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How to Merge Cells with Equal Values in a GridView

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4.87/5 (48 votes)
20 Mar 2009CPOL 278.4K   6.4K   99   63
My solution is not the first; however, I think, it is rather universal and very short - less than 20 lines of the code...
In this tip, you will learn a universal and short method to merge GridView rows if neighboring cells show equal values.

Introduction

There are a lot of methods on the Internet solving the problem of how to merge GridView rows if neighboring cells show equal values. My approach is not the first; however, I think, it is rather universal and very short - less than 20 lines of code.

Image 1

The algorithm is simple: to bypass all the rows, starting from the second at the bottom, to the top. If a cell value is the same as a value in the previous (lower) row, then increase RowSpan and make the lower cell invisible, and so forth.

The code that merges the cells is very short:

C#
public class GridDecorator
{
    public static void MergeRows(GridView gridView)
    {
        for (int rowIndex = gridView.Rows.Count - 2; rowIndex >= 0; rowIndex--)
        {
            GridViewRow row = gridView.Rows[rowIndex];
            GridViewRow previousRow = gridView.Rows[rowIndex + 1];

            for (int i = 0; i < row.Cells.Count; i++)
            {
                if (row.Cells[i].Text == previousRow.Cells[i].Text)
                {
                    row.Cells[i].RowSpan = previousRow.Cells[i].RowSpan < 2 ? 2 : 
                                           previousRow.Cells[i].RowSpan + 1;
                    previousRow.Cells[i].Visible = false;
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

The last action is to add an OnPreRender event handler for the GridView:

C#
protected void gridView_PreRender(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    GridDecorator.MergeRows(gridView);
}

History

  • 20th March, 2009: Initial version

License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)


Written By
Software Developer (Senior)
Ukraine Ukraine
I'm a software developer from Ukraine. I write about ASP.NET and other .NET related topics over at my blog

Comments and Discussions

 
QuestionWhen i am using Template fields its not working. Pin
Member 1441730624-May-21 0:51
Member 1441730624-May-21 0:51 
QuestionChange font color Pin
Ciupaz12-Jun-20 19:11
Ciupaz12-Jun-20 19:11 
BugPlease change the code sample Pin
sadiqabbas23-May-19 22:43
professionalsadiqabbas23-May-19 22:43 
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
Karthik_Mahalingam12-Oct-17 19:52
professionalKarthik_Mahalingam12-Oct-17 19:52 
QuestionHow to export to excel the above same gridview data exactly Pin
sreeenivasa reddy12-Oct-17 19:10
sreeenivasa reddy12-Oct-17 19:10 
QuestionCan't we use the same logic for Data Grid ? Pin
Member 115775256-Apr-15 20:52
Member 115775256-Apr-15 20:52 
AnswerRe: Can't we use the same logic for Data Grid ? Pin
Mykola Tarasyuk6-Apr-15 22:06
Mykola Tarasyuk6-Apr-15 22:06 
QuestionProblem in merging cells with equal values in a GridView Pin
rahulDer16-Jul-14 21:48
rahulDer16-Jul-14 21:48 
AnswerRe: Problem in merging cells with equal values in a GridView Pin
Mykola Tarasyuk17-Jul-14 2:05
Mykola Tarasyuk17-Jul-14 2:05 
QuestionHoe to do the same if we use MVVM pattern in our application. Pin
spins39-Apr-14 22:52
spins39-Apr-14 22:52 
GeneralThank You Pin
pirateworks4-Dec-13 2:30
pirateworks4-Dec-13 2:30 
QuestionHiding only specific rows ? Pin
usernametakenalready9-Sep-13 22:47
usernametakenalready9-Sep-13 22:47 
AnswerRe: Hiding only specific rows ? Pin
Mykola Tarasyuk10-Sep-13 20:18
Mykola Tarasyuk10-Sep-13 20:18 
GeneralRe: Hiding only specific rows ? Pin
usernametakenalready11-Sep-13 1:05
usernametakenalready11-Sep-13 1:05 
QuestionBrilliant Pin
andy199213-Jul-13 21:37
andy199213-Jul-13 21:37 
QuestionBrilliant Pin
gyaan864-Apr-13 21:27
gyaan864-Apr-13 21:27 
AnswerRe: Brilliant Pin
Mykola Tarasyuk4-Apr-13 21:52
Mykola Tarasyuk4-Apr-13 21:52 
Questionsgrdjdsflk;gm Pin
Mukesh.Ce6215-Feb-13 23:48
Mukesh.Ce6215-Feb-13 23:48 
GeneralHow to add delete button to merge rows Pin
Santhosh239-Jan-13 3:13
Santhosh239-Jan-13 3:13 
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
Global Analyser5-Jan-13 16:51
Global Analyser5-Jan-13 16:51 
Questionregarding merging Pin
subhas.a17-Sep-12 21:27
subhas.a17-Sep-12 21:27 
AnswerRe: regarding merging Pin
royalrao30-Dec-12 17:51
royalrao30-Dec-12 17:51 
AnswerRe: regarding merging Pin
royalrao30-Dec-12 17:51
royalrao30-Dec-12 17:51 
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
vshal52617-Mar-12 5:18
vshal52617-Mar-12 5:18 
QuestionGood One Pin
demouser74315-Jan-12 23:25
demouser74315-Jan-12 23:25 

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