ChartAppLib 1.0.0

ChartApp WPF Chart Control Library

A powerful, feature-rich WPF charting library for .NET 10 applications with support for multiple chart types, real-time data updates, and advanced visualization capabilities.

Features

Chart Types

• Line Plot - Connect data points with smooth or segmented lines
• Scatter Plot - Visualize data point clouds and distributions
• Bubble Plot - Show relationships between three variables with bubble size
• Box Plot - Display statistical distributions with quartiles and whiskers
• Histogram - Analyze frequency distributions with customizable bins
• 3D Line Chart - Render 3D parametric curves and paths
• 3D Surface Plot - Visualize complex 3D mathematical surfaces

Interactive Features

• Zoom & Pan - Click-drag to zoom; mouse wheel for zoom levels up to 50x
• Live Data Streaming - Append data in real-time with automatic axis scaling
• Annotations - Add lines, rectangles, and text overlays
• Multi-Axis Support - Independent Y-axis definitions for different series
• Tracker - Interactive vertical line with value tooltips following cursor
• Drag-Based Axis Adjustment - Shift data view using X/Y axis drag areas

Performance Optimizations

• DrawingGroup/DrawingImage - High-performance rendering for 100K+ points
• Throttled Updates - Adaptive tracking intervals based on data size
• Caching - Axis range caching to avoid repeated min/max calculations
• Clipping - Efficient off-screen geometry culling

Developer Experience

• MVVM-Friendly - Bindable properties for all chart parameters
• Data Generator Helpers - Built-in functions for sine, cosine, random walk, Gaussian data
• Customizable Themes - Dark and Light theme support via ResourceDictionary
• Extensive Documentation - Inline XML comments and API documentation

Installation

Via NuGet Package Manager

Install-Package ChartApp.WPF

Via .NET CLI

dotnet add package ChartApp.WPF

Quick Start

1. Add ChartControl to XAML

<Window x:Class="MyApp.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        xmlns:chart="clr-namespace:ChartApp.Controls;assembly=ChartApp">
    <Grid>
        <chart:ChartControl 
            x:Name="MyChart"
            ChartType="ScatterPlot"
            Series="{Binding ChartSeries}"
            YAxes="{Binding YAxisDefinitions}"
            XAxes="{Binding XAxisDefinitions}"
            ShowTrackerLine="True" />
    </Grid>
</Window>

2. Populate Data in ViewModel

using ChartApp.Models;
using ChartApp.Helpers;

public class MainViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
    public ObservableCollection<DataSeries> ChartSeries { get; set; }
    public ObservableCollection<YAxisDefinition> YAxisDefinitions { get; set; }
    public ObservableCollection<XAxisDefinition> XAxisDefinitions { get; set; }

    public void LoadData()
    {
        // Generate sample data
        var xValues = ChartDataGenerator.GetUniformXData(100, 0, 1.0);
        var yValues = ChartDataGenerator.GetSinewaveYData(10, 0, 100, 5);

        ChartSeries = new ObservableCollection<DataSeries>
        {
            new DataSeries
            {
                Name = "Sine Wave",
                XValues = xValues.ToList(),
                YValues = yValues.ToList(),
                Stroke = Brushes.Blue,
                Thickness = 1.5,
                YAxisId = "Y1",
                XAxisId = "X1"
            }
        };

        YAxisDefinitions = new ObservableCollection<YAxisDefinition>
        {
            new YAxisDefinition
            {
                Id = "Y1",
                Label = "Value",
                Position = YAxisPosition.Left,
                ShowGridLines = true,
                MajorTickCount = 10
            }
        };

        XAxisDefinitions = new ObservableCollection<XAxisDefinition>
        {
            new XAxisDefinition
            {
                Id = "X1",
                Label = "Time",
                Position = XAxisPosition.Bottom,
                ShowGridLines = true
            }
        };
    }
}

Core Classes

ChartControl

Main WPF control for rendering charts.

Key Properties:

• ChartType - Chart visualization type (LinePlot, ScatterPlot, etc.)
• Series - Observable collection of data series
• YAxes - Y-axis definitions for multi-axis support
• XAxes - X-axis definitions
• ShowTrackerLine - Enable/disable interactive tracker
• ShowLegend - Toggle legend visibility
• Annotations - Collection of visual annotations

Key Commands:

• ResetViewCommand - Reset zoom/pan to default
• UndoCommand / RedoCommand - Undo/redo zoom states
• ToggleLockCommand - Lock/unlock interaction

DataSeries

Represents a single data series in the chart.

public class DataSeries
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public List<double> XValues { get; set; }
    public List<double> YValues { get; set; }
    public List<double> ZValues { get; set; }  // For bubble plots
    public Brush Stroke { get; set; }
    public double Thickness { get; set; }
    public string YAxisId { get; set; }
    public string XAxisId { get; set; }
    public bool HasExplicitXValues { get; set; }
}

YAxisDefinition / XAxisDefinition

Define axis appearance and behavior.

public class YAxisDefinition
{
    public string Id { get; set; }
    public string Label { get; set; }
    public YAxisPosition Position { get; set; }  // Left or Right
    public double? MinValue { get; set; }
    public double? MaxValue { get; set; }
    public int MajorTickCount { get; set; }
    public bool ShowGridLines { get; set; }
    public Brush GridLineBrush { get; set; }
    public Brush LabelBrush { get; set; }
}

ChartDataGenerator

Static utility class for generating test data.

Methods:

• GetRandomDoubleData() - Random values in a range
• GetStraightLineYData() - Linear trend
• GetSinewaveYData() - Sine wave with configurable frequency
• GetNoisySinewaveYData() - Sine wave with noise
• GetCosineWaveYData() - Cosine wave
• GetRandomWalkData() - Random walk simulation
• GetGaussianData() - Gaussian distribution
• GetExponentialData() - Exponential decay/growth
• GetUniformXData() - Uniformly spaced X values
• GetDateTimeXData() - DateTime-based X axis
• GetFourierYData() - Fourier series composition

Advanced Usage

Live Data Streaming

public void StartLiveUpdates()
{
    var timer = new DispatcherTimer { Interval = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(50) };
    timer.Tick += (s, e) =>
    {
        // Append new data point
        ChartSeries[0].YValues.Add(Math.Sin(DateTime.Now.Millisecond * 0.01));
        
        // Trigger chart redraw
        MyChart.InvalidateVisual();
    };
    timer.Start();
}

Custom Annotations

Annotations = new ObservableCollection<Annotation>
{
    new LineAnnotation
    {
        Name = "Threshold",
        X1 = 10, Y1 = 75,
        X2 = 100, Y2 = 75,
        StrokeColor = Colors.Red,
        StrokeThickness = 2
    },
    new RectangleAnnotation
    {
        Name = "Alert Zone",
        X = 20, Y = 60,
        Width = 30, Height = 20,
        FillColor = Color.FromArgb(50, 255, 0, 0)
    }
};

Multi-Axis Chart

YAxisDefinitions = new ObservableCollection<YAxisDefinition>
{
    new YAxisDefinition { Id = "Y1", Label = "Temperature (°C)", Position = YAxisPosition.Left },
    new YAxisDefinition { Id = "Y2", Label = "Humidity (%)", Position = YAxisPosition.Right }
};

ChartSeries = new ObservableCollection<DataSeries>
{
    new DataSeries { Name = "Temp", YAxisId = "Y1", ... },
    new DataSeries { Name = "Humidity", YAxisId = "Y2", ... }
};

Performance Considerations

• Large Datasets (>10K points): Use ThrottledTrackerInterval to reduce update frequency
• Multiple Series: Combine series on the same axis when possible
• Real-Time Updates: Append data in batches (e.g., 5-10 points per frame)
• 3D Rendering: Keep grid size ≤100×100 for Surface3D plots

Theming

Change theme at runtime:

var uri = new Uri("pack://application:,,,/ChartApp;component/Themes/Theme.Dark.xaml", UriKind.Absolute);
var theme = new ResourceDictionary { Source = uri };
Application.Current.Resources.MergedDictionaries.Clear();
Application.Current.Resources.MergedDictionaries.Add(theme);

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Arrow Keys - Adjust Y-axis offset
• Ctrl + Z - Undo zoom state
• Ctrl + Y - Redo zoom state
• Double-Click - Reset view (if enabled)

System Requirements

• .NET 10.0 or later
• Windows 10 or later (WPF platform requirement)
• Visual Studio 2022 or later recommended

License

This package is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE file for details.

Support & Issues

For bug reports, feature requests, or questions:

• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/hiteshajmermodani-dot/ChartApp/issues
• Documentation: Check inline XML comments in source code

Changelog

Version 1.0.0

• Initial NuGet release
• Full support for 7 chart types
• Multi-axis and live streaming
• Advanced tracking and annotation features
• DrawingImage-based performance optimization for 100K+ points