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Binding to DataTable
Updated on Oct 24, 2025
RadDropDownList can be bound to a DataTable, DataSet, and DataView. The following example shows binding to a DataTable object.
The declaration of RadDropDownList object includes no DataSourceID property or <items> section:
ASPNET
<telerik:RadDropDownList RenderMode="Lightweight" ID="RadDropDownList1" runat="server">
</telerik:RadDropDownList>In the Page_Load event handler, create and fill the DataTable object, then bind it to the RadDropDownList. The DataBind method must be called after setting the DataSource property.
C#
	
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
	if (!Page.IsPostBack)
	{
		BindToDataTable(RadDropDownList1);
	}
}
private void BindToDataTable(Telerik.Web.UI.RadDropDownList dropdownlist)
{
	SqlConnection con = new SqlConnection("Data Source=LOCAL;Initial Catalog=DropDownList;Integrated Security=True");
	SqlDataAdapter adapter = new SqlDataAdapter("SELECT [Text], [Value] FROM [Links]", con);
	DataTable links = new DataTable();
	adapter.Fill(links);
	dropdownlist.DataTextField = "Text";
	dropdownlist.DataValueField = "Value";
	dropdownlist.DataSource = links;
	dropdownlist.DataBind();
}