FlexGrid for WinForms | ComponentOne
In This Topic
    Key Features
    In This Topic

    Code-free Development

    Why write code, when a click is enough. With rich design-time options beginning from binding to styling which are accessible through the tasks menu and various editors, FlexGrid lets you do a lot even without writing a single line of code.

    Advanced Cell Editing

    Choose from a variety of built-in editors or just create one for yourself. FlexGrid offers various built-in cell editors so that you can choose from simple text editing, drop-down lists, combo lists, cell buttons, masks, and so on. Not just this, with an option to create your own custom cell editors, you can change your cells to accept or display almost any type of data.

    Work in Bound Mode or Unbound Mode

    Bound grid or unbound, populate the data seamlessly. FlexGrid lets you bind the grid with any data sources such as ADO.NET and Entity Framework. You can also work in unbound mode and let FlexGrid manage the data itself.

    Present Hierarchical Data

    View data the way that is best for you and your users. When FlexGrid is bound to a hierarchical data source, each master record can be expanded or collapsed to show or hide the details in child grids, which may contain more details. The result is a "data tree" similar to the type of grid presented by Microsoft Access when displaying hierarchical data. When bound, the control detects subordinate data sources and creates additional instances of itself to display child tables.

    Summarize Data and Show Aggregates

    Get a quick outline of your grid data by summarizing it. FlexGrid allows you to summarize data by adding a subtotal row and display aggregates such as sum, average, count, and so on for the specified column.

    Make it a Tree

    Easily display your hierarchical data by converting your grid into a tree. FlexGrid lets you represent your bound or unbound hierarchical data in Tree Grid which is similar to a TreeView control and gives a clean yet accessible structure to the data.

    Built-in Data Filtering

    Let your users filter the data by value, by condition or just give them both the options to choose from. FlexGrid provides advanced built-in filtering with column filter, value filter, and condition filter already in place. Still does not work for you? Create your own custom filter using rich FlexGrid API.  

    Grouping

    Group programmatically or at run-time. With FlexGrid, both are possible. FlexGrid lets you group either through code and even give your users an option to group at run-time using the FlexGridGroupPanel control or through context menu.

    Instant Search

    Search the entire grid in one go and locate entries among millions of records instantly. FlexGrid provides FlexGridSearchPanel control which lets the user type in the search box, filters the records that match the typed text, and also highlights the search results.

    Merge Cells

    Give your grid a tidy look by merging the cells with the same values. FlexGrid lets you merge the contiguous cells with the same values the way you want. With free and restricted auto-merge options, the grid can intelligently decide which cells to merge.

    Save and Load Multiple Formats

    Back up the grid data or load it back in a jiffy. FlexGrid lets you save the grid in your favorite format, be it a text file, excel file, or XML. You can even load content from these formats. Not just this, you can also load grid data from a database using DataReader objects.

    Show Sparklines

    Perk up your grid with the tiny charts. FlexGrid allows you to add sparklines to grid columns so that you can easily display trends and fluctuations in a single cell and make your grid data more useful and attractive at the same time.

    Perform Clipboard Operations

    Move your text easily with Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. FlexGrid lets you perform clipboard operations on the grid data and headers using your favorite keys.  

    Assign Field Names to Columns

    No need to remember the index of columns, just call them by name. FlexGrid automatically assigns column keys to field names when the grid is data-bound, or you may assign them through code. You can refer to a column using a ColIndex(ColKey) syntax later, which will retrieve the column you want even if your user has moved it to a different position on the grid.

    Use Data Annotations

    Hint the user with data annotations. FlexGrid lets you add data annotations in the form of metadata tags to the classes and other objects to display messages and tips for the users.

    UI Automation and Support

    Enable accessible and rich client applications through UI Automation (UIA). FlexGrid control supports UI Automation using frameworks such as TestStack.White. You can enable applications such as screen readers, coded UI testing to examine user-interface elements, and even simulated user interaction through code.

    Note: UI Automation works only for the 4.5.2 version of C1FlexGrid and .NET framework 4.7 or above application target frameworks.

    Add Special Drawing Effects

    Make your grid look different and attractive with special drawing effects. FlexGrid lets you paint special drawing effects such as lines, bitmaps, and icons in the grid cells. Additionally, you can even scale images and add transparency to them.

    Display Images in Cells

    Need to display images in columns, not an issue at all. With FlexGrid, you can display images along with data. You can even bind grid columns to image lists, an easy and efficient way to display graphical information from data sources.

    Integrated Printing

    Print the grid with a single statement. FlexGrid gives you control over paper orientation, margins, header and footer text, as well as the dialog boxes to set up the printer or see a preview. You can even implement advanced printing options such as adding page breaks or custom elements to each page by using printing events.

    Styling

    Use the visual styles or create your own custom styling, use the designer or write your own code. FlexGrid gives you enormous options to customize the appearance of the grid to match your requirements. You can customize every element of the FlexGrid starting from headers and icons to borders and subtotal rows.

    See Also