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Inserting Values Using InPlace and EditForms Modes

Insert operationGenerally, there are three common techniques to insert grid row with InPlace and EditForms edit mode:

Enabling the automatic operations for the control - this is a codeless approach and requires zero lines of code (see this online demo for more info).
Use the ExtractValuesFromItem(dictonaryObject, editedItem) method. You can create an empty dictionary object and pass it as first parameter of the ExtractValuesFromItem() method to extract the values from the inserted item (which is the second parameter to that method). The dictionary object will hold key -> value pairs where each key will be the DataFieldof the insertion field column and the corresponding value will be the data entered by the user.
Fetch the data from each editor field individually through the auto-generated column editors. For this purpose you will need to iterate through the editable fields for the inserted grid row and modify the grid source on every loop.

The code below demonstrates the both approaches about how to perform the insert operation in Telerik RadGrid when the user presses the Insert button from the insertion form (thus firing the InsertCommand event).

Note that we use the ViewState property (named GridSource) to update the grid source. DataSourceHelperCS and DataSourceHelperVB are used to generate the source. You can use your own way to provide a sample source, e.g. use the widespread Northwind SQL table to load the DataTable or generate a dummy DataTable.

ASP.NET

<telerik:RadGrid RenderMode="Lightweight" ID="RadGrid1" runat="server">
  <MasterTableView AutoGenerateColumns="False">
    <Columns>
      <telerik:GridBoundColumn HeaderText="OrderID" DataField="OrderID" ReadOnly="True"
        UniqueName="OrderID" Display="False">
      </telerik:GridBoundColumn>
      <telerik:GridBoundColumn HeaderText="EmployeeID" DataField="EmployeeID" UniqueName="EmployeeID">
      </telerik:GridBoundColumn>
      <telerik:GridBoundColumn HeaderText="OrderDate" DataField="OrderDate" UniqueName="OrderDate">
      </telerik:GridBoundColumn>
      <telerik:GridBoundColumn HeaderText="ShipName" DataField="ShipName" UniqueName="ShipName">
      </telerik:GridBoundColumn>
      <telerik:GridEditCommandColumn UniqueName="EditCommandColumn">
      </telerik:GridEditCommandColumn>
    </Columns>
  </MasterTableView>
</telerik:RadGrid>
<asp:Label ID="Label1" Style="z-index: 102; left: 744px; position: absolute; top: 56px"
  runat="server"></asp:Label>

Example 1: Using ExtractValuesFromItem

C#
private DataTable GridSource
{
    get
    {
        Object obj = this.ViewState["_gds"];
        if (obj != null)
        {
            return (DataTable)obj;
        }
        else
        {
            DataTable table = DataSourceHelperCS.GetDataTable("SELECT TOP 10 OrderID, EmployeeID, OrderDate, ShipName FROM Orders");
            this.ViewState["_gds"] = table;
            return table;
        }
    }
}
private void RadGrid1_NeedDataSource(object source, Telerik.Web.UI.GridNeedDataSourceEventArgs e)
{
    RadGrid1.DataSource = this.GridSource;
}
private void RadGrid1_InsertCommand(object source, Telerik.Web.UI.GridCommandEventArgs e)
{
    GridEditableItem editedItem = e.Item as GridEditableItem;
    DataTable ordersTable = this.GridSource;

    DataRow newRow = ordersTable.NewRow();

    //As this example demonstrates only in-memory editing, a new primary key value should be generated
    //This should not be applied when updating directly the database
    DataRow[] allValues = ordersTable.Select("", "OrderID", DataViewRowState.CurrentRows);
    if (allValues.Length > 0)
    {
        newRow["OrderID"] = (int)allValues[allValues.Length - 1]["OrderID"] + 1;
    }
    else
    {
        newRow["OrderID"] = 1; //the table is empty;
    }

    //Set new values
    Hashtable newValues = new Hashtable();
    //The GridTableView will fill the values from all editable columns in the hash
    e.Item.OwnerTableView.ExtractValuesFromItem(newValues, editedItem);

    try
    {
        foreach (DictionaryEntry entry in newValues)
        {
            newRow[(string)entry.Key] = entry.Value;
        }
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        Label1.Text += "Unable to insert into Orders. Reason: " + ex.Message;
        e.Canceled = true;
    }

    ordersTable.Rows.Add(newRow);
    //Code for updating the database ca go here...

    Label1.Text += "Order " + newRow["OrderID"] + " inserted";

}
VB
Private ReadOnly Property GridSource As DataTable
    Get
        Dim obj As Object = Me.ViewState("_gds")
        If (Not (obj) Is Nothing) Then
            Return CType(obj, DataTable)
        Else
            Dim table As DataTable = DataSourceHelperVB.GetDataTable("SELECT TOP 10 OrderID, EmployeeID, OrderDate, ShipName FROM Orders")
            Me.ViewState("_gds") = table
            Return table
        End If
    End Get
End Property

Private Sub RadGrid1_NeedDataSource(ByVal source As Object, ByVal e As Telerik.Web.UI.GridNeedDataSourceEventArgs)
    RadGrid1.DataSource = Me.GridSource
End Sub

Private Sub RadGrid1_InsertCommand(ByVal source As Object, ByVal e As Telerik.Web.UI.GridCommandEventArgs)
    Dim editedItem As GridEditableItem = CType(e.Item, GridEditableItem)
    Dim ordersTable As DataTable = Me.GridSource
    Dim newRow As DataRow = ordersTable.NewRow
    'As this example demonstrates only in-memory editing, a new primary key value should be generated
    'This should not be applied when updating directly the database
    Dim allValues() As DataRow = ordersTable.Select("", "OrderID", DataViewRowState.CurrentRows)
    If (allValues.Length > 0) Then
        newRow("OrderID") = (CType(allValues((allValues.Length - 1))("OrderID"), Integer) + 1)
    Else
        newRow("OrderID") = 1
        'the table is empty;
    End If
    'Set new values
    Dim newValues As Hashtable = New Hashtable
    'The GridTableView will fill the values from all editable columns in the hash
    e.Item.OwnerTableView.ExtractValuesFromItem(newValues, editedItem)
    Try
        For Each entry As DictionaryEntry In newValues
            newRow(CType(entry.Key, String)) = entry.Value
        Next
    Catch ex As Exception
        Label1.Text = (Label1.Text + ("Unable to insert into Orders. Reason: " + ex.Message))
        e.Canceled = True
    End Try
    ordersTable.Rows.Add(newRow)
    'Code for updating the database ca go here...
    Label1.Text = (Label1.Text + ("Order " _
       + (newRow("OrderID") + " inserted")))
End Sub

Example 2: Using the auto-generated column editors

C#
private DataTable GridSource
{
    get
    {
        Object obj = this.ViewState["_gds"];
        if (obj != null)
        {
            return (DataTable)obj;
        }
        else
        {
            DataTable table = DataSourceHelperCS.GetDataTable("SELECT TOP 10 OrderID, EmployeeID, OrderDate, ShipName FROM Orders");
            this.ViewState["_gds"] = table;
            return table;
        }
    }
}
private void RadGrid1_NeedDataSource(object source, Telerik.Web.UI.GridNeedDataSourceEventArgs e)
{
    RadGrid1.DataSource = this.GridSource;
}
private void RadGrid1_InsertCommand(object source, Telerik.Web.UI.GridCommandEventArgs e)
{
    GridEditableItem editedItem = e.Item as GridEditableItem;
    GridEditManager editMan = editedItem.EditManager;
    DataTable ordersTable = this.GridSource;

    DataRow newRow = ordersTable.NewRow();

    //As this example demonstrates only in-memory editing, a new primary key value should be generated
    //This should not be applied when updating directly the database
    DataRow[] allValues = ordersTable.Select("", "OrderID", DataViewRowState.CurrentRows);
    if (allValues.Length > 0)
    {
        newRow["OrderID"] = (int)allValues[allValues.Length - 1]["OrderID"] + 1;
    }
    else
    {
        newRow["OrderID"] = 1; //the table is empty;
    }

    //Set new values

    foreach (GridColumn column in e.Item.OwnerTableView.RenderColumns)
    {
        if (column is IGridEditableColumn)
        {
            IGridEditableColumn editableCol = (column as IGridEditableColumn);
            if (editableCol.IsEditable)
            {
                IGridColumnEditor editor = editMan.GetColumnEditor(editableCol);

                string editorText = "unknown";
                object editorValue = null;

                if (editor is GridTextColumnEditor)
                {
                    editorText = (editor as GridTextColumnEditor).Text;
                    editorValue = (editor as GridTextColumnEditor).Text;
                }

                if (editor is GridBoolColumnEditor)
                {
                    editorText = (editor as GridBoolColumnEditor).Value.ToString();
                    editorValue = (editor as GridBoolColumnEditor).Value;
                }

                if (editor is GridDropDownColumnEditor)
                {
                    editorText = (editor as GridDropDownColumnEditor).SelectedText + "; " +
                     (editor as GridDropDownColumnEditor).SelectedValue;
                    editorValue = (editor as GridDropDownColumnEditor).SelectedValue;
                }

                try
                {
                    newRow[column.UniqueName] = editorValue;
                }
                catch (Exception ex)
                {
                    Label1.Text += "Unable to insert into Orders. Reason: " + ex.Message;
                    e.Canceled = true;
                }
            }
        }
    }

    ordersTable.Rows.Add(newRow);
    this.GridSource.AcceptChanges();

    //Code for updating the database ca go here...

    Label1.Text += "Order " + newRow["OrderID"] + " inserted";

}
VB
Private ReadOnly Property GridSource As DataTable
    Get
        Dim obj As Object = Me.ViewState("_gds")
        If (Not (obj) Is Nothing) Then
            Return CType(obj, DataTable)
        Else
            Dim table As DataTable = DataSourceHelperVB.GetDataTable("SELECT TOP 10 OrderID, EmployeeID, OrderDate, ShipName FROM Orders")
            Me.ViewState("_gds") = table
            Return table
        End If
    End Get
End Property

Private Sub RadGrid1_NeedDataSource(ByVal source As Object, ByVal e As Telerik.Web.UI.GridNeedDataSourceEventArgs)
    RadGrid1.DataSource = Me.GridSource
End Sub

Private Sub RadGrid1_InsertCommand(ByVal source As Object, ByVal e As Telerik.Web.UI.GridCommandEventArgs)
    Dim editedItem As GridEditableItem = CType(e.Item, GridEditableItem)
    Dim ordersTable As DataTable = Me.GridSource
    Dim newRow As DataRow = ordersTable.NewRow
    'As this example demonstrates only in-memory editing, a new primary key value should be generated
    'This should not be applied when updating directly the database
    Dim allValues() As DataRow = ordersTable.Select("", "OrderID", DataViewRowState.CurrentRows)
    If (allValues.Length > 0) Then
        newRow("OrderID") = (CType(allValues((allValues.Length - 1))("OrderID"), Integer) + 1)
    Else
        newRow("OrderID") = 1
        'the table is empty;
    End If
    'Set new values
    Dim newValues As Hashtable = New Hashtable
    'The GridTableView will fill the values from all editable columns in the hash
    e.Item.OwnerTableView.ExtractValuesFromItem(newValues, editedItem)
    Try
        For Each entry As DictionaryEntry In newValues
            newRow(CType(entry.Key, String)) = entry.Value
        Next
    Catch ex As Exception
        Label1.Text = (Label1.Text + ("Unable to insert into Orders. Reason: " + ex.Message))
        e.Canceled = True
    End Try
    ordersTable.Rows.Add(newRow)
    'Code for updating the database ca go here...
    Label1.Text = (Label1.Text + ("Order " _
       + (newRow("OrderID") + " inserted")))
End Sub

Note: You can also see the Accessing cells and rows section for more details about insert dependance from the Display/Visible/ReadOnly properties of grid columns.

Setting predefined values for different column editors

In order to set predefined insert values for different column editors you can take advantage of the DefaultInsertValue property exposed and supported by the following columns of the RadGrid control: GridBoundColumn, GridCheckBoxColumn, GridHTMLEditorColumn, GridNumericColumn, GridDateTimeColumn, GridMaskedColumn, GridTemplateColumn. The DefaultInsertValue property is of type System.String. When a grid item enters into insert mode the preset default insert value will be converted to the type specified by the DataType property of the column and will be bound to the column data field. If the developer chooses to set default insert values in the alternative way described below - the values in the DefaultInsertValue property for all columns will be disregarded.

Alternatively, you can use the API for controlling automatic operationsto achieve your goal. To set default values for GridBoundColumn/GridDropDownColumn/GridCheckBoxColumn/etc. field you can create ListDictionary object and set these preset values using the columns UniqueNames as keys.For GridTemplateColumn fields, make sure that you specify the field to which you bind the control inside the template column as key for the dictionary object (passed to the InsertItem(newValues) method).

Below is a sample demonstration:

ASP.NET
<telerik:RadGrid RenderMode="Lightweight" ID="RadGrid2" runat="server">
  <MasterTableView Width="100%" CommandItemDisplay="Top" DataSourceID="SqlDataSource1"
    AutoGenerateColumns="False">
    <Columns>
      <telerik:GridTemplateColumn HeaderText="Check/Uncheck" UniqueName="BoolColumn">
        <EditItemTemplate>
          <asp:CheckBox ID="chkBoxEdit" runat="server" Checked='<%# Bind("Bool") %>' />
        </EditItemTemplate>
        <ItemTemplate>
          <asp:CheckBox ID="chkBoxDefault" runat="server" Checked='<%# Eval("Bool") %>' />
        </ItemTemplate>
      </telerik:GridTemplateColumn>
      <telerik:GridBoundColumn DataField="CompanyName" HeaderText="CompanyName" UniqueName="CompanyName">
      </telerik:GridBoundColumn>
      <telerik:GridBoundColumn DataField="ContactName" HeaderText="ContactName" UniqueName="ContactName">
      </telerik:GridBoundColumn>
      <telerik:GridTemplateColumn UniqueName="CountryColumn" DataField="Country">
        <ItemTemplate>
          <asp:Label ID="Label1" runat="server" Text='<%# Eval("Country") %>'></asp:Label>
        </ItemTemplate>
        <EditItemTemplate>
          ContactTitle:
          <asp:DropDownList ID="ddList1" runat="server" DataTextField="Country" DataValueField="Country"
            DataSource='<%# LoadCountryNames()  %>' SelectedValue='<%# Bind("Country") %>'>
          </asp:DropDownList>
        </EditItemTemplate>
      </telerik:GridTemplateColumn>
      <telerik:GridEditCommandColumn UniqueName="EditCommandColumn">
      </telerik:GridEditCommandColumn>
    </Columns>
  </MasterTableView>
</telerik:RadGrid>
 <asp:SqlDataSource ID="SqlDataSource1" runat="server" ConnectionString="<%$ ConnectionStrings:NorthwindConnectionString %>"
     SelectCommand="SELECT [CompanyName], [ContactName], [ContactTitle], [Country], [Bool] FROM [Customers]">
 </asp:SqlDataSource>
VB
  Protected Sub RadGrid1_ItemCommand(ByVal source As Object, ByVal e As Telerik.Web.UI.GridCommandEventArgs) Handles RadGrid2.ItemCommand
      If (e.CommandName = RadGrid.InitInsertCommandName) Then
          'cancel the default operation
          e.Canceled = True

          'Prepare an IDictionary with the predefined values
Dim newValues As System.Collections.Specialized.ListDictionary = New
          System.Collections.Specialized.ListDictionary()
          newValues("ContactName") = "default contact name"
          newValues("CompanyName") = " default company name"

          'set default value for the dropdown list inside the EditItemTemplate
          newValues("Country") = "Germany"
          'set default checked state for checkbox inside the EditItemTemplate
          newValues("Bool") = False

          'Insert the item and rebind
          e.Item.OwnerTableView.InsertItem(newValues)
      End If
  End Sub
C#
protected void RadGrid1_ItemCommand(object source, Telerik.Web.UI.GridCommandEventArgs e)
{
    if (e.CommandName == RadGrid.InitInsertCommandName)
    {
        // cancel the default operation
        e.Canceled = true;

        //Prepare an IDictionary with the predefined values
        System.Collections.Specialized.ListDictionary newValues = new System.Collections.Specialized.ListDictionary();
        newValues["ContactName"] = "default contact name";
        newValues["CompanyName"] = " default company name";

        //set default value for the dropdown list inside the EditItemTemplate
        newValues["Country"] = "Germany";

        //set default checked state for the checkbox inside the EditItemTemplate
        newValues["Bool"] = false;

        //Insert the item and rebind
        e.Item.OwnerTableView.InsertItem(newValues);

    }
}

The other option is to set AppendDataBoundItems="true" for the dropdown list (residing in edit template of template column) and add default empty item in the dropdown control to avoid exception generation on initial insert:

ASP.NET

<telerik:GridTemplateColumn>
  <ItemTemplate>
     <%# Eval("ProductID") %>
   </ItemTemplate>
     <EditItemTemplate>
     <asp:DropDownList ID="DropDownList1" AppendDataBoundItems="true" DataSourceID="SqlDataSource2"
       DataTextField="ProductID" DataValueField="ProductID" SelectedValue='<%# Bind("ProductID") %>' runat="server">
         <asp:ListItem Text="" Value="" />
       </asp:DropDownList>
     </EditItemTemplate>
</telerik:GridTemplateColumn>

This is a codeless approach, however have in mind that this empty option will be displayed in the dropdown editor of an existing edited grid row as well.

Extracting data from a Template Column

For GridTemplateColumn instances, the ExtractValues() method will provide data in case there is a <%#Bind("someColumn") %> expression in the EditItemTemplate or InsertItemTemplate. The key in the hashtable will be the field from the binding expression.

For example, the columns below will populate the hash table with data for the "someField" and "moreData" respectively, even though both have the same DataField setting.

ASP.NET

<telerik:GridTemplateColumn HeaderText="template column" DataField="someColumn" UniqueName="myTemplateColumn">
    <ItemTemplate>
        <%#Eval("someColumn") %>
    </ItemTemplate>
    <EditItemTemplate>
        <asp:TextBox runat="server" ID="textbox1" Text='<%#Bind("someColumn") %>' />
    </EditItemTemplate>
    <InsertItemTemplate>
        <asp:TextBox runat="server" ID="textbox1" Text='<%#Bind("someColumn") %>' />
    </InsertItemTemplate>
</telerik:GridTemplateColumn>
<telerik:GridTemplateColumn HeaderText="second template column" DataField="someColumn" UniqueName="myTemplateColumn2">
    <ItemTemplate>
        <%#Eval("moreData") %>
    </ItemTemplate>
    <EditItemTemplate>
        <asp:TextBox runat="server" ID="textbox2" Text='<%#Bind("moreData") %>' />
    </EditItemTemplate>
    <InsertItemTemplate>
        <asp:TextBox runat="server" ID="textbox2" Text='<%#Bind("moreData") %>' />
    </InsertItemTemplate>
</telerik:GridTemplateColumn>

For more complex scenarios or when you cannot use binding expressions, you need to use .FindControl() to access the custom controls and extract data: Accessing Controls in Template Column.