Develop Reference

DataTable columns inside columns or merged row table structure

I've had a Google but I find no answer. You know how say in MS Word, when you insert a table, you can merge the columns of one single row to create a column-less row? Or have say a main header and then more columns inside it? Like so:
Merged Row:
|Column 1|Column 2|Column 3|
|Value|Value|Value|
|Merged Row|
|Value|Value|Value|
God the text formatting is awful on this web-site...and the Header Column example:
|Main Header||Another Main Header|
|Column 1|Column2||Column1|Column2|
I'm trying to achieve this in a written DataTable in C# which is being populated by an array. But I'm interested in changing its structure as one of the above, whichever is possible/easier.
So I've created my DataTable and added normal columns and rows etc. But I'd like to create either a merged row or a main header to display. Instead of having a repeated value in a single column for the values I am getting.
Can someone please provide a quick example on how I could achieve either one of those? Because repeated value will just look ugly.
Cheers.

You're talking about displaying data in a particular way but a
DataTable has nothing to do with display. It is for storage and that's
that. How you display the data is up to you. The same data can be
displayed in innumerable different ways. In a WinForms app, one of the
most common ways to display the contents of a DataTable is with a
DataGridView. You can choose which columns to display and merge cells
in that grid if desired. In short, you're looking in the wrong place
to do what you want to do. It is a presentation issue, not a data
issue. –
jmcilhinney

Multiple row input in asp.net for editing database table

From time to time, I need to create an input control which allows multiple rows of input, the type of input and number of columns could be different in each case but typically it would be represent a database table being edited, so it should also be possible to store an id value within each row. It should also be possible for the user to add new rows to the input if they have more data to input.
I have tried a couple of approaches to this but they are all very long winded for what seems like such an obvious and common scenario. I'm thinking that there must be a simple way to do this that I have missed.
The way that I usually solve this is by using a list view, enter all of the input controls required within the item template and use a html table for formatting, with each item being a row of the table. If there is existing data to be edited, I would load the data from the database, add a blank object to the results and bind it to the list view. If there is no existing data, I would create a collection with a blank record in it and bind it to the list view. I add a button for adding a new row. When clicked, this button retrieves all of the existing data from the list view by iterating all of the listview items and populating the data into a collection, which I would then add a blank object to and rebind the listview with the results. When saving, I would retrieve the results by iterating the listview items again and using a hidden field within each row to store the record id. This would determine whether a new record was added or an existing record was edited.
This approach works for me but I'm sure there must be simpler ways to achieve this. Looking forward to seeing how other people solve this.

For web forms, use a GridView. You can set its properties to allow editing, deleting, new rows, sorting, and paging.
Check out the MSDN example here that shows how to use it. If you bind a datasource to it, it will figure out the columns and adjust dynamically then, or you can predefine the columns you want for more customability.

You are talking about bulk insert/update. You could use XML insertion/updation for this purpose. Get all the data to a DataSet ds variable. Then use ds.GetXml() method to convert the dataset to XML string. Pass this to an XML parameter into SQL server which has the datatype 'XML'
INSERT INTO YOURTABLE
SELECT
V.VOI.value('(.)[1]', 'int')
FROM
#Input.nodes('/DATASETNAME/DATATABLENAME/') V(VOI)
Use this link to learn more

You need dynamic table with Add, View,Edit and delete operations on each data.
I would suggest using DataTable Jquery component. there are tons of examples on Data operations, and you can plug this with any Server technology including ASP.net
http://editor.datatables.net/

How to bind a existing column of DataGridView with datetimepicker control

I have gone through many articles but everyone redirects to
How to: Host Controls in Windows Forms DataGridView Cells.
But the problem lies here is that I dont want to add new column to my DataGridView which the article says to do it.I am having a DataGridView which is filled through the DataSource property of Grid.The data is coming from the database and filling the Dataset which indirectly fills the DataGridView.
So would like to ask how to add datetimepicker to my existing column of datagrid using the above article.So far I have created three classes namely CalendarColumn.cs, CalendarCells.cs and CalendarEditingControl.cs.
Also would like to ask about the NULL values the column has.Will the Null values will be handled by the classes or do we have to add some code?
The Output m getting is something like this---
and I want that extra column(Unnamed) not to appear in the Grid and show only the DateOfBirth column with DTP control as shown below--
Any links or articles would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Take a look at this article, I hope it will be useful: DataGridViewExtension.

Sort multiple columns while using a bindingsource or bindinglist

I have a problem I am trying to fix and it's sorting a DataGridView on multiple columns. I have read that this option is not a feature built-in the DataGridView and I have to implement it. I have found multiple solutions, but none quite got to do the work.
I'm also quite a newbie in C# and I don't know much of the .Net library. I have also read on the MSDN site for info on different classes that might be of use, but no success.
Now, let's get to the point. I have a DataGridView, with a BindingList (originally, a BindingSource) that I want to sort, but by multiple keys. My DataGrid has 9 columns and the user should be able to sort on any column. For example, let's say my Datagrid has 3 columns, named : Index, ID, Name. The user wants to sort by Name, implicitly, the next order would be Index and then ID. So, in case 2 names are identical, Index should be the next sort option.
Any ideas how this can be made?

The BindingSource object has a Sort property that lets you sort its collection of objects by any property you want just like an ORDER BY clause in SQL. After sorting, you perhaps shall refresh your DataGridView through the Refresh() method, I think.
Have you tried that already?

Cleanest way to implement collapsable entries in a table generated via asp:Repeater?

Before anyone suggests scrapping the table tags altogether, I'm just modifying this part of a very large system, so it really wouldn't be wise for me to revise the table structure (the app is filled with similar tables).
This is a webapp in C# .NET - data comes in from a webservice and is displayed onscreen in a table. The table's rows are generated with asp:Repeaters, so that the rows alternate colers nicely. The table previously held one item of data per row. Now, essentially, the table has sub-headers... The first row is the date, the second row shows a line of data, and all the next rows are data rows until data of a new date comes in, in which case there will be another sub-header row.
At first I thought I could cheat a little and do this pretty easily to keep the current repeater structure- I just need to feed some cells the empty string so that no data appears in them. Now, however, we're considering one of those +/- collapsers next to each date, so that they can collapse all the data. My mind immediately went to hiding rows when a button is pressed... but I don't know how to hide rows from the code behind unless the row has a unique id, and I'm not sure if you can do that with repeaters.
I hope I've expressed the problem well. I'm sure I'll find a way TBH but I just saw this site on slashdot and thought I'd give it a whirl :)

When you build the row in the databinding event, you can add in a unique identifier using say the id of the data field or something else that you use to make it unique.
Then you could use a client side method to expand collapse if you want to fill it with data in the beginning, toggling the style.display setting in Javascript for the table row element.

just wrap the contents of the item template in an asp:Panel, then you have you have a unique id. Then throw in some jquery for some spice ;)
edit: just noticed that you are using a table. put the id on the row. then toggle it.