Which control should I use to show post records from my database in ASP.NET?
On my project page I would like to show recently featured projects. The number of projects can vary. I'm looking for a control like GridView or something that alter the properties of accordingly to get data from my database.
Below is an image of what I would like my page to look like:
I have been told to use asp:ListView but I don't know how to use it. Is this the right solution for my problem?
You could use a GridView Class
Displays the values of a data source in a table where each column
represents a field and each row represents a record. The GridView
control enables you to select, sort, and edit these items.
Or a Repeater Class
A data-bound list control that allows custom layout by repeating a
specified template for each item displayed in the list.
I have read many articles regarding difference between gridview and repeater. I come to know that gridview pattern is fixed in and , where as repeater can provide customized HTML mark up. If I am not wrong, we can also customize HTML mark up by adding template field and placing table with customized design. In that tables we can place labels and other .net control and can get whatever we want. Then why to use repeater control.
I am confused in which scenario it can be preferred over gridview.
In simple words we can say performance of repeater is far better than gridview. If you need basic rendering for read only items then its better to use repeater and if you need events , pagination and editable controls then you should go for gridview. Simpler controls with less in built functionality are speedy. you can do implement all functionalities of grid view to repeater but you have to do it manually.
So it depends upon you requirements either you need repeater or gridview
This discussion will be helpfull for you
http://forums.asp.net/t/1072020.aspx
Is there anyway to auto-create ASP.NET controls at Design time based on fields in a SQLDataSource? It is really easy to create a form in WinForms by dragging the fields onto the form. You can even determine which control will be used (like a dropdown, checkbox). Is there anyway to do this in ASP.NET? I don't want a DetailsView since I need to have separate controls that are created.
So based on what you have said, I am going to take a guess and say that a FormView would work for what you want. Assuming that you have Insert, Update and a Parameterized Select statement defined for a SqlDataSource, you can wire them up in the designer and Visual Studio will automatically create the form fields necessary.
Is it possible to use a TemplateField (or any *Field from a GridView) inside a user control (ascx).
I have a complex TemplateField (item, edit, footer) that I would like to easily reuse.
Thanks.
As the question is worded, there is no way. What it sounds like you are doing (making the elements of a TemplateColumn reusable) then there are two ways that come to mind right off.
One, put your User Control into the ItemTemplate/FooterTemlate of the TemplateColumn.
Two, build the complex GridView Column as a standalone server control, which you can use in place of a TemplateColumn (or BoundColumn).
GridView is a bit top-heavy for a user control - you could create a custom GridView in a separate control library and simply reuse it that way.
So many different controls to choose from! What are best practices for determining which control to use for displaying data in ASP.NET?
It's really about what you trying to achieve
Gridview - Limited in design, works like an html table. More in built functionality like edit/update, page, sort. Lots of overhead.
DataGrid - Old version of the Gridview. A gridview is a super datagrid.
Datalist - more customisable version of the Gridview. Also has some overhead. More manual work as you have to design it yourself.
ListView - the new Datalist :). Almost a hybrid of the datalist and gridview where you can use paging and build in Gridview like functionality, but have the freedom of design. One of the new controls in this family
Repeater - Very light weight. No built in functionality like Headers, Footers. Has the least overhead.
Everyone else hit it: It Depends.
Now for some specific guidance (expanding upon WebDude's excellent answer above) ...
Does your design fit into a natural spreadsheet or grid view of the data? GridView.
Do you need to display a list or other formatted view of data, possibly with headers and footers, and probably with specific controls and/or formatting for each record of data? (EG, customized links, possibly LinkButtons, or specific edit controls?) Does this display specifically not fit naturally into a spreadsheet or grid view? ListView
If you meet all the criteria of ListView, but you would naturally fit in a grid, you may consider DataList.
I go for Repeater when I just need some basic data iterated with some custom design bits, no headers, no footers, nice and clean.
Markup View
Declaring the following sample code is possible for all 3( ListView, DataList , Repeater)
<asp:ListView runat="server" OnItemCommand="Unnamed1_ItemCommand">
<ItemTemplate> <%# Eval("Name")%> </ItemTemplate>
<asp:ListView>
in the following lists You can see the available templates and options for each of them and see the differences for yourself
ListView (note the edit,group,insert ,layout)
AlternatingltemTemplate
EditltemTemplate
EmptyDataTemplate
EmptyltemTemplate
GroupSeparatorTemplate
GroupTemplate
lnsertltemTemplate
ItemSeparatorTemplate
ItemTemplate
LayoutTemplate
SelectedltemTemplate
DataList (note the Style pairs)
AlternatingltemStyle
AlternatingltemTemplate
EditltemStyle
EditltemTemplate
FooterStyle
FooterTemplate
HeaderStyle
HeaderTemplate
ItemStyle
ItemTemplate
SelectedltemStyle
SelectedltemTemplate
SeparatorStyle
SeparatorTemplate
Repeater
AlternatingltemTemplate
FooterTemplate
HeaderTemplate
ItemTemplate
SeparatorTemplate
Code View (advanced view)
CompositeDataBoundControl:
look the following classes hierarchy (and related controls).
these controls hosts other asp.net controls in their templates to display bound-data to user
Some descriptions for better clarifications
The ListView Control
The ListView control also uses templates for the display of data. However, it supports many
additional templates that allow for more scenarios when working with your data. These templates include the LayoutTemplate,GroupTemplate,ItemSeparatorTemplate.
The ListView control (unlike DataList and Repeater) also implicitly supports the ability to
edit, insert, and delete data by using a data source control. You can define individual templates
for each of these scenarios.
The DataList Control
The DataList control works like the Repeater control. It repeats data for each row in your data set,
and it displays this data according to your defined template. However, it lays out the data defined
in the template within various HTML structures. This includes options for horizontal or vertical
layout, and it also allows you to set how the data should be repeated, as flow or table layout.
The DataList control does not automatically use a data source control to edit data. Instead,
it provides command events in which you can write your own code for these scenarios. To
enable these events, you add a Button control to one of the templates and set the button’s
CommandName property to the edit, delete, update, or cancel keyword. The appropriate
event is then raised by the DataList control.
The Repeater Control
The Repeater control also uses templates to define custom binding. However, it does not show data as individual records. Instead, it repeats the data rows as you specify in your template. This
allows you to create a single row of data and have it repeat across your page.
The Repeater control is a read-only template. That is, it supports only the ItemTemplate.
It does not implicitly support editing, insertion, and deletion. You should consider one of the
other controls if you need this functionality, otherwise you will have to code this yourself for
the Repeater control.
The above Descriptions are from MCTS Exam 70-515 Web Applications Development with Microsoft.NET Framework 4 book.
DataGrid is not even mentioned in this book and is replaced by popular GridViews and answered nicely by other users
It all comes down to how you want to layout your data.
If you need to control the layout (like tables versus CSS versus whatever), when use a Repeater or ListView. Between the two, ListView gives you a lot more events and built-in commands for editing, selecting, inserting. Additionally paging and grouping functionality. A Repeater is extremely simple, it repeats a layout with the data. Since you're building the layout by hand, Listview and Repeater require more code.
GridView is an updated DataGrid so there is hardly any reason to use DataGrid. GridView works really well when hooked up to standard ASP.NET datasources, but restricts you to a tabular layout with lots of layout rules. GridView requires less code since you're using a built-in layout.
Indeed! I've blogged on the differences between the ASP.NET 4.0 data tools. Basically, gridviews are the most powerful way to present tabular information, whereas ListView controls are for more complicated displays of repeated data. If I were giving advice to an ASP.NET newbie, I'd tell them to learn gridviews inside out and ignore the other controls to begin with.