Create a DataGrid using a DataView as the source

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This tip explains how to use DataView with a DataGrid and access individual fields using text field, checkboxes, etc., on the form outside the DataGrid.

Here is the sample that creates a DataGrid using a DataView as the source for the grid. The initial sample is VB.NET. Some of the internal code snippets are C# .NET. I did this on purpose to emphasize that language should not be the driving factor for a project or example. If you can't use or at least read both, you need to get out the books.

Everything to this point is pretty straightforward and reasonably well documented. After a row is selected in the DataGrid, the objective is to populate standard fields on the form for editing purposes. (Note: The fields in the G...

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RID were set to ReadOnly.) How you access the individual row and its fields is NOT well documented. The .NET environment defines DATAVIEWS, DATAROWVIEWS, CURRENCYMANAGER and a number of other objects that can be used, but there are very few examples. After a tedious search of the online help, I decided that the CurrencyManager could be used to define DataRowView.

Individual fields can now be accessed using the following:

What isn't obvious is the most straightforward way to access the Row and Field.

It is really too bad that there are no good examples of how to define and use DataGrids. The DataGrid could be used by a lot more people if there were examples that described the HOW TO. I've found that once you know how to use DataViews and DataGrids, it is pretty easy. The LEARNING CURVE is very long though. I'm sure many of us give up before we ever really get proficient using the DataGrid. There are also a lot of things that I still do not know how to do, so if you have readers who have learned HOW TO, you could create an entire book on the information that they have acquired.

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