Choosing third party UI component / control

Software development today is more complex than before. Some of the software development company want to focus to its business process / logic while they try to skip the complex logic of UI control by using third party UI controls.

Of course there are many providers that supplies controls for you, but what controls are suites for the project. Some controls is built nice; They have many features to manipulate by developer and end user and others have limited feature. Some controls are expensive while others are free or open source.

Here are tips :

Test controls by following them like the tutorial or demos. Try to create a small/simple project or recreate a demos to test it.
What to test :

• Time to learn and use it.
• The features are working well.
• The features are matching to documentation.
• The features are expecting to be used in the project.
• Complete online or offline documentation
• Support from customer support or forums to ask

From simple test, I expect:

• productivity when use the controls
• any support to help
• feature that are really needed

Test controls by supplying properties from value types to complex reference types. Value types like integer, simple reference type like array, Color or just IEnumerable, complex reference type like datatable or dataset.

What to test:

• Assign properties with its data type
• Assign properties with array or IEnumerable if its datatype is implementing IEnumerable
• Assign properties with datatable or dataset if possible
• Handle error on unmatch datatypes or unknown datatypes

From datatype test, I expect:

• Controls run on multiple/many scenarios
• Controls will not run while datatypes error or unmatch
• Error handles when datatype error or inconsistence
• Check if the control is a provider agnostic control.

Test controls by supplying fake data. Data can be single data or complex data.
What to test:

• Performance to parse data dan display data
• Performance to manipulate data
• Exception and error happens when manipulating
• Handle null data, zero data, incosistent data
• Handle controls state
• Controls responsiveness

From data test, I expect:

• Controls performance
• Handle data state and control state
• Error handles when data

Test controls by supplying real data. This is the same as fake data, but can be tested against thousand or maybe billions of records.

Test controls in a small projects. This project can be archieved projects or running projects. It will make me sure that controls can run well and easily composed.

Test controls in a running projects with a small team and use branching mechanism in software development. The controls will be used in the main project in the next iteration.

A new release of the controls will be tested again.

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