Where did my RadChart go? (Silverlight/WPF)

Many of you have probably noticed that RadChart is missing from the online demos for WPF and Silverlight. What’s going on?

Don’t worry. We are publishing this blog post as a list of FAQ (frequently asked questions) which should cover most of your concerns.

Q. Is RadChart for WPF/Silverlight gone for good?

Definitely not. The RadChart control (Telerik.Windows.Controls.Charting.dll) is still shipping with all installers and zip files.

Q. Why is then RadChart missing from the online demos?

The answer to this question is two-fold. First of all beginning with Q1 2012 we have released our RadChartView control for Silverlight and WPF. This control is designed from the ground up to be much faster and cross-platform. It is quickly gaining new features and is designed to supersede RadChart. So the first reason is that we are trying to spread awareness of RadChartView for new projects.

The second reason is more technical. With Q2 we are releasing implicit styling support for all our XAML controls. The engineering effort required to implement that change in RadChart was not cost-effective. Since our demo application was updated to rely entirely on implicit styling we had to leave out the RadChart control.

Q. But I miss the old demos! I used them as reference/sample code.

We have you covered. Just visit http://demos.telerik.com/silverlight-old/ and you will still be able to view all the RadChart demos in their full splendor.

Q. I am developing a new application with RadControls for Silverlight/WPF. Which chart should I use?

You should pick RadChartView by all means. Not only is it faster and already more powerful in many ways, but it will also be seeing active support and development for a long time.

Q. I have already successfully shipped an application with RadChart, but do not plan to make any radical changes soon. What should I do?

You are in good company as this is where most of our customers are. We intend to support RadChart as long as there is strong demand for it. While there will be no more new features for that control we will be fixing critical issues and shipping a new version built against the other core assemblies with every official release. Just like we did with the Q2 release.

Q. I have shipped a product with RadChart and I am planning to update the charting functionality of my application substantially. What should I do?

You should carefully evaluate if you will be able to achieve said functionality with RadChart. If you are having trouble assessing that please feel free to submit a support ticket and we will be glad to help you with that assessment. If RadChart fits your requirements we will provide technical support just like with all the other RadControls.

Q. I have shipped a product with RadChart that I need to continue developing and RadChart will not fit my requirements. What should I do?

In this case we suggest that you upgrade to RadChartView. To help you with that task you can rely on our documentation, online demos and last but not least on our industry leading technical support. The bottom line is – if you are having trouble – don’t panic. We are here to help you ship your product and make your customers happy!

Q. I have another question that you didn’t address with this blog post!

Please, feel free to leave a comment in this blog post or post in the forums or submit a support ticket to get it answered!