Using the GridView Control in ASP.NET for Displaying and Managing Tabular Data
Learn how to efficiently display and manage tabular data in your ASP.NET web applications using the `GridView` control. This tutorial demonstrates its basic implementation, data binding, and key features like sorting and paging, providing a practical guide to creating user-friendly data presentations.
Using the GridView Control in C#
The `GridView` control in C# (specifically within the context of ASP.NET Web Forms) is a powerful way to display tabular data in web applications. It offers features like sorting, paging, and editing, simplifying the process of presenting data to users in a clear and organized format.
Key Features of GridView
- Sorting: Easily sort data in ascending or descending order by clicking column headers.
- Paging: Display data in manageable pages for better performance with large datasets.
- Editing: Allow users to directly edit data within the grid.
- Selection: Select rows for actions like deleting or updating.
- Formatting: Customize the appearance of data (font, color, etc.).
Important GridView Properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
AutoGenerateColumns |
Automatically creates columns based on your data source. |
AllowSorting |
Enables or disables sorting functionality. |
AllowPaging |
Enables or disables paging functionality. |
ShowHeader |
Shows or hides the header row. |
ShowFooter |
Shows or hides the footer row. |
EditIndex |
Specifies the index of the row currently being edited. |
PageSize |
Specifies the number of rows per page (for paging). |
GridView Events
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
RowDataBound |
Triggered when a row is bound to data; allows for row-level customization. |
RowEditing |
Triggered when a row enters edit mode; allows for data validation. |
RowDeleting |
Triggered before a row is deleted; allows confirmation or other actions. |
PageIndexChanged |
Triggered when the user changes the page; allows for rebinding data. |
Example: Displaying Data from a Dataset
This example demonstrates a simple way to use `GridView` to display data from a dataset. (Note: This example uses a `DataSet` and `DataTable`. You would typically use a database connection in a real-world application to retrieve data.)
- Add a `GridView` control to your web form (using the Visual Studio designer).
- Create a `DataSet` and `DataTable`, populate the table with data.
- Set the `GridView`'s `DataSource` and call `DataBind()`.
- Set `AllowSorting` and `AllowPaging` to `true`.
// ... (code to create DataSet and DataTable, populate data, and bind to GridView) ...