New to Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAXStart a free 30-day trial

Add Controls to Column Templates

This tutorial shows how to:

  • Add controls to a RadGrid template column's ItemTemplate and EditItemTemplate.

  • Enable the grid control for editing using automatic updates.

  • Set RadGrid's skin using the Smart Tag.

  • Enable paging for RadGrid and changing its page size with the design editor.

Creating and Binding the Grid

  1. Locate the "..\Live Demos\App_Data" folder underneath the folder where you have installed yourcontrols. In this folder, find the Northwind.mdf file, and copy it into theApp_Data folder of your Web application. The Solution Explorer for you application should look something like the following:

    grid gettingstarted 1

  2. Drag and drop a RadGrid control from Visual Studio's toolbox onto your Web page:

    grid gettingstarted 2

  3. Using the RadGrid's Smart Tag, expand the drop-down listlabelled Choose Data Source and select <New data source...>:

    grid gettingstarted 03

  4. The Data Source Configuration Wizard appears. On the Choose a Data Source Type page, select SQL Database andclick OK:

    grid gettingstarted 4

  5. On the Choose Your Data Connection page, expand the drop-down list by clicking the little triangle on the right side and select the Northwind.mdf from the available options. Then click the Next button:

    grid gettingstarted 5

If you happen to encounter a "Database schema could not be retrieved" exception, please follow the guide in this help topic.

  1. On the Configure Select Statement page, select the Orders table from thedrop-down list, and select theOrderID, CustomerID, EmployeeID, and OrderDate fields and then click Next button:

    Configure Select Statement

  2. Click the Specify a custom SQL statement or stored procedure radio button.Then choose Next:

    Specify a custom SQL statement

  3. Add an Update statement to the data source:

    Configure Update statement

  4. On the Test Query page, click the Test Query button to see the data. Then click Finish, to exit the Configure Data Source wizard:

    Test Query

Adding Template columns

  1. Using the RadGrid's Editor, add a template column to the grid:

    • Open RadGrid's Configuration Wizard from the Smart Tag.

      grid gettingstarted 10

    • Select MasterTableView under RadGrid node.

    • Select Columns tab from the right pane.

    • Select Template column under Available columns.

    • Click the "+" button to add the template column.

    • In the right pane, set the HeaderText property to TemplateColumn.

      grid gettingstarted 17

  2. Click Edit Templates from the RadGrid's Smart Tag:

    grid gettingstarted 18

  3. Choose the Template column that you wish to edit:

    Rad Grid grd addcontrols 03

  4. Drag and drop a RadDatePicker control from Visual Studio's toolbox ontothe EditItemTemplate.

    Rad Grid grd addcontrols 04

  5. Now add a Label control to the ItemTemplate.

    grid addcontrols 04 1

  6. Select Edit DataBindings from the RadDatePicker's Smart Tag:

    Rad Grid grd addcontrols 05jpg

  7. In the DataBindings dialog:

    • Check Show all properties to view the properties of the date picker.
    • Choose the SelectedDate property as the property to bind.
    • Choose the OrderDate field as the Fieldbinding.
    • Check the Two-way data binding box to enable the control to update the field value.
      Rad Grid grd addcontrols 06jpg
  8. Use a similar technique to bind the Label control:

    Rad Grid grd addcontrols 6jpg

  9. Use the RadGrid's Smart Tag to end template editing:

    grid addcontrols 7jpg

Enabling editing, paging, and change the Skin

  1. Back in RadGrid's Editor, add an edit command column to the grid:

    grid addcontrols 08jpg

  2. Remove the OrderDate column; the Template column will be used instead:

    grid addcontrols 10jpg

  3. Still in the RadGrid's Editor check the AllowAutomaticUpdates checkbox on the right pane:

    grid addcontrols 09jpg

  4. Now select the MasterTableView node, then select Paging tab and change the Page size to 5 rows.

    grid addcontrols 11

  5. From the RadGrid's Smart Tag expand the drop-down list labeled Skin and choose Metro skin.

    grid addcontrols 12

  6. Run the application. Click the edit column to see the edit template you added. Note that if you edit a value in the grid, the database is updated:

    GridEditing