PITTSBURGH, PA – October 8, 2014 – GrapeCity Developer Tools, leaders in developer-productivity solutions, has announced the release of Wijmo 5: a new generation of JavaScript controls. This new version of Wijmo expands GrapeCity’s line of HTML5 and JavaScript products for Enterprise Application development.
“Touch First, Mobile First, was our mantra when setting out to create a set of true JavaScript controls and not widgets, which is a key differentiator in the market,” said Chris Bannon, product manager of Wijmo. “With true JavaScript controls you get UI components nearly identical to what you would find in .NET with common API for Properties, Methods and Events. Wijmo 5 includes all the controls and elements required to develop modern MVVM applications that run on desktop and mobile devices,” said Bannon.
With the entrance of several new web technologies in the application development market, and the standardization of ECMAScript 5 and HTML5 as well as the introduction of TypeScript and the AngularJS framework, the Wijmo development team saw the opportunity to create a library of controls that delivered the same power and flexibility developers were accustomed to in other platforms. “We wanted the controls in Wijmo 5 to leverage HTML5’s promise of running everywhere, therefore the Wijmo 5 controls were designed to work well on mobile/touch devices as well as on desktop machines,” said Bannon.
For developers who have been following TypeScript, a free and open source programming language developed and maintained by Microsoft, Wijmo 5 provides all the benefits of object oriented programming. Written in TypeScript, Wijmo 5 complies to ECMAScript 5, which runs on all modern browsers. “TypeScript provides static error checking, which drastically speeds up development and improves product quality,” said Bannon.
The collection of controls in Wijmo 5 range from Input controls, to Data Visualization controls, to the famous FlexGrid control. According to Bannon, Wijmo 5 controls are dramatically smaller and faster. They also have richer, easier to use object models than other controls on the market. Bannon demonstrates during the product launch event, that the company’s benchmarks show that Wijmo 5 is faster and has better functionality than other products that it may be compared to.
“We expect the FlexGrid to be one of the most popular controls in Wijmo 5,” said Bannon. “The FlexGrid is a JavaScript version of the .NET control famous for its performance, features, and flexibility.” Developers can create both bound and unbound grids, merge cells, and more with many other features unique to FlexGrid. “FlexGrid is a control that the company originally developed and has continued to mature and evolve for over 20 years,” said Bannon.
For .NET developers migrating to HTML5, Wijmo 5 provides a familiar experience by having created ICollectionView in JavaScript. All of the Wijmo 5 Controls can be bound to CollectionView, giving developers a very easy migration path from the .NET platform.