Now, you can change the filter values in the DataFilter UI and see how the FlexGrid renders the filtered data.

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