Infragistics' latest release of its user interface development tools introduces NetAdvantage for jQuery and a new theme to make applications look different from the traditional Microsoft Office brand.

NetAdvantage for jQuery is new in Infragistics' latest suite, Ultimate 2011 Volume 1. This is a client-side control toolset to help developers using jQuery and JavaScript.  The advantages of using jQuery based controls is well known - you can implement sophisticated controls that run on almost any browser that supports JavaScript and the DOM. What is more being native client-side controls they are responsive to the user and Ajax comes naturally to them.

The new tools include a Grid which lets you work in the usual way with tabular data. A Data Source control lets you abstract away from any particular data environment,  and a Rating  control lets you harvest crowd opinion in social media applications. 

The jQuery template supports ASP.NET AJAX data grids, trees and drop-down controls. It also has the new IG theme. For a list of complete features, visit http://www.infragistics.com/whatsnew/jquery.

Given the latest rumours of the down-playing of WPF and Silverlight perhaps it is good that tool makers like Infragistics are once again focusing on Window Forms controls. New is  Ribbon End User Customizations to give improved control over the applications' user experience.

Also new is the HTML5 WebVideoPlayer, WebUpload for uploading single and multiple files, and Persistence Framework to serialize end user settings across all controls.

A calendar control that mimics the experience of the Windows 7 systems calendar, and new features and functionality in the XAML scheduling and grid controls have been introduced into both the WPF and Silverlight toolsets.

For users of the WPF and Silverlight Data Visualization products there are enhancements in the OLAP Pivot Grid, including support for XMLA with Oracle databases enabling connections to more data, more easily. New to both data visualization suites are xamBarcodeReader,  xamPieChart, xamNetworkNode for creating visual representations of network relationships,  xamOrgChart for hierarchical organization charts, and UI Automation enabling applications to provide and consume information about user interfaces and providing for greater end user accessibility and enabling developers to build automated test scripts for the UI.

There are also two Community Technology Previews (CTPs): NetAdvantage for Windows Phone to create mobile applications with touch and gesture support optimized for the mobile form factor and NetAdvantage Reporting, native Silverlight and WPF reporting UI controls, to produce reports that are simple to create and easy to read. Customers who subscribe to NetAdvantage Ultimate will automatically receive these new product releases, with expected availability in Q3 2011.

Further reading

WPF Data Charting

Silverlight Data Charting