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Fixed header in ASP.NET DataGrid

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20 Apr 20052 min read 475.5K   92   83
How to get a fixed header row in an ASP.NET DataGrid?

Introduction

A very common design request is to create a DataGrid list, that can contain many rows (e.g. account contacts list), that has a fixed maximum height and a scrollbar when there are more rows than can fit into the allotted space. This is easily done by putting the DataGrid within a DIV tag:

ASP.NET
<DIV style="OVERFLOW: auto; HEIGHT: 
120px">
<asp:DataGrid ...
</DIV>

Then the next design request made by customers is to have a scrolling body with fixed column headers so that, users don't have to remember which column contains what. Such a fixed header that stays put and never scroll out of view can be made using a style like this:

ASP.NET
<style type="text/css">
<!--
.DataGridFixedHeader {background-color: white; position:relative; top:expression(this.offsetParent.scrollTop);}
-->
</style>

The background color is needed to hide the data rows as they scroll under the header row. Make sure that the style is on a single line, the expression might not work when the style definition uses multiple lines.

Apply the new header style to the DataGrid using the HeaderStyle element:

ASP.NET
<asp:DataGrid id="dgContacts" runat="server" ... >
...
<HeaderStyle CssClass="ms-formlabel DataGridFixedHeader"></HeaderStyle>
...

Note how can you apply multiple classes within the CssClass attribute to combine several styles to achieve reuse in your web pages or to combine them with styles that are not your own (such as SharePoint styles).

There are several other suggestions out there on how to achieve a fixed header row, such as having a separate table above the DataGrid, but this suffers from alignment and column width problems, for e.g., when a table cell contains non-breaking content. It also creates more work when changing the columns of the DataGrid. The style solution in this article, however, is as simple as it gets.

Supported Browsers

This solution is based on CSS expressions, and works with MSIE 5.x and 6.x. It is pure client-side and should not interfere with server-side code (except for adding the style), but it might behave strange if you have other positioning stuff in your page.

License

This article has no explicit license attached to it but may contain usage terms in the article text or the download files themselves. If in doubt please contact the author via the discussion board below.

A list of licenses authors might use can be found here


Written By
Web Developer
Norway Norway
My blog: kjellsj.blogspot.com
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Comments and Discussions

 
QuestionCan I also alter the color of Visited Link in the datagrid header? Pin
smcirish22-Apr-08 8:09
smcirish22-Apr-08 8:09 
AnswerRe: Can I also alter the color of Visited Link in the datagrid header? Pin
nsimeonov5-Dec-08 14:55
nsimeonov5-Dec-08 14:55 
GeneralFixed Grid Header with Scrollable Data Pin
aswini9-Apr-08 1:22
aswini9-Apr-08 1:22 
Generaldont see border in head datagrid Pin
RoxanaAFG10-Oct-07 9:09
RoxanaAFG10-Oct-07 9:09 
GeneralRe: dont see border in head datagrid Pin
MarkShoe12-Oct-07 5:35
MarkShoe12-Oct-07 5:35 
GeneralRe: dont see border in head datagrid Pin
jigscool_2225-Feb-08 10:44
jigscool_2225-Feb-08 10:44 
GeneralRe: dont see border in head datagrid Pin
hasitha12319-Mar-08 23:04
hasitha12319-Mar-08 23:04 
GeneralRe: dont see border in head datagrid Pin
TheSoundofCylons3-Jun-08 3:23
TheSoundofCylons3-Jun-08 3:23 
GeneralRe: dont see border in head datagrid Pin
rterry3-Nov-09 7:27
rterry3-Nov-09 7:27 
GeneralRe: dont see border in head datagrid Pin
TheSoundofCylons3-Nov-09 8:11
TheSoundofCylons3-Nov-09 8:11 
GeneralDIV + Fixed Header Not working Pin
sbadriprasad21-Sep-07 21:13
sbadriprasad21-Sep-07 21:13 
QuestionHow to get Vertical Scroll bar only Pin
smcirish21-Aug-07 7:59
smcirish21-Aug-07 7:59 
AnswerRe: How to get Vertical Scroll bar only Pin
Member 446923413-Jan-11 9:32
Member 446923413-Jan-11 9:32 
GeneralFixed Header and Fixed Pager(or Footer) as well Pin
ahmedelbatal22-Jul-07 3:43
ahmedelbatal22-Jul-07 3:43 
Generalexpression not working on Mozila Pin
smruti_ranjan18-Apr-07 23:52
smruti_ranjan18-Apr-07 23:52 
GeneralEditing items that you must scroll to see Pin
evshell1813-Apr-07 5:37
evshell1813-Apr-07 5:37 
GeneralRe: Editing items that you must scroll to see Pin
evshell1816-Apr-07 5:02
evshell1816-Apr-07 5:02 
GeneralRe: Editing items that you must scroll to see Pin
qtran020331-May-07 8:23
qtran020331-May-07 8:23 
Generaldon't use top: expression Pin
Shiggity30-Mar-07 8:49
Shiggity30-Mar-07 8:49 
GeneralRe: don't use top: expression Pin
Debashish Sarkar9-Sep-07 20:41
Debashish Sarkar9-Sep-07 20:41 
GeneralWatch Positioning Pin
User 75375115-Nov-06 3:03
User 75375115-Nov-06 3:03 
GeneralDatagrid Header Pin
nour12310-Nov-06 0:24
nour12310-Nov-06 0:24 
AnswerRe: Datagrid Header Pin
smcirish21-Aug-07 8:06
smcirish21-Aug-07 8:06 
Generalcheckbox in gridview Pin
Ronjon Kumar Ghosh16-Sep-06 23:01
Ronjon Kumar Ghosh16-Sep-06 23:01 
Questionfixed header gridview Pin
Sultan Khan16-Sep-06 22:38
Sultan Khan16-Sep-06 22:38 

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