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What's new in v4

DbCombo v4 improves on v3 in many areas. Many new features have been added, most in response to customer requests, and the user interface has been further improved.

A comprehensive list of changes can be found below:

  • DataBinding
    We've much improved databinding support, allowing the ability to bind to custom business objects, and the ability to specify which DataMember of a multi-member DataSet to use.
  • Test-mode
    A much requested feature. Previously, if a developer attempted to use DbCombo on an unlicensed site or server, DbCombo would throw an exception informing of the licensing problem. In such cases DbCombo could not be used at all until a valid license key was entered. DbCombo now displays a message in such conditions, informing the user that the license is not valid, but allowing DbCombo to be used (allowing easier testing before full licensed deployment). (Not applicable to free or evaluation licenses).
  • UI much enhanced
    Many small bugs in the user interface have been solved, giving a much smoother experience.
  • Validation
    DbCombo now supports client-side validation on either the Text or Value properties. The active validator property is governed by the ValidationProperty property.
  • DataValueField, DataTextField
    These properties enable you to specify which columns of the data-set are used for the Value and Text properties.
  • Custom errors
    DbCombo now supports custom errors when an exception is returned by your ServerMethod. The ErrorBoxType and ErrorBoxCustomText properties assist here.
  • Design-time enhancements
    Drag'n'Drop design-time support has been further enhanced with the ability to hide the results with the DisplayResultsInDesigner property, and the ability to resize DbCombo with the mouse.
  • Debug mode enhanced
    The debug results now appear in a pop-up window for easier fault-finding.
  • AltText
    This enables you to set the ALT attribute of the main text-box, essential for screen-reader compatibility.
  • Enhanced search button
    When the results are visible, the Up-level search button changes to an 'up' arrow, and its behaviour changes to hide the results.
  • ReQuery
    The ReQuery functionality has been much enhanced, giving better results and smoother operation. The ReQueryDisabled property now lets you completely disable ReQuery functionality.
  • SelectSingleItemOnEnter, SelectSingleItemOnTab
    If there is a single item in the DbCombo, these properties enable you to specify that it should be selected if the Enter or Tab keys are pressed.
  • TabToNextFieldOnEnter
    This property causes DbCombo to simulate the Tab button, and advance the focus to the next form field when the Enter key is pressed.
  • CloseResultsOnClick
    This allows you to turn off the behaviour where the results are hidden when an item is clicked on.
  • HideAllSelectTags
    This functionality is similar to the HideIntersectingSelectTags property, but gives higher performance for larger pages.