How to Use the Built-In Export Button When Using a Dynamic RadGrid?

[Pooya]

I have a RadGrid which is created at runtime and added to a place holder control.

I set the commandItemSettings.ShowExportToExcelButton = true and the built-in export button appears.

After the grid is created I call the Rebind() method so that my NeedDataSource event is raised (Advanced Data Binding):

I'm using NeedDataSource event:
 void radGrid1_NeedDataSource(object sender, GridNeedDataSourceEventArgs e)
        {
            this.radGrid.DataSource = this.dataSource;
        }

When I click the Export to Excel button nothing happens.

How should I implement this or use it so that the export works?

Many thanks,

[Shinu]

Hello Pooya,

If you are using AdvannedDataBinding using NeedDataSource Event, No need to explicitly call the Rebind method after creating the Grid. The event will fire automatically when the Grid needs data. However I tried with and without Rebind. Both worked as expected.Here is the code that I tried.

C#:

protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
   {
       RadGrid RadGrid1 = new RadGrid();
       RadGrid1.ID = "RadGrid1";
       PlaceHolder1.Controls.Add(RadGrid1);
       if (!IsPostBack)
       {
           RadGrid1.MasterTableView.DataKeyNames = new string[] { "EmployeeID" };
           RadGrid1.AllowPaging = true;
           RadGrid1.MasterTableView.AutoGenerateColumns = false;
           RadGrid1.MasterTableView.CommandItemSettings.ShowExportToExcelButton = true;
           RadGrid1.MasterTableView.CommandItemDisplay = GridCommandItemDisplay.Top;
           RadGrid1.NeedDataSource += new GridNeedDataSourceEventHandler(RadGrid1_NeedDataSource);
           RadGrid1.PageSize = 15;
           GridBoundColumn boundColumn;
           boundColumn = new GridBoundColumn();
           RadGrid1.MasterTableView.Columns.Add(boundColumn);
           boundColumn.DataField = "EmployeeID";
           boundColumn.HeaderText = "EmployeeID";
           boundColumn = new GridBoundColumn();
           RadGrid1.MasterTableView.Columns.Add(boundColumn);
           boundColumn.DataField = "LastName";
           boundColumn.HeaderText = "LastName";
           //RadGrid1.Rebind();no need to call this.
       }
   }
   void RadGrid1_NeedDataSource(object sender, GridNeedDataSourceEventArgs e)
   {
       RadGrid rdd = sender as RadGrid;
       rdd.DataSource = BindGrid();
   }
   protected DataTable BindGrid()
   {
       SqlConnection con = new SqlConnection(WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["NorthwindConnectionStringEmp"].ConnectionString);
       SqlCommand cmd1 = new SqlCommand("select * from Employees", con);
       SqlDataAdapter ad1 = new SqlDataAdapter(cmd1);
       DataTable ds1 = new DataTable();
       ad1.Fill(ds1);
       return ds1;
   }

Have you ajaxified the Grid? The exporting feature of the control work with regular postbacks only. So please make sure that you have disabled ajax before exporting.

Check out the following help documentation for more on this.
Export from ajaxified grid.

Thanks,
Shinu.

[Pooya]

Many thanks, it worked like a charm with ajax disabled!

but I'd need to enable ajax.

[Pooya]

Just when it exports the data as Excel or PDF, it adds an extra ugly line on top with few button-like controls.

How to get rid of that in the export? is there any property that I should be setting?

I have already set ExportSettings.HideStructureColumns = true;

Thanks,

[Princy]

Hello Pooya,

Try setting ExportOnlyData as true which exports only data.
 
RadGrid1.ExportSettings.ExportOnlyData = true;

Thanks,
Princy.

[Pooya]

Thanks,,

I wrote this in the radgrid_ItemCommand method and it worked:

            foreach (var commandItem in this.radGrid.MasterTableView.GetItems(GridItemType.CommandItem))
            {
                commandItem.Visible = false;
            }

Export to Word and Excel work fine. But Export to Pdf doesn't export template columns.

Any idea?

[Shinu]

Hello Pooya,

I cannot reproduce the issue locally. It worked as expected. Here is the code that I tried to export.
C#:

protected void Button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
   {
       RadGrid1.ExportSettings.ExportOnlyData = true;
       RadGrid1.ExportSettings.IgnorePaging = true;
       RadGrid1.ExportSettings.OpenInNewWindow = true;
       RadGrid1.MasterTableView.ExportToPdf();
   }

Also check out the following demo which also implements the same functionality.
Grid / Export to PDF.

Thanks,
Shinu.

[Pooya]

I used the code suggested there to register the control using ScriptManager:

        void _radGrid_ItemCreated(object sender, GridItemEventArgs e)
        {
            if (e.Item is GridCommandItem)
            {
                var exportToExcelButton = (e.Item as GridCommandItem).FindControl("ExportToExcelButton") as Button;
                PageUtil.RegisterPostBackControl(exportToExcelButton);


                var exportToWordButton = (e.Item as GridCommandItem).FindControl("ExportToWordButton") as Button;
                PageUtil.RegisterPostBackControl(exportToWordButton);


                var exportToPdfButton = (e.Item as GridCommandItem).FindControl("ExportToPdfButton") as Button;
                PageUtil.RegisterPostBackControl(exportToPdfButton);
            }
        }

        public static void RegisterPostBackControl(Control control)
        {
            var currentPage = (Page) HttpContext.Current.CurrentHandler;
            var currentScriptManager = ScriptManager.GetCurrent(currentPage);
            if (currentScriptManager != null)
            {
                currentScriptManager.RegisterPostBackControl(control);
            }
        }

When the Excel button is clicked for example, a popup window opens. When I click Open, it says there is no file to open. When I click Save, it saves the file properly on the disk and then I can open it from there.

Why Open doesn't work in the first place? that's odd. Any idea/clues?

Thanks,