We are happy to announce the availability of VIBlend Silverlight Controls 6.0.  The newest version of VIBlend Silverlight Controls includes a set of new Metro UI Themes - Metro Blue, Metro Green and Metro Orange themes.

In this post we will show you how to display the WinForms GridView in a Popup control. We will also use the new Metro Blue theme.

1. The first step is to drag and drop a new instance of the VIBlend DataGridView and the ControlBox control.
The ControlBox control is a control similar to the WinForms ComboBox, but it can display any content in its Popup.

2. The next step is to initialize the Grid. We will add 5 rows and 5 columns and will populate it in unbound mode. The first column will display images in the grid cells. The rest columns will be traditional text columns.

- Create the Grid Rows and Columns:

C#

for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++)
{
    Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items.Add(i.ToString());
    Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items.Add("Column " + i);
}

VB .NET

For i As Integer = 0 To 4
    Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items.Add(i.ToString())
    Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items.Add("Column " & i)
Next i

Fill the first grid column with images. In order to display an image in a grid cell, you need to do two things - set the cell's display settings to DisplaySettings.ImageOnly and call the SetCellImage method passing the cell's row, column and image index parameters.

C#

Grid1.ImageList = imageList1;
HierarchyItem columnImage = Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[0];

for (int i = 0; i < Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items.Count; i++)
{
    HierarchyItem rowItem = Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[i];
    Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellDisplaySettings(rowItem, columnImage, DisplaySettings.ImageOnly);
    Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellImage(rowItem, columnImage, i);
}

VB .NET
 
Grid1.ImageList = imageList1
Dim columnImage As HierarchyItem = Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(0)

For i As Integer = 0 To Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items.Count - 1
    Dim rowItem As HierarchyItem = Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(i)
    Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellDisplaySettings(rowItem, columnImage, DisplaySettings.ImageOnly)
    Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellImage(rowItem, columnImage, i)
Next i

Fill the rest of the columns by using the SetCellValue method.

C#

Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[0], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[1], "Porsche Boxster");
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[1], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[1], "Acura TL");
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[2], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[1], "Audi A4");
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[3], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[1], "BMW 645Ci");
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[4], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[1], "BMW 760Li");

Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[0], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[2], true);
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[1], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[2], true);
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[2], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[2], true);
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[3], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[2], true);
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[4], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[2], true);

Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[0], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[3], "4 years");
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[1], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[3], "4 years");
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[2], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[3], "4 years");
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[3], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[3], "4 years");
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[4], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[3], "4 years");

Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[0], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[4], "www.porsche.com");
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[1], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[4], "www.acura.com");
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[2], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[4], "www.audi.com");
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[3], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[4], "www.bmw.com");
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items[4], Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[4], "www.bmw.com");

VB .NET

Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(0), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(1), "Porsche Boxster")
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(1), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(1), "Acura TL")
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(2), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(1), "Audi A4")
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(3), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(1), "BMW 645Ci")
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(4), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(1), "BMW 760Li")

Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(0), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(2), True)
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(1), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(2), True)
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(2), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(2), True)
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(3), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(2), True)
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(4), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(2), True)

Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(0), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(3), "4 years")
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(1), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(3), "4 years")
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(2), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(3), "4 years")
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(3), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(3), "4 years")
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(4), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(3), "4 years")

Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(0), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(4), "www.porsche.com")
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(1), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(4), "www.acura.com")
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(2), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(4), "www.audi.com")
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(3), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(4), "www.bmw.com")
Grid1.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Grid1.RowsHierarchy.Items(4), Grid1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(4), "www.bmw.com")

3. In order to display the Grid in the ControlBox's Popup,  you need to set the ControlBox's ContentControl property to point to the Grid instance.

C#

this.vControlBox.ContentControl = this.Grid1;

VB .NET

Me.vControlBox.ContentControl = Me.Grid1

 

CodeProject

In this post, we will show you how to use the cells merge functionality of VIBlend DataGridView for WinForms.

The first step is to add the DataGridView to your Form. You can do this by drag and drop from the Visual Studio toolbox or you can create it in the code behind.

C#

private vDataGridView grid = new vDataGridView();

public Form1()
{
    InitializeComponent();
    grid.Dock = DockStyle.Fill;
    grid.VIBlendTheme = VIBLEND_THEME.NERO;
    this.Controls.Add(grid);
    this.LoadData();
    this.MergeCells();
    this.SetCellsValues();
}

VB .NET

Private grid As New vDataGridView()

Public Sub New()
    InitializeComponent()
    grid.Dock = DockStyle.Fill
    grid.VIBlendTheme = VIBLEND_THEME.NERO
    Me.Controls.Add(grid)
    Me.LoadData()
    Me.MergeCells()
    Me.SetCellsValues()
End Sub

Now, we need to implement the LoadData, MergeCells and SetCellValues methods. The LoadData method will add rows and columns to the DataGridView.

C#

private void LoadData()
{
    // add columns.
    for (int i = 1; i <= 8; i++)
    {
        grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items.Add("Column " + i);
    }
    // add rows.
    for (int i = 1; i <= 25; i++)
    {
        grid.RowsHierarchy.Items.Add("Row " + i);
    }

    grid.RowsHierarchy.AutoResize();
    grid.ColumnsHierarchy.AutoResize();
    grid.Refresh();
}

VB .NET

Private Sub LoadData()
    ' add columns.
    For i As Integer = 1 To 8
        grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items.Add("Column " & i)
    Next i
    ' add rows.
    For i As Integer = 1 To 25
        grid.RowsHierarchy.Items.Add("Row " & i)
    Next i

    grid.RowsHierarchy.AutoResize()
    grid.ColumnsHierarchy.AutoResize()
    grid.Refresh()
End Sub

To add rows and columns we use the Add method of the DataGridView's Rows and Columns hierarchies.

The SetCellValues method will simply insert values in the Grid cells. This will be achieved by using the SetCellValue method which accepts three parameters - row, column and cell value.

C#

private void SetCellsValues()
{
    HierarchyItem rowItem1 = grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[0];
    HierarchyItem columnItem1 = grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[0];

    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(rowItem1, columnItem1, "Monthly Housing and Transportation Expenses");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[1], columnItem1, "Primary residence");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[1], this.grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[3], "Transportation Expenses");
    // fill data

    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[2], columnItem1, "Mortgage Payment");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[3], columnItem1, "Property Tax");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[4], columnItem1, "Insurance");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[5], columnItem1, "Electricity");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[6], columnItem1, "Water");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[7], columnItem1, "Cabel TV Service");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[8], columnItem1, "High Speed Internet");

    // fill second column data.
    HierarchyItem columnItem2 = this.grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[1];
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[2], columnItem2, "$1,459,76");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[3], columnItem2, "$212.54");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[4], columnItem2, "$49.21");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[5], columnItem2, "$73.44");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[6], columnItem2, "$41.48");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[7], columnItem2, "$22.14");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[8], columnItem2, "$24.99");

    // fill third column data.

    HierarchyItem columnItem3 = this.grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[3];
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[2], columnItem3, "Vehicle 1 Payment");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[3], columnItem3, "Vehicle 1 Insurance");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[4], columnItem3, "Vehicle 1 Gas");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[5], columnItem3, "Vehicle 1 Maintenance");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[6], columnItem3, "Vehicle 2 Lease");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[7], columnItem3, "Vehicle 2 Insurance");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[8], columnItem3, "Vehicle 2 Gas");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[9], columnItem3, "Vehicle 2 Maintenance");

    // fiil fourth column data.
    HierarchyItem columnItem4 = this.grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[4];
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[2], columnItem4, "$351,34");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[3], columnItem4, "$55.12");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[4], columnItem4, "$129.21");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[5], columnItem4, "$55.17");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[6], columnItem4, "$311.12");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[7], columnItem4, "$109.35");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[8], columnItem4, "$114.99");
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(this.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[9], columnItem4, "$35.19");
}

VB .NET

Private Sub SetCellsValues()
    Dim rowItem1 As HierarchyItem = grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(0)
    Dim columnItem1 As HierarchyItem = grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(0)

    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(rowItem1, columnItem1, "Monthly Housing and Transportation Expenses")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(1), columnItem1, "Primary residence")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(1), Me.grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(3), "Transportation Expenses")
    ' fill data

    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(2), columnItem1, "Mortgage Payment")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(3), columnItem1, "Property Tax")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(4), columnItem1, "Insurance")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(5), columnItem1, "Electricity")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(6), columnItem1, "Water")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(7), columnItem1, "Cabel TV Service")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(8), columnItem1, "High Speed Internet")

    ' fill second column data.
    Dim columnItem2 As HierarchyItem = Me.grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(1)
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(2), columnItem2, "$1,459,76")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(3), columnItem2, "$212.54")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(4), columnItem2, "$49.21")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(5), columnItem2, "$73.44")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(6), columnItem2, "$41.48")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(7), columnItem2, "$22.14")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(8), columnItem2, "$24.99")

    ' fill third column data.

    Dim columnItem3 As HierarchyItem = Me.grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(3)
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(2), columnItem3, "Vehicle 1 Payment")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(3), columnItem3, "Vehicle 1 Insurance")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(4), columnItem3, "Vehicle 1 Gas")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(5), columnItem3, "Vehicle 1 Maintenance")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(6), columnItem3, "Vehicle 2 Lease")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(7), columnItem3, "Vehicle 2 Insurance")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(8), columnItem3, "Vehicle 2 Gas")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(9), columnItem3, "Vehicle 2 Maintenance")

    ' fiil fourth column data.
    Dim columnItem4 As HierarchyItem = Me.grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(4)
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(2), columnItem4, "$351,34")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(3), columnItem4, "$55.12")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(4), columnItem4, "$129.21")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(5), columnItem4, "$55.17")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(6), columnItem4, "$311.12")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(7), columnItem4, "$109.35")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(8), columnItem4, "$114.99")
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellValue(Me.grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(9), columnItem4, "$35.19")
    columnItem3.Width = 150
    columnItem1.Width = 150
    grid.Refresh()
End Sub

The MergeCells method will lllustrate how to merge grid cells by using the SetCellSpan method. When you use the SetCellSpan method, you need to pass four parameters to it - row, column, rows span and columns span. In the method we will merge cells in the first and second rows and we will also set custom visual style to the merged cells.

C#

private void MergeCells()
{
    HierarchyItem rowItem1 = grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[0];
    HierarchyItem columnItem1 = grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[0];

    // create a custom cell style.
    GridCellStyle style = new GridCellStyle();
    style.FillStyle = new FillStyleSolid(Color.FromArgb(255, 0, 175, 240));
    style.Font = new Font(this.Font.FontFamily, 11.0f, FontStyle.Bold);
    style.TextColor = Color.White;

    GridCellStyle orangestyle = new GridCellStyle();
    orangestyle.FillStyle = new FillStyleSolid(Color.FromArgb(255, 254, 122, 1));
    orangestyle.Font = new Font(this.Font.FontFamily, 10.0f, FontStyle.Bold);
    orangestyle.TextColor = Color.White;

    grid.CellsArea.SetCellTextAlignment(rowItem1, columnItem1, ContentAlignment.MiddleCenter);
    // set the cell span to 1 row and 5 columns.
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellSpan(rowItem1, columnItem1, 1, 5);
    // set the merged cell value and style.
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellDrawStyle(rowItem1, columnItem1, style);
    // set the cell span to 1 row and 2 columns.
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellSpan(grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[1], columnItem1, 1, 3);
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellDrawStyle(grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[1], columnItem1, orangestyle);
    // set the merged cell value.
    // set the cell span to 1 row and 2 columns.
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellSpan(grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[1], this.grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[3], 1, 2);
    // set the merged cell value.
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellDrawStyle(grid.RowsHierarchy.Items[1], this.grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[3], orangestyle);
}

VB .NET

Private Sub MergeCells()
    Dim rowItem1 As HierarchyItem = grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(0)
    Dim columnItem1 As HierarchyItem = grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(0)

    ' create a custom cell style.
    Dim style As New GridCellStyle()
    style.FillStyle = New FillStyleSolid(Color.FromArgb(255, 0, 175, 240))
    style.Font = New Font(Me.Font.FontFamily, 11.0f, FontStyle.Bold)
    style.TextColor = Color.White

    Dim orangestyle As New GridCellStyle()
    orangestyle.FillStyle = New FillStyleSolid(Color.FromArgb(255, 254, 122, 1))
    orangestyle.Font = New Font(Me.Font.FontFamily, 10.0f, FontStyle.Bold)
    orangestyle.TextColor = Color.White

    grid.CellsArea.SetCellTextAlignment(rowItem1, columnItem1, ContentAlignment.MiddleCenter)
    ' set the cell span to 1 row and 5 columns.
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellSpan(rowItem1, columnItem1, 1, 5)
    ' set the merged cell value and style.
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellDrawStyle(rowItem1, columnItem1, style)
    ' set the cell span to 1 row and 2 columns.
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellSpan(grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(1), columnItem1, 1, 3)
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellDrawStyle(grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(1), columnItem1, orangestyle)
    ' set the merged cell value.
    ' set the cell span to 1 row and 2 columns.
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellSpan(grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(1), Me.grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(3), 1, 2)
    ' set the merged cell value.
    grid.CellsArea.SetCellDrawStyle(grid.RowsHierarchy.Items(1), Me.grid.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(3), orangestyle)
End Sub

CodeProject

VIBlend WinForms DataGridView has a built-in feature which allows you to set a custom Sort comparer. In this post, we will show you how to sort the DataGridView rows or columns by label.
At first, we will create a Comparer which compares HierarchyItem objects by the HierarchyItem.Caption property.

C#

private class ItemLabelComparer : IComparer<HierarchyItem>
{
    public int Compare(HierarchyItem item1, HierarchyItem item2)
    {
        return string.Compare(item1.Caption, item2.Caption);
    }
}

VB .NET

Private Class ItemLabelComparer
    Implements IComparer(Of HierarchyItem)
    Public Function Compare(ByVal item1 As HierarchyItem, ByVal item2 As HierarchyItem) As Integer
        Return String.Compare(item1.Caption, item2.Caption)
    End Function
End Class

Create an instance of the ItemLabelComparer object and pass it to the RowsHierarchy.SortBy method. If you want to sort the ColumnsHierarchy, call the ColumnsHierarchy.SortBy method.

C#

ItemLabelComparer Comparer = new ItemLabelComparer();
 this.vDataGridView1.RowsHierarchy.SortBy(this.vDataGridView1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items[0], sorting, Comparer);
this.Refresh();

VB .NET

Dim Comparer As New ItemLabelComparer()
 Me.vDataGridView1.RowsHierarchy.SortBy(Me.vDataGridView1.ColumnsHierarchy.Items(0), sorting, Comparer)
Me.Refresh()

CodeProject

The new version of VIBlend Controls for WinForms is coming in a few weeks and will deliver an upgrade to the DataGridView control with new features, better UI and styling capabilities.

-  Extended filtering options

The DataGridView filtering window will be extended by providing an easier and user-friendly experience. The new filtering window will show a checked list, allowing for single and/or multiple selections. The previous filtering mechanism will still be available and you will be able to switch to it by clicking a single button. The filtering improvements will also include new case-sensitive filtering options.

-    Improved support for Totals

The Pivot-Table totals support will be extended by adding a capability that will allow you to display Sub-Totals, Grand-Totals or a combination of Sub-Totals and Grand-Totals

-    New Cell Editors

The new version will include several new cell editors – Currency, Percentage, Number, Mask and Fixed-Point Editors

-    New Pivot-Table Filtering and enhanced Pivot-Design panel

The DataGridView will expose a new BoundFieldsFilters collection that will allow you to filter data in the Pivot-Table and display only a subset of data that meet the filtering criteria (criteria: Conditions you specify to limit which records are included in the result set of a filter.) that you specify and hides data that you do not want displayed. The Pivot-Design panel will feature a new Filter Area box that will enable you to manipulate the BoundFieldsFilters collection by drag and drop. Another addition to the Pivot-Design panel will be the Localization support.

One of the most common data binding scenarios is to bind a DataGrid to a SQL Server Database and to load records from a specified data table. In this post, we will explain you how to set up basic data binding in VIBlend WPF DataGrid to the Customer table of the AdventureWorksLT Database.

So the first step would be to create a new WPF Application Project and then create a new instance of the DataGrid via drag and drop from the toolbox or create it programmatically. The DataGrid fields that will represent data source fields are created in XAML markup. Below you will see that we have very simple XAML for our WPF application which adds a DataGrid to the window

       <viblendDataGrid:DataGrid ItemsSource="{Binding Customer}" Name="dataGrid1" Margin="10">
            <viblendDataGrid:DataGrid.BoundFields>
                <viblendDataGrid:BoundField Text="First Name" DataField="FirstName" Width="70"/>
                <viblendDataGrid:BoundField Text="Last Name" DataField="LastName" Width="70"/>
                <viblendDataGrid:BoundField Text="Company Name" DataField="CompanyName" Width="150"/>
                <viblendDataGrid:BoundField Text="Phone" DataField="Phone" Width="100"/>
                <viblendDataGrid:BoundField Text="Email Address" DataField="EmailAddress" Width="100"/>
            </viblendDataGrid:DataGrid.BoundFields>
        </viblendDataGrid:DataGrid>

 Next, create a new AdventureWorksLTDataSet. In order to create it, do the following: Select Data->Add New DataSource->DataBase->DataSet. Add a connection to the AdventureWorksLT Database and Click the 'Next' button. Then expand the 'Tables' tree node, select Customer and click the 'Finish' button.

Note: The AdventureWorksLT Database is installed with the installation of the SQL Server. However, you can also download and install it from http://sqlserversamples.codeplex.com 
Once the Data Source is configured, create new instances of the AdventureWorksLTDataSet data set. and CustomerTableAdapter , then fill the Customer table with data. Finally, bind the VIBlend DataGrid for WPF to the Customer table.

C#

   public partial class MainWindow : Window
    {
        AdventureWorksLTDataSet dataSet = new AdventureWorksLTDataSet();
        AdventureWorksLTDataSetTableAdapters.CustomerTableAdapter adapter = new AdventureWorksLTDataSetTableAdapters.CustomerTableAdapter();
   
        public MainWindow()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            adapter.Fill(dataSet.Customer);
            this.dataGrid1.DataContext = this;
        }

        public WpfApplication2.AdventureWorksLTDataSet.CustomerDataTable Customer
        {
            get
            {
                return this.dataSet.Customer;
            }
        }
    }

VB .NET

   Partial Public Class MainWindow
       Inherits Window
        Private dataSet As New AdventureWorksLTDataSet()
        Private adapter As New AdventureWorksLTDataSetTableAdapters.CustomerTableAdapter()

        Public Sub New()
            InitializeComponent()
            adapter.Fill(dataSet.Customer)
            Me.dataGrid1.DataContext = Me
        End Sub

        Public ReadOnly Property Customer() As WpfApplication2.AdventureWorksLTDataSet.CustomerDataTable
            Get
                Return Me.dataSet.Customer
            End Get
        End Property
   End Class

 

The main focus of the upcoming major release is on the WPF DataGrid control. There are two main areas that were the target of improvement – performance and business-oriented features. The performance is improved in various scenarios including navigation, scrolling and data binding. You can easily create an excel-like spreadsheet with thousands of rows and columns or bind the DataGrid to large datasets. Some of the key new features will be the built-in Clipboard support, Localization Provider, enhanced Data Layer through binding to a DataTable and improved support for MVVM. 

 

If you have already worked with the VIBlend Silverlight and WinForms DataGrids, you will also benefit from the shared codebase between our DataGrid controls.

Another small improvement will be the new default theme: 

We sincerely hope that you'll like the new changes and we'll be glad to hear your feedback. If you have any questions regarding the new release, please feel free to contact us at support@viblend.com 

One of the key features that you can expect in the new release is the Pivot Design Panel.  The Pivot Design panel integrates with VIBlend DataGrid for Windows Forms. It provides an intuitive and easy to use drag and drop interface for defining pivot table views. You can choose the pivot rows, pivot colums, data fields and data aggregation functions.  This solution is ideal for building a wide range of in-house OLAP and BI applications.

Another improvement will be the DataGrid’s Localization Provider that enables you to localize the ContextMenu and FilteringWindow strings.

For more information regarding the new release, feel free to contact us at support@viblend.com

In this blog post we will show you how to use the VIBlend DataGridView for WinForms in a WPF application.

The following code example creates a WinForms DataGrid control with Office2010Black theme in a WPF application. This example uses a WindowsFormsHost element to place the DataGrid control within the main window’s root  element. The WindowsFormsHost element could be found in the WindowsFormsIntegration.dll.

[xaml]

  <Window x:Class="HostWinFormsControlInWPF.Window1"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        xmlns:viblend="clr-namespace:VIBlend.WinForms.DataGridView;assembly=VIBlendGrid"
        Title="Window1" Height="300" Width="300">
    <Grid>
        <WindowsFormsHost>
            <viblend:vDataGridView x:Name="VIBlendDataGrid" VIBlendTheme="OFFICE2010BLACK"/>               
        </WindowsFormsHost>
    </Grid>
</Window>

In order to bind the data grid, you need to do the following:  Click on the Data menu item in your Visual Studio, then select the “Add new DataSource” item.  Browse to the Nwind.mdb which ships with the WinForms controls installation, choose the Employees table and click finish. In the code behind, after the InitializeComponent call or in the Load event handler , bind the data grid to the Employees table.

            NwindDataSet dataSet = new NwindDataSet();
            EmployeesTableAdapter adapter = new EmployeesTableAdapter();
            adapter.Fill(dataSet.Employees);
            this.VIBlendDataGrid.DataSource = dataSet.Employees.DefaultView;
            this.VIBlendDataGrid.DataBind();

Here is the result:

We are proud to announce the second major release of VIBlend Controls for Silverlight.

With the new release, VIBlend has officially included in the suite four new controls – OutlookPane, NavigationPane, DateTimePicker and ScrollablePanel. Not only we introduced new controls, but we also improved the quality and functionality of the existing ones and added over 10 new examples to show how our controls work.

The Menu and Context Menu controls from the toolset are now provided free of charge to all registered users.

See our Silverlight Controls Live Demo and Download a free trial today.