The following example shows how to load a .shp file to provide a custom map for the Choropleth Map dashboard item.

DevExpress Dashboard uses a Shapefile vector format to provide custom maps. Commonly, this format includes two file types:

• .shp file - holds map shapes (points/lines/polygons);
• .dbf file - contains attributes for each shape.

Follow the steps below to load the existing shapefile in code:

• Set the MapDashboardItem.Area property to Custom and use the MapDashboardItem.CustomShapefile property.
• Create a CustomShapefileData object.
• Specify its CustomShapefileData.ShapeData property and CustomShapefileData.AttributeData property (optional).
• Assign this object to the CustomShapefile.Data property.

If you use the CustomShapefile.Url property to open a map, the dashboard XML definition will contain the path to a map shapefile. If you open the map with the CustomShapefile.Data property, the dashboard XML definition will contain the map itself.

See Custom Maps for details.