Implementing SfHeatMap (WPF)

Table of Contents

• When to use this skill
• Control overview → references/overview.md
• Quick start → references/getting-started.md
• Color mapping → references/color-mapping.md
• Items mapping → references/items-mapping.md
• Legend & visualization → references/legend.md
• Common patterns
• Troubleshooting

When to use this skill

Use this skill when you need an actionable, copy-pasteable guide to integrate and configure the Syncfusion SfHeatMap control in a WPF app. This is focused on implementation (what to configure and why), not exhaustive API reference.

Control overview

Read: references/overview.md

Key points:

• Visualizes tabular data as color gradients
• Supports TableMapping and CellMapping data models
• Useful for spotting patterns and value ranges quickly

Quick start

Read: references/getting-started.md

What to do first:

• Add SfHeatMap to XAML
• Provide an ItemsSource and an ItemsMapping (TableMapping or CellMapping)
• Add ColorMappingCollection for value→color mapping
• Optionally add SfHeatMapLegend to make ranges clear

Color mapping guidance

Read: references/color-mapping.md

When to tune color mapping:

• When you need semantic buckets (poor/average/good)
• When precise range-to-color mapping is required for interpretation

Semantic buckets (red / yellow / green) — example

Copy-pasteable XAML + C# that maps explicit numeric ranges to semantic colors and shows a legend:

<Window xmlns:syncfusion="http://schemas.syncfusion.com/wpf"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        x:Class="HeatMapSamples.MainWindow">
  <Window.Resources>
    <!-- Define semantic buckets: low=red, mid=yellow, high=green -->
    <syncfusion:ColorMappingCollection x:Key="semanticColorMapping">
      <!-- Value = numeric stop; Legend uses the Label text -->
      <syncfusion:ColorMapping Value="0"   Color="#FF0000" Label="Low (0 - 33)" />
      <syncfusion:ColorMapping Value="33"  Color="#FFFF00" Label="Medium (34 - 66)" />
      <syncfusion:ColorMapping Value="66"  Color="#00B300" Label="High (67 - 100)" />
    </syncfusion:ColorMappingCollection>

    <!-- CellMapping for row/column/value triplets -->
    <syncfusion:CellMapping x:Key="cellMapping">
      <syncfusion:CellMapping.Column>
        <syncfusion:ColumnMapping PropertyName="Column" DisplayName="Column" />
      </syncfusion:CellMapping.Column>
      <syncfusion:CellMapping.Row>
        <syncfusion:ColumnMapping PropertyName="Row" DisplayName="Row" />
      </syncfusion:CellMapping.Row>
      <syncfusion:CellMapping.Value>
        <syncfusion:ColumnMapping PropertyName="Value" />
      </syncfusion:CellMapping.Value>
    </syncfusion:CellMapping>
  </Window.Resources>

  <Grid Margin="12">
    <Grid.RowDefinitions>
      <RowDefinition Height="Auto" />
      <RowDefinition Height="*" />
    </Grid.RowDefinitions>

    <!-- Legend explains the semantic buckets clearly -->
    <syncfusion:SfHeatMapLegend
        Grid.Row="0"
        LegendMode="List"
        Orientation="Horizontal"
        ColorMappingCollection="{StaticResource semanticColorMapping}" />

    <!-- The HeatMap uses the same ColorMappingCollection -->
    <syncfusion:SfHeatMap
        Grid.Row="1"
        ItemsSource="{Binding Cells}"
        ItemsMapping="{StaticResource cellMapping}"
        ColorMappingCollection="{StaticResource semanticColorMapping}" />
  </Grid>
</Window>

// Minimal code-behind (MainWindow.xaml.cs)
using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
using System.Windows;

public class CellData
{
    public string Row { get; set; }
    public string Column { get; set; }
    public double Value { get; set; }
}

public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
    public ObservableCollection<CellData> Cells { get; } = new ObservableCollection<CellData>();

    public MainWindow()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
        // sample values spanning 0..100
        Cells.Add(new CellData { Row = "R1", Column = "C1", Value = 10 });
        Cells.Add(new CellData { Row = "R1", Column = "C2", Value = 40 });
        Cells.Add(new CellData { Row = "R1", Column = "C3", Value = 80 });
        Cells.Add(new CellData { Row = "R2", Column = "C1", Value = 25 });
        Cells.Add(new CellData { Row = "R2", Column = "C2", Value = 55 });
        Cells.Add(new CellData { Row = "R2", Column = "C3", Value = 95 });

        DataContext = this;
    }
}

Notes:

• The ColorMappingCollection defines stops; values between stops are interpolated unless you purposely treat them as buckets. Using the shown stops with SfHeatMapLegend LegendMode="List" produces labeled ranges in the legend.
• Adjust exact Value thresholds to match your data distribution (e.g., 0/33/66 above). Ensure the Value range you define covers your data domain.

Items mapping guidance

Read: references/items-mapping.md

When to use TableMapping vs CellMapping:

• Use TableMapping for wide objects with multiple numeric properties (years as columns)
• Use CellMapping for row/column/value triplet datasets

Legend & visualization

Read: references/legend.md

Use a legend to make color ranges discoverable. Choose Gradient for continuous ranges and List for labeled buckets.

Common patterns

• Quick-start example: minimal XAML + items mapping + color mapping + legend
• Responsive layouts: limit legend width and use Orientation to adapt
• Accessibility: ensure labels and contrast are sufficient for screen readers

Troubleshooting

• If colors look unexpected, verify ColorMappingCollection values and ensure numeric ranges align with data
• If items don't appear, confirm ItemsMapping matches the ItemsSource schema and keys

Generated by automation to provide a concise implementation router for the SfHeatMap control.