[DUG] StringGrid/DBGrid

[Kyley Harris]

Have to agree with Neven on the Virtual TreeView. It is an excellent 
control with a huge amount of effort, and
you get all the code, so you can also bug fix when you need a rush.

I use ObjectSight TopGrid for Grids with dataentry.

Neven MacEwan wrote:

> John
>
> Depends how much you like doing yourself, I really enjoyed
> getting to grips with TVirtualTree 
> (http://www.soft-gems.net/VirtualTreeview/VT.php)
>
> which can be a tree or a grid!
> and implements inplace editors via an interface (which means
> you can use any base component you want in your own subclass)
>
> You may of course end up liking the trees so much you abandon
> grids!
>
> HTH
>
> Neven
>
> John Bird wrote:
>
>> I have been using the D5 vanilla StringGrid for displaying data.
>> The data I am reading is from non database data files - I am reading 
>> it in
>> myself using TFileStream.
>>
>>> From now on I want to be inputting and editing data in grids, but the
>>
>> standard StringGrid does not have many embedded cell editors - the 
>> one it
>> supplies seems pretty simple - it does not do even the things the 
>> standard
>> editbox one does (move through a string one word at a time etc with 
>> Ctrl/W
>> etc).
>>
>> Can anyone who has an opinion on the options below kindly give a
>> recommendation!
>> (see below for a tiny reward)
>>
>> As I see it my options are:
>>
>> Option 1 - Add a few extra features to the standard stringgrid and 
>> use that
>> for my stuff.
>> ____________________________________________________________________________ 
>>
>> ______________
>> I would need:
>>     -a enter cell event (to store the current contents of the cell to 
>> check
>> for changes)
>>     -a exit cell event (so I can call code to verify any cell changes)
>>     -someway to know the position on the screen of the current cell 
>> in case
>> I want to pop up a lookup window
>>  If I could do all of these I would have all I need.  Best way to get 
>> these?
>> I could use the onDrawCell event?
>>
>> Option 2 - DBGrid
>> _________________
>> I note the DBGrid seems to have a lot more data verification and cell 
>> events
>> onColEnter and onColExit (are these meant to be called onCellEnter and
>> onCellExit?)  The help says these are when a cell is entered and 
>> exited.  If
>> it is a colenter and not a cell enter, what happens if the user 
>> arrows from
>> one cell to the one below it - does it fire?
>>
>> I notice there is a LoadFromFile and a SavetoFile which looks like I 
>> could
>> use to get the data into the grid.
>> To use the TDBGrid I could use these methods or a TClientDataSet.
>>
>> Option 3 - use a third party grid control.
>> __________________________________________
>> So far I haven't needed to do this, but have been wondering about 
>> some of
>> the 3rd party components like XStringGrid and AliGrid.  I like having
>> everything vanilla and not having upgrade issues, but also don't wish to
>> reinvent the wheel all the time!
>> Option 4 - TClientDataSet and upgrade
>> _____________________________________
>> Now TClientDataSet is not in D5, and some friends (namely Gary B) 
>> have been
>> long telling me this is the simplest way to display, edit and manipulate
>> data (using DBGrid), so it might be time to upgrade, hence look at D7 or
>> D2005.  I think the stuff I have done so far is unlikely to break 
>> D2005, so
>> happy to look at either.  Best sources of an upgrade?
>>
>>
>> Reward
>> ______
>> For reading this far here is a tiny reward: a little bit of code I 
>> wrote to
>> sort a standard stringgrid.  Very fast. Note it only does (case 
>> insensitive)
>> alpha compares, but could easily be modified to do other orderings.  
>> As I
>> already put in numbers right justified into grids it also works for 
>> numbers
>> for me.
>>
>> It makes a tag stringlist which is sorted in one step, then copies the
>> original data into a temporary array and then puts it back in the new 
>> order
>> to the original stringgrid.  While a bit more work, it is a lot 
>> faster than
>> using a two record at a time exchange or a bubblesort.  It also allows
>> sorting by two columns.
>>
>> If there is anything I have done you would like to improve kindly 
>> tell me!
>>
>> procedure xcSortGrid(var
>> PGrid:TStringGrid;SortColumn1:Integer;SortColumn2:integer;AscDesc:char;CaseI 
>>
>> nSensitive:Boolean);
>> var
>> UnsortedList:TStringList;
>> olddefrow,newdefrow:integer;    //keep same data row as default
>> oldrow,datalhs,ptr,colptr,rowptr:integer;
>> tempstr:string;
>> lAscDesc:char;
>> tempcells:array of array of string;
>> begin
>>   if PGrid.rowcount < 2 then exit;    //nothing to sort
>>   UnsortedList:=TStringList.Create;
>>   UnsortedList.sorted:=false;
>>   olddefrow:=-1;
>>   NewDefRow:=-1;
>>   if PGrid.row>0 then oldDefRow:=PGrid.row;
>>   for ptr:=0 to PGrid.rowcount-1 do
>>   begin
>>     //put sort col plus orig pointer into stringlist
>>     tempstr:=PGrid.cells[SortColumn1,ptr]+PGrid.cells[SortColumn2,ptr];
>>     if CaseInsensitive=true then uppercase(tempstr);
>>     xcstrpad(tempstr,60);        //make the string 60 chars long
>>     tempstr:=tempstr+inttostr(ptr);
>>     UnSortedList.Add(tempstr);
>>   end;
>>   //sort it
>>   UnSortedList.sorted:=true;
>>   //now copy original cells to tempcells dynamic array
>>   setlength(tempcells,PGrid.colcount,PGrid.rowcount);
>>   for rowptr:=0 to PGrid.rowcount-1 do
>>   begin
>>     for colptr:=0 to PGrid.colcount-1 do
>>     begin
>>       tempcells[colptr,rowptr]:=PGrid.cells[colptr,rowptr];
>>     end;
>>   end;
>>   //now write back to grid
>>   lAscDesc:=upcase(AscDesc);
>>   if lAscDesc='A' then
>>   begin
>>     for ptr:=0 to PGrid.rowCount-1 do
>>     begin
>>       tempstr:=copy(UnSortedList[ptr],61,10);
>>       oldrow:=strtoint(tempstr);
>>       if oldrow=oldDefRow then NewDefRow:=ptr;
>>       //oldptr is orig row number, ptr is new row number
>>       for colptr:=0 to PGrid.colcount-1 do
>>       begin
>>         PGrid.cells[colptr,ptr]:=tempcells[colptr,oldrow];
>>       end;
>>     end;
>>   end
>>   else
>>   begin
>>     for ptr:=PGrid.rowcount-1 downto 0 do
>>     begin
>>       tempstr:=copy(UnSortedList[ptr],61,10);
>>       oldrow:=strtoint(tempstr);
>>       if oldrow=oldDefRow then NewDefRow:=ptr;
>>       //oldptr is orig row number, ptr is new row number
>>       for colptr:=0 to PGrid.colcount-1 do
>>       begin
>>         PGrid.cells[colptr,ptr]:=tempcells[colptr,oldrow];
>>       end;
>>     end;
>>   end;
>>   UnsortedList.free;
>>   tempcells:=nil;
>>   if (OldDefRow>0) and (NewDefRow >=0) then PGrid.row:=NewDefRow;
>>   //note this means if the current row was 0 (the top) the new 
>> default row
>> after sorting is still the top,   //which is generally the best sense.
>> end;
>>
>>
>> John B
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Delphi mailing list
>> Delphi at ns3.123.co.nz
>> http://ns3.123.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/delphi
>>
>>
>

-- 
Plus he has a weakness for what we can mischievously call sesquipedalian excess: Look out for such terms as "epiphenomenal," "diegetic" and "proprioceptive."
--Jabari Asim, "Reel Pioneer," Washington Post, November 19, 2000