JqGrid is a jQuery plugin which provides impressive AJAX-enabled dynamic data tables.  And when I say impressive, I mean fantastic. Not only it’s packed full of features, but it’s got a very nice look and feel as well. It’s got nothing to envy from traditional desktop application grids. I would say it’s even better than many of them.

Themeable interface: you can set it up as you wish

Themeable interface: you can set it up as you wish

The most important features jqGrid has are:

  • Paging. This feature enables the developer to display data page by page. Data will not be retrieved from the server until the end user comes to that page. Developers can control how many rows are displayed at a time.
  • Resizable Columns. Column width can be changed by the end user.
  • Sorting & various data types. The end user can sort records by clicking on the header of a column. Developers can specify sorting for various types including string, number, boolean, link, select and percent.
  • Event handlers & user API. Event handlers and various methods give you more flexibility without coding too much.
  • Auto loading data when scrolling. This feature allows you to load data without paging and using only the vertical scrollbar.
  • Working with local data. jqGrid can work with local data defined as an array.
  • Cross browser. Supports IE 6.0+, FireFox 2.0+, Safari 3.0+, Opera 9.2+ and Google Chrome.
  • Multilanguage support (i18n). JqGrid currently supports more than 20 languages.
  • Support for XML, JSON and arrays as data sources. Another great feature is the possibility to define your own custom data type.
  • SubGrids. Using a SubGrid is the easiest method for displaying data from child records.
  • Inline editing. Allows to update the cell content in a particular row in an in easy way.
  • Searching and filtering. The columns in the grid can be used as the basis for a search form to appear above, below, or in place of the grid.
  • Import / Export. JqGrid is able to import or export the entire grid configuration to another file format.
  • And many more!

This is a Javascript plugin running on the client which communicates with the server through AJAX. This means that you can use any technology you like on the server: ASP, PHP, JSP, etc.

In some other post I’ll explain how set it up and get it working in an ASP.NET project…

Links:

This is the grid I’m using at work. Both myself and the end users are very happy with this plugin. Check it out and see for yourself what I’m talking about!

Related posts:

  1. jqGrid multiselect: a little improvement