# Customize Row and Column Headers

Giving your data meaningful names helps you better understand it. For example, if your document contains a column with the first names of your employees, the column name A does not necessarily help you understand the meaning of the data contained in that column. For the same reason, you probably are likely to have one header row in the document that will store the names of your columns. But when a user scrolls down, the content of the header row would be hidden and the user would not see the names.

It will be useful if you can set the column heading name when the first row is not visible as shown in the image below.

> caption Figure 1: Column with custom heading name

![WinForms RadSpreadsheet Column with custom heading name](https://www.telerik.com/products/winforms/documentation/assets/a148aa3ef00b0c74bb76bc316881c787/spreadsheet-how-to-customize-row-and-column-headers001.png)

## Change the Row and Column Headings

Each worksheet has a property called **RenderNameConverter**, which provides a mechanism for changing the row and column headings for UI purposes, including the PDF export. All you need to do is create a custom name converter and assign an instance of it to the RenderNameConverter property. The converter class must inherit from **HeaderNameRenderingConverterBase**.

**Example 1** shows a simple implementation for the converter class used for creating the snapshots above.

#### Example 1: Create a custom name converter

```C#
public class CustomNameConverter : HeaderNameRenderingConverterBase
{
    protected override string ConvertColumnIndexToNameOverride(HeaderNameRenderingConverterContext context, int columnIndex)
    {
        if (columnIndex == 0)
        {
            return "First Name";
        }

        return base.ConvertColumnIndexToNameOverride(context, columnIndex);
    }
}
```

```VB.NET
Public Class CustomNameConverter
    Inherits HeaderNameRenderingConverterBase

    Protected Overrides Function ConvertColumnIndexToNameOverride(ByVal context As HeaderNameRenderingConverterContext, ByVal columnIndex As Integer) As String
        If columnIndex = 0 Then
            Return "First Name"
        End If

        Return MyBase.ConvertColumnIndexToNameOverride(context, columnIndex)
    End Function
End Class
```

After implementing your custom name converter you need to instantiate it and assign it to the worksheet **RenderNameConverter** property. **Example 2** sets a new instance of the CustomNameConverter created in **Example 1** to a **RadSpreadsheet**'s worksheet.

> caption Example 2: Instantiate and assign a custom converter

```C#
this.radSpreadsheet.SpreadsheetElement.Workbook.Worksheets[0].HeaderNameRenderingConverter = new CustomNameConverter();
```

```VB.NET
Me.radSpreadsheet.SpreadsheetElement.Workbook.Worksheets(0).HeaderNameRenderingConverter = New CustomNameConverter()
```

That's it. The column heading is changed.



## See Also

* [Hide Row and Column Headers and Gridlines](https://www.telerik.com/products/winforms/documentation/controls/spreadsheet/how-to/hide-row-column-headers-and-gridlines)
* [Customize Selection](https://www.telerik.com/products/winforms/documentation/controls/spreadsheet/how-to/customize-selection)