flexgrid use problems in vb.net

I want to use a grid like flexgrid i vb.net, where I can manually fill the grid the grid with data, set rowheight and columnwidth as I like etc.
However - as it seems - the flexgrid i've found in vb.net - have limitations such as that columnwidth is a readonly property and so on.

Is there some other grid I can use in vb.net that is controllable when I like to populate it and change appearance manually without connection to a database?

Well, what .NET offers is the Datagrid, Its in my opinion powerful, but it has its limitations.

You can always still use the Flexgrid control from 6.0 if the Datagrid doesn't suite you app.

Well, I HAVE to use the flexgrid or equivalent, since I'm going to handle the grid manually - whithout connection to a database.
But the problem is that when I use the Flexgrid - important properties such as cellwidth and rowheight seem to have become a read-only-property in VB.net.

Hi,

I just posted about this last week, so here's some code that I learnt to help you:

Code:

---


    ' Global Decs
    Public Const gcflexAlignLeftTop = 0
    Public Const gcflexAlignLeftCentre = 1
    Public Const gcflexAlignLeftBottom = 2
    Public Const gcflexAlignCenterTop = 3
    Public Const gcflexAlignCenterCentre = 4
    Public Const gcflexAlignCenterBottom = 5
    Public Const gcflexAlignRightTop = 6
    Public Const gcflexAlignRightCentre = 7
    Public Const gcflexAlignRightBottom = 8
    Public Const gcflexAlignGeneral = 9

    ' Local Consts
    Const cgrdDesc = 1
    Const cgrdRate = 2
    Const cgrdEnrolDate = 3
    Const cgrdRefunded = 4
    Const cgrdPrice = 5
    Const cgrdTax = 6
    Const cgrdTotal = 7
    Const cgrdSOL = 8

    ' Example Sub
    Private Sub RefreshForm()
        Dim strSQLStm As String

        ' Initialise Grid
        grdSalesLines.Rows = 1
        grdSalesLines.set_ColWidth(0, grdSalesLines.Size.Width * 0.1)
        grdSalesLines.set_ColWidth(cgrdDesc, grdSalesLines.Size.Width * 0.2)
        grdSalesLines.set_ColWidth(cgrdRate, 72)
        grdSalesLines.set_ColWidth(cgrdRefunded, grdSalesLines.Size.Width * 0.1)
        grdSalesLines.set_ColWidth(cgrdPrice, grdSalesLines.Size.Width * 0.1)
        grdSalesLines.set_ColWidth(cgrdTax, grdSalesLines.Size.Width * 0.1)
        grdSalesLines.set_ColWidth(cgrdTotal, grdSalesLines.Size.Width * 0.1)
        grdSalesLines.set_ColAlignment(cgrdEnrolDate, gcflexAlignLeftCentre)
        grdSalesLines.set_ColAlignment(cgrdPrice, gcflexAlignRightCentre)
        grdSalesLines.set_ColAlignment(cgrdTax, gcflexAlignRightCentre)
        grdSalesLines.set_ColAlignment(cgrdTotal, gcflexAlignRightCentre)
        cboEnrolDate.Visible = False

            strSQLStm = "SELECT tbl_SalesOrderLine.sol_SalesOrderLineNumber AS Line, tbl_ItemMaster.itm_Name AS Item, " & _
                              "tbl_SalesOrderLine.sol_Rate AS Rate, tbl_SalesOrderLine.sol_Refunded AS [Refunded?], " & _
                              "tbl_SalesOrderLine.sol_Amount AS Price, tbl_SalesOrderLine.sol_GST AS Tax, " & _
                              "[sol_Amount]+[sol_GST] AS Total, tbl_SalesOrderLine.sol_Item, tbl_ItemDates.itd_Start " & _
                        "FROM (tbl_Enrolment RIGHT JOIN (tbl_SalesOrderLine LEFT JOIN tbl_ItemMaster " & _
                                                                                  "ON tbl_SalesOrderLine.sol_Item = tbl_ItemMaster.itm_ID) " & _
                                                    "ON (tbl_Enrolment.enl_SalesOrderLineNumber = tbl_SalesOrderLine.sol_SalesOrderLineNumber) " & _
                                                  "AND (tbl_Enrolment.enl_SalesOrderNumber = tbl_SalesOrderLine.sol_SalesOrderNumber)) " & _
                                            "LEFT JOIN tbl_ItemDates ON tbl_Enrolment.enl_ItemDate = tbl_ItemDates.itd_ID " & _
                        "WHERE sol_SalesOrderNumber = " & SalesOrderNumber & " " & _
                        "ORDER BY sol_SalesOrderLineNumber"

            Debug.WriteLine(strSQLStm)

            Dim cmdSOLines As New OleDb.OleDbCommand(strSQLStm, gconDatabase)
            Dim datSOLines As OleDb.OleDbDataReader

            cmdSOLines.Connection = gconDatabase
            datSOLines = cmdSOLines.ExecuteReader
            Do Until datSOLines.Read = False
                grdSalesLines.AddItem("")
                grdSalesLines.set_RowHeight(grdSalesLines.Rows - 1, 480)
                grdSalesLines.set_TextMatrix(grdSalesLines.Rows - 1, cgrdDesc, datSOLines("Item"))
                grdSalesLines.set_TextMatrix(grdSalesLines.Rows - 1, cgrdRate, datSOLines("Rate"))
                Try
                    grdSalesLines.set_TextMatrix(grdSalesLines.Rows - 1, cgrdEnrolDate, Format(datSOLines("itd_Start"), "Short Date"))
                Catch
                    grdSalesLines.set_TextMatrix(grdSalesLines.Rows - 1, cgrdEnrolDate, "Pending")
                End Try
                grdSalesLines.set_TextMatrix(grdSalesLines.Rows - 1, cgrdRefunded, datSOLines("Refunded?"))
                grdSalesLines.set_TextMatrix(grdSalesLines.Rows - 1, cgrdPrice, Format(datSOLines("Price"), "#,##0.00"))
                grdSalesLines.set_TextMatrix(grdSalesLines.Rows - 1, cgrdTax, Format(datSOLines("Tax"), "#,##0.00"))
                grdSalesLines.set_TextMatrix(grdSalesLines.Rows - 1, cgrdTotal, Format(datSOLines("Total"), "#,##0.00"))
                grdSalesLines.set_TextMatrix(grdSalesLines.Rows - 1, cgrdSOL, datSOLines("Line"))
            Loop
            datSOLines.Close()
        End If
    End Sub

---

You can use the datagrid without using a database. You just have to set a dataset as the source. You can then just add/modify/or remove data from the set. It actually pretty much behave like the flex grid control except that it works much better.

Jeremy

Also even though a DataGrid is called a DATAgrid it doesn't require a database to bind to. You can Bind to anything that Implements IList or something derived from it (i.e. ArrayList, Class..)