This is a custom web server control that can be used freely by developers in their own code (ASP.NET or DNN). It is provided with full source and can be modified, customised and reselled in your own project. We only ask that you do not give away the source to non-subscribers.

The Smart-Thinker DataGrid reduces viewstate drastically by retrieving only the records that it needs (according to a PageSize setting). Sorting is done using SQL instead of a memory data-table sort to improve efficiency. For example, if you wanted to use a sortable, pagable grid for a portal with 10 000 users, each time you retrieved the data you would be retriving all 10 000 records using the standard ASP.NET datagrid. With the Smart-Thinker DataGrid, you can fetch only the 10 or so records that you need at a time, and provide a consistient, clean interface for the user. This will drastically improve performance and efficiency for large amounts of data. All grid styles and colors can be fully customized.

You can download the modified C# CodeSmith templates and use them as a base to get started. More often then not you need more parameters such as a search string or ItemID, but these should get you started.

You might have noticed that the latest Quotes and UserProfile module now use this control. Please post any questions you have on the Forums.

• Paging with variable page size
• Column sorting on any column
• Improved efficiency for large amounts of data
• Reduced Viewstate - only x records in memory
• Optional row highlighting
• Standardised interface for DataGrids
  

To use the DataGrid in your own module or ASP.NET page:

You can either reference the Smart-Thinker ModuleFramework assembly (SmartThinker.DNN.Modules.ModuleFramework.dll) or you can download the source for this
project and extract the class into your own library. If you do this then you will have to make sure you rename the namespace so that it doesn't clash with the Smart-Thinker modules. You may not distribute the source for the Smart-Thinker controls, so please structure accordingly. This tutorial will deal with the first method only, and will assume you are proficient with MS Visual Studio 2003 and SQL database usage.

If you have installed any Smart-Thinker modules you will have the SmartThinker.DNN.Modules.ModuleFramework.dll in the \bin directory of you DNN installation, or you can download it from this website to ensure you have the latest.

Open your project in VS 2003 and add a reference to the Smart-Thinker ModuleFramework (SmartThinker.DNN.Modules.ModuleFramework.dll)

Add the following to your .aspx page (see one of the Smart-Thinker modules for more information)

<%@ Register TagPrefix="st" Namespace="SmartThinker.DNN.Modules.ModuleFramework.UI" Assembly="SmartThinker.DNN.Modules.ModuleFramework" %>

You can then add an instance of the control to your page and set the standard properties on your grid as well as the new extended properties. For example, you could set Row highlighting to on by setting HighlightMouseOver to True. Please take a moment to examine all the new features and read their descriptions. If more help is required on a particular property then let us know on the Forums.

To use sorting and paging, you will need to follow the format of the Stored Procedure generated by the modified CodeSmith templates. If you do not have CodeSmith or want to modify a Stored Procedure, then you can start by looking at the Smart-Thinker UserProfile module SQL stored procedures (denoted with a
"page" in the stored proc name). This should give you an idea of what the SQL is doing, but if you still need help then let us know. Basically the sorting is done by generating an "Order By" clause for each column in the table, based on an input paramater which the Grid sets when the heading is clicked on. For example, the grid stores the value of the last column heading that was clicked on and in which direction it was sorted, eg. Name_DESC.

The paging is done using a temporary SQL table, and x records (as specified in the DAL) are extracted from  all the records in the temp table. This ensures only x records are passed between the database and webserver at any point in time, and reduces viewstate.

The best way to implement this functionality is to download and examine a Smart-Thinker module. You need to have a method call in the .aspx code behind and then the corresponding code in the DAL layer to call the generated stored procedure. Please see the Smart-Thinker UserProfile module for more information and let us know on the Forums if you need help.