wpf-405223-ai-powered-extensions.md
.NET 8 SDK / .NET Framework v4.7.2
OpenAI
Azure OpenAI
Semantic Kernel
Ollama (self-hosted models)
DevExpress.AIIntegration assemblies reference the following versions of Microsoft.Extensions.AI.* NuGet packages:
| Package Name | v25.2 |
|---|---|
Microsoft.Extensions.AI | 9.7.1 |
Microsoft.Extensions.AI.OpenAI | 9.7.1-preview.1.25365.4 |
See the following breaking change advisory for more information: DevExpress.AIIntegration references stable versions of Microsoft AI packages.
DevExpress.AIIntegration.WpfDevExpress.WpfDevExpress AI-powered extensions operate within an AIExtensionsContainerDesktop container. This container manages all registered AI clients so that DevExpress UI controls can automatically leverage AI services. You should register an AI client at application startup (App.xml.cs).
The following code snippet registers an OpenAI client at application startup within the AIExtensionsContainerDesktop container:
using DevExpress.AIIntegration;
using DevExpress.Xpf.Core;
using Microsoft.Extensions.AI;
using System;
using System.Windows;
namespace AIAssistantApp {
public partial class App : Application {
static App() {
CompatibilitySettings.UseLightweightThemes = true;
}
protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e) {
base.OnStartup(e);
ApplicationThemeHelper.ApplicationThemeName = "Office2019Colorful";
// For example, Model = "gpt-4o-mini"
IChatClient openAIChatClient = new OpenAI.OpenAIClient(OpenAIKey).GetChatClient(Model)
.AsIChatClient();
AIExtensionsContainerDesktop.Default.RegisterChatClient(openAIChatClient);
}
}
}
Imports DevExpress.AIIntegration
Imports DevExpress.Xpf.Core
Imports Microsoft.Extensions.AI
Imports System
Imports System.Windows
Namespace AIAssistantApp
Partial Public Class App
Inherits Application
Shared Sub New()
CompatibilitySettings.UseLightweightThemes = True
End Sub
Protected Overrides Sub OnStartup(ByVal e As StartupEventArgs)
MyBase.OnStartup(e)
ApplicationThemeHelper.ApplicationThemeName = "Office2019Colorful"
' For example, Model = "gpt-4o-mini"
Dim openAIChatClient As IChatClient = New OpenAI.OpenAIClient(OpenAIKey).GetChatClient(Model).AsIChatClient()
AIExtensionsContainerDesktop.Default.RegisterChatClient(openAIChatClient)
End Sub
End Class
End Namespace
The following code snippet registers an Azure OpenAI client at application startup within the AIExtensionsContainerDesktop container:
using Azure.AI.OpenAI;
using DevExpress.AIIntegration;
using DevExpress.Xpf.Core;
using Microsoft.Extensions.AI;
using System;
using System.Windows;
namespace AIAssistantApp {
public partial class App : Application {
static App() {
CompatibilitySettings.UseLightweightThemes = true;
}
protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e) {
base.OnStartup(e);
ApplicationThemeHelper.ApplicationThemeName = "Office2019Colorful";
// For example, ModelId = "gpt-4o-mini"
IChatClient azureChatClient = new Azure.AI.OpenAI.AzureOpenAIClient(new Uri(AzureOpenAIEndpoint),
new System.ClientModel.ApiKeyCredential(AzureOpenAIKey)).GetChatClient(ModelId).AsIChatClient();
AIExtensionsContainerDesktop.Default.RegisterChatClient(azureChatClient);
}
}
}
Imports Azure.AI.OpenAI
Imports DevExpress.AIIntegration
Imports DevExpress.Xpf.Core
Imports Microsoft.Extensions.AI
Imports System
Imports System.Windows
Imports System
Imports System.Windows
Imports Azure.AI.OpenAI
Namespace AIAssistantApp
Partial Public Class App
Inherits Application
Shared Sub New()
CompatibilitySettings.UseLightweightThemes = True
End Sub
Protected Overrides Sub OnStartup(e As StartupEventArgs)
MyBase.OnStartup(e)
ApplicationThemeHelper.ApplicationThemeName = "Office2019Colorful"
' For example, ModelId = "gpt-4o-mini"
Dim azureChatClient As IChatClient = New AzureOpenAIClient(New Uri(AzureOpenAIEndpoint),
New System.ClientModel.ApiKeyCredential(AzureOpenAIKey)).GetChatClient(ModelId).AsIChatClient()
AIExtensionsContainerDesktop.Default.RegisterChatClient(azureChatClient)
End Sub
End Class
End Namespace
Install the connector package for the AI service. This example uses Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Connectors.Google.
using Microsoft.Extensions.AI;
using Microsoft.SemanticKernel;
using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.ChatCompletion;
using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Connectors.Google;
using DevExpress.AIIntegration;
using DevExpress.Xpf.Core;
using System;
using System.Windows;
namespace AIAssistantApp {
public partial class App : Application {
static App() {
CompatibilitySettings.UseLightweightThemes = true;
}
protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e) {
base.OnStartup(e);
ApplicationThemeHelper.ApplicationThemeName = "Office2019Colorful";
var builder = Kernel.CreateBuilder().AddGoogleAIGeminiChatCompletion("YOUR_MODEL_ID", "YOUR_API_KEY", GoogleAIVersion.V1_Beta);
Kernel kernel = builder.Build();
IChatClient googleChatClient = kernel.GetRequiredService<IChatCompletionService>().AsChatClient();
AIExtensionsContainerDesktop.Default.RegisterChatClient(googleChatClient);
}
}
}
Imports Microsoft.Extensions.AI
Imports Microsoft.SemanticKernel
Imports Microsoft.SemanticKernel.ChatCompletion
Imports Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Connectors.Google
Imports DevExpress.AIIntegration
Imports DevExpress.Xpf.Core
Imports System
Imports System.Windows
Namespace AIAssistantApp
Partial Public Class App
Inherits Application
Shared Sub New()
CompatibilitySettings.UseLightweightThemes = True
End Sub
Protected Overrides Sub OnStartup(ByVal e As StartupEventArgs)
MyBase.OnStartup(e)
ApplicationThemeHelper.ApplicationThemeName = "Office2019Colorful"
Dim builder = Kernel.CreateBuilder().AddGoogleAIGeminiChatCompletion("YOUR_MODEL_ID", "YOUR_API_KEY", GoogleAIVersion.V1_Beta)
Dim kernel As Kernel = builder.Build()
Dim googleChatClient As IChatClient = kernel.GetRequiredService(Of IChatCompletionService)().AsChatClient()
AIExtensionsContainerDesktop.Default.RegisterChatClient(googleChatClient)
End Sub
End Class
End Namespace
The following code snippet registers an Ollama client:
using OllamaSharp;
using DevExpress.AIIntegration;
using DevExpress.Xpf.Core;
using Microsoft.Extensions.AI;
using System;
using System.Windows;
namespace AIAssistantApp {
public partial class App : Application {
static App() {
CompatibilitySettings.UseLightweightThemes = true;
}
protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e) {
base.OnStartup(e);
ApplicationThemeHelper.ApplicationThemeName = "Office2019Colorful";
// Requires the 'Microsoft.Extensions.AI.Ollama' NuGet package.
IChatClient asChatClient = new OllamaApiClient(new Uri("http://localhost:11434/"), "MODEL_NAME");
AIExtensionsContainerDesktop.Default.RegisterChatClient(asChatClient);
}
}
}
Imports OllamaSharp
Imports DevExpress.AIIntegration
Imports DevExpress.Xpf.Core
Imports Microsoft.Extensions.AI
Imports System
Imports System.Windows
Namespace AIAssistantApp
Partial Public Class App
Inherits Application
Shared Sub New()
CompatibilitySettings.UseLightweightThemes = True
End Sub
Protected Overrides Sub OnStartup(ByVal e As StartupEventArgs)
MyBase.OnStartup(e)
ApplicationThemeHelper.ApplicationThemeName = "Office2019Colorful"
' Requires the 'Microsoft.Extensions.AI.Ollama' NuGet package.
Dim asChatClient As IChatClient = New OllamaApiClient(New Uri("http://localhost:11434/"), "MODEL_NAME")
AIExtensionsContainerDesktop.Default.RegisterChatClient(asChatClient)
End Sub
End Class
End Namespace
AI Assistant extensions allow you to enhance the way your users interact with and manage text content with AI-powered precision. These extensions leverage advanced natural language processing (NLP) technologies to give users automated, intelligent text manipulation capabilities within your WPF applications.
AI-powered options include:
Applies to:
Note
The WPF Spreadsheet control does not support Change Style, Change Tone, and Expand extensions.
See the following help topic for additional information on how to activate and use AI Assistant extensions: AI Assistant Extensions.
The AI-powered “Explain Formula” extension generates a detailed explanation of the formula used in a worksheet cell in the DevExpress Spreadsheet control.
See the following help topic for additional information: Explain Formula.
The AI-powered “Generate Image Description” extension generates the description for the image in DevExpress WPF Spreadsheet and Rich Text Edit controls.
Play the following animation to see how the AI-powered “Generate Image Description” extension in a WPF Rich Text Editor generates Alt text for an image:
Run Demo: Generate Image Description
See the following help topic for additional information: Generate Image Description.
The AI-powered “Smart Autocomplete” feature intelligently predicts and suggests words or phrases based on the user’s current input. As you type, the AI model analyzes the context of the text and makes relevant suggestions in real time.
Applies to:
See the following help topic for additional information: Smart Autocomplete.
“SmartPaste” is an AI-powered feature that transforms the traditional copy-and-paste process into a smarter, more efficient tool. Designed to improve productivity, SmartPaste analyzes the content you copy and intelligently assigns the right values to the appropriate fields or row cells in the DevExpress WPF Data Grid, TreeList, and LayoutControl-driven forms.
Play the following animation to see how SmartPaste works:
Run Demo: Smart Paste - Data Grid
Applies to:
See the following help topic for additional information: Smart Paste.
Smart Search works alongside traditional search algorithms to offer a more powerful and user-friendly search experience. It offers results that are more aligned with what the user is seeking, even if the input contains spelling errors.
Run Demo: Smart Search - WPF Ribbon
Applies to:
See the following help topic for additional information: Smart Search.
Semantic search enables users to locate relevant data quickly and accurately within large datasets. Unlike standard keyword-based search, semantic search leverages Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze search queries beyond exact keyword matching.
Semantic search uses an embedding generator to convert text into numerical vector representations. Vectors are stored in a vector database. When a user enters a search query, the search engine computes similarity scores between the query vector and stored data vectors to return the most relevant results.
Run Demo: Semantic Search - Grid Control
Applies to: Data Grid
See the following help topic for additional information: Semantic Search.
You can create custom extensions based on DevExpress AI-powered extensions. See the following help topic for additional information and examples: Create Custom AI-powered Extensions.
Note
The DevExpress AI Chat Control (AIChatControl) can only be used in WPF applications that target the .NET 8+ framework.
The AI Chat Control (AIChatControl) allows you to incorporate an interactive, Copilot-inspired chat-based UI within your WPF application. The DevExpress AI Chat Control can only be used in WPF applications that target the .NET 8+ framework.
Features include:
See the following help topic for additional information: AI Chat Control.