Get Started with Grid View

Nov 04, 2022
6 minutes to read

This topic describes how to add a Grid View to a web application and enable its fundamental data shaping and editing features.

Run Demo: ASPxGridView

Watch Video: Get started with the ASPxGridView

Add a Grid View to the Page

Drop the ASPxGridView control from the Visual Studio toolbox onto the form. This generates the following markup:

ASPX

aspx

<dx:ASPxGridView ID="ASPxGridView1" runat="server">
</dx:ASPxGridView>

Bind To Data

Create a data source (for example, a SqlDataSource object) and assign its ID to the control’s ASPxGridView.DataSourceID property to bind the control to this data source.

ASPX

aspx

<dx:ASPxGridView ID="ASPxGridView1" runat="server"
DataSourceID="SqlDataSource1" KeyFieldName="ProductID">
</dx:ASPxGridView>

<asp:SqlDataSource ID="SqlDataSource1" runat="server" ConnectionString="<%$ ConnectionStrings:NWindConnectionString %>"
DeleteCommand="DELETE FROM [Products] WHERE [ProductID] = @ProductID"
InsertCommand="INSERT INTO [Products] ([ProductName], [UnitPrice], [UnitsInStock], [Discontinued]) VALUES (@ProductName, @UnitPrice, @UnitsInStock, @Discontinued)"
SelectCommand="SELECT [ProductID], [ProductName], [UnitPrice], [UnitsInStock], [Discontinued] FROM [Products]"
UpdateCommand="UPDATE [Products] SET [ProductName] = @ProductName, [UnitPrice] = @UnitPrice, [UnitsInStock] = @UnitsInStock, [Discontinued] = @Discontinued WHERE [ProductID] = @ProductID">
    <DeleteParameters>
        <asp:Parameter Name="ProductID" Type="Int32" />
    </DeleteParameters>
    <InsertParameters>
        <asp:Parameter Name="ProductName" Type="String" />
        ...
    </InsertParameters>
    <UpdateParameters>
        <asp:Parameter Name="ProductName" Type="String" />
        ...
    </UpdateParameters>
</asp:SqlDataSource>

In this example, the grid and its data source are preconfigured to support the data editing feature discussed later in this tutorial. This functionality requires the following additional configuration:

Specify the control’s ASPxGridView.KeyFieldName property.
Enable CRUD commands in the data source (InsertCommand, UpdateCommand, and DeleteCommand).

More on data binding: Bind Grid View to Data

Watch Video: ASP.NET Grid - Databinding and Basic Customization

Add Data Columns

The ASPxGridView.Columns property stores the control’s column collection. If the ASPxGridView.AutoGenerateColumns property value is true, the control generates columns to accommodate the data table’s structure. You can disable the AutoGenerateColumns property and specify ASPxGridView columns in the markup as shown below.

ASPX

aspx

<dx:ASPxGridView ID="ASPxGridView1" runat="server"
DataSourceID="SqlDataSource1" KeyFieldName="ProductID"
AutoGenerateColumns="false">
    <Columns>
        <dx:GridViewCommandColumn FieldName="ProductID" ReadOnly="True" VisibleIndex="0" Visible="false" />
        <dx:GridViewDataTextColumn FieldName="ProductName" VisibleIndex="1" />
        <dx:GridViewDataTextColumn FieldName="UnitPrice" VisibleIndex="2">
            <PropertiesTextEdit DisplayFormatString="C" />
        </dx:GridViewDataTextColumn>
        <dx:GridViewDataTextColumn FieldName="UnitsInStock" VisibleIndex="3" />
        <dx:GridViewDataCheckColumn FieldName="Discontinued" VisibleIndex="4" />
    </Columns>
</dx:ASPxGridView>

See the following topic for more information on grid columns, rows, and cells: Data Representation Basics.

Add a Command Column

A command column contains data management commands (examples include: select a row, add new row, delete a row, edit a row). Define the control’s GridViewCommandColumn object and use its properties to specify which command items to display within the command column. Use the following settings to display the Select and Select All check boxes:

ASPX

aspx

<dx:ASPxGridView ID="ASPxGridView1" runat="server"
DataSourceID="SqlDataSource1" KeyFieldName="ProductID">
    <Columns>
        <dx:GridViewCommandColumn VisibleIndex="0"
            SelectAllCheckboxMode="Page"
            ShowSelectCheckbox="True"
        />
    ...
    </Columns>
    ...
</dx:ASPxGridView>

Sort Data

The Grid View control allows users to sort its data. Use the following properties to specify the availability of this feature:

At the control level: ASPxGridView.SettingsBehavior.AllowSort
At a column’s level: GridViewDataColumn.Settings.AllowSort

Use the GridViewDataColumn.Settings.SortMode property to specify the algorithm used to sort data. For example, you can sort data by value, by display text, or based on custom logic.

ASPX

aspx

<dx:ASPxGridView ID="ASPxGridView1" runat="server"
DataSourceID="SqlDataSource1" KeyFieldName="ProductID"
AutoGenerateColumns="false">
    <!-- Disable sorting at the control level. -->
    <SettingsBehavior AllowSort="false" />
    <Columns>
        ...
        <dx:GridViewDataTextColumn FieldName="UnitPrice" VisibleIndex="2" Width="120px">
            <!-- Allow sorting by value for a specific column. -->
            <Settings AllowSort="True" SortMode="Value" />
            <PropertiesTextEdit DisplayFormatString="C" />
        </dx:GridViewDataTextColumn>
        ...
    </Columns>
    ...
</dx:ASPxGridView>

Group Data

The Grid View control allows users to group data against column values. Use the following properties to specify the availability of this feature:

At the control level: ASPxGridView.SettingsBehavior.AllowGroup
At a column’s level: GridViewDataColumn.Settings.AllowGroup

Users can drag a column header to the Group Panel to group data by that column. Set the ASPxGridView.Settings.ShowGroupPanel property to true to enable this functionality.

ASPX

aspx

<dx:ASPxGridView ID="ASPxGridView1" runat="server"
DataSourceID="SqlDataSource1" KeyFieldName="ProductID"
AutoGenerateColumns="false">
    <!-- Disable grouping at the control level. -->
    <SettingsBehavior AllowSort="false" AllowGroup="false" />
    <Settings ShowFilterRow="True" ShowFilterRowMenu="true"
        ShowGroupPanel="True" />
    <Columns>
        ...
        <dx:GridViewDataCheckColumn FieldName="Discontinued" VisibleIndex="4" Width="100px">
            <!-- Allow grouping against a specific column's values. -->
            <Settings AllowGroup="True" />
        </dx:GridViewDataCheckColumn>
        ...
    </Columns>
    ...
</dx:ASPxGridView>

Filter Data

Enable the ASPxGridView.Settings.ShowFilterRow and ASPxGridView.Settings.ShowFilterRowMenu properties to display the filter row and the filter row button. Use the GridViewCommandColumn.ShowClearFilterButton property to specify whether to display the Clear Filter command item within the command column.

ASPX

aspx

<dx:ASPxGridView ID="ASPxGridView1" runat="server"
DataSourceID="SqlDataSource1" KeyFieldName="ProductID"
AutoGenerateColumns="false">
    ...
    <Settings ShowFilterRow="True" ShowFilterRowMenu="true" />
    <Columns>
        <dx:GridViewCommandColumn VisibleIndex="0"
            ...
            ShowClearFilterButton="True" />
    </Columns>
</dx:ASPxGridView>

Search Data

Set the ASPxGridSearchPanelSettings.Visible property to true to enable the search panel in the ASPxGridView control. Use the ASPxGridView.SettingsSearchPanel property to access the search panel settings.

ASPX

aspx

<dx:ASPxGridView ID="ASPxGridView1" runat="server"
DataSourceID="SqlDataSource1" KeyFieldName="ProductID"
AutoGenerateColumns="false">
    ...
    <SettingsSearchPanel Visible="True" />
    ...
</dx:ASPxGridView>

Edit Data

The Grid View control supports the following data editing modes:

Edit Form
Edit Form and Display Row
Popup Edit Form
Batch

Specify the ASPxGridView.SettingsEditing property to define the edit mode that you want to use. The markup below demonstrates how to enable the batch edit mode. This mode utilizes in-place data editors and allows users to submit batches of data edits to the server in a single request.

ASPX

aspx

<dx:ASPxGridView ID="ASPxGridView1" runat="server"
DataSourceID="SqlDataSource1" KeyFieldName="ProductID"
AutoGenerateColumns="false">
    <SettingsEditing Mode="Batch" />
    ...
</dx:ASPxGridView>