Microsoft Visual Basic 2010 Step by Step eBook

467

Chapter 19

Data Presentation Using

the DataGridView Control

After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

n Create a data grid view object on a Windows form, and use it to display a database

table.

n Sort database tables by column.

n Change the format and color of cells in a data grid view object.

n Add and remove columns and column headings.

n Display multiple data grid view objects on a form.

n Permit changes in data grid view cells, and write updates to the underlying database.

In Chapter 18, “Getting Started with ADO .NET,” you learned how to use Microsoft ADO .NET

database programming techniques to establish a connection to a Microsoft Access database

and display columns from the database in a Windows form. You also learned how to add

a navigation bar to a form and how to organize database information using Structured

Query Language (SQL) statements and the Query Builder tool.

In this chapter, you’ll continue working with the database programming features of Microsoft

Visual Studio 2010 and the useful classes, objects, and design tools in ADO .NET. In particular,

you’ll learn how to use the DataGridView control, which allows you to present an entire table

of database information to the user.

Using DataGridView to Display Database Records

The DataGridView control presents information by establishing a grid of rows and columns

on a form to display data as you might see it in a program such as Microsoft Excel or Access.

A DataGridView control can be used to display any type of tabular data: text, numbers, dates,

or the contents of an array. In programming terms, DataGridView is also quite convenient

because the underlying data adapter and dataset objects associated with DataGridView

handle all the data access functionality automatically.

Table of Contents

Data Presentation Using the DataGridView Control............. 467

Using DataGridView to Display Database Records..................... 467

Formatting DataGridView Cells...................................... 479

Adding a Second Data Grid View Object............................... 482

One Step Further: Updating the Original Database...................... 485

Chapter 19 Quick Reference.......................................... 488