ComboBox Column within databound DataGridView

Question

Im back again with another DataGidView question

I am creating an application that allows the user to create a ticket for products purchased

This form consists of a DataGidViewwhich allows the user to record the product details along with price and quantity information.

Currently the DataGidView is data bound and data is saved using a data adaptor and command builder at runtime

The columns are created automatically and then i set properties such as formatting options as follows

Private Sub SetTicketList()

    Try
        Con.ConnectionString = CropTrackMod.strConn
        SQLAdaptor.SelectCommand = New SqlClient.SqlCommand("SELECT ID, StockRef, Weight, EstimatedPrice, DespatchedQuantity,EstimatedTransportPer,VATRate, EstimatedTransportTotal,EstimatedVAT, EstimatedLineTotal,TicketRef FROM TicketDetail where ticketref ='x'", Con)
        builder = New SqlClient.SqlCommandBuilder(SQLAdaptor)
        Con.Open()

        Dim myTable As DataTable = New DataTable
        SQLAdaptor.Fill(myTable)

        dgvTicketDetail.DataSource = myTable

        'ID Column
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(0).Visible = False

        'StockRef
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(1).HeaderText = "StockRef"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(1).CellType.

        'Weight
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(2).HeaderText = "Weight"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(2).DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(2).DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0"

        'Price Per Unit
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(3).HeaderText = "Price"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(3).DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0.00"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(3).DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0.00"

        'Quantity
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(4).HeaderText = "Quantity"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(4).DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(4).DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0"

        'Transport Cost Per Unit
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(5).HeaderText = "TransportCostPer"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(5).DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0.00"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(5).DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0.00"

        'VAT Rate
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(6).HeaderText = "VAT Rate"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(6).DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0.00"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(6).DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0.00"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(6).ReadOnly = True

        'Transport Total
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(7).HeaderText = "Transport Total"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(7).DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0.00"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(7).DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0.00"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(7).ReadOnly = True

        'VAT Total
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(8).HeaderText = "VAT Total"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(8).DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0.00"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(8).DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0.00"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(8).ReadOnly = True

        'line Total
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(9).HeaderText = "Total"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(9).DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0.00"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(9).DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0.00"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(9).ReadOnly = True


        'line Total
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(10).HeaderText = "TicketRef"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns(10).Visible = False
    Finally
        If Con.State = ConnectionState.Open Then
            Con.Close()
        End If
    End Try

End Sub

One of the columns is for the stock reference, at the minute i am able to free type this field, but ultimately i would like this to be a combobox column where the user can select from a list of stock references from another table.

I have researched this issue and have found a number of examples which relate to creating a column at runtime but i dont feel that this would work in this situation as if i created the column manually then this would not be bound to the datasource which i want to save the information to.

MANUAL COLUMN CREATION

Dim dgvc As DataGridViewComboBoxCell
dgvc = DataGridView1.Rows(0).Cells(2)

if DataGridView1.Rows(0).Cells(1).Value = "Jack" then
    dgvc.Items.Add("Fe")
    dgvc.Items.Add("Fi")
elseif DataGridView1.Rows(0).Cells(3).Value = "Giant" then
    dgvc.Items.Add("Fo")
    dgvc.Items.Add("Fum")
End if

I originally planned on manually adding the items to the combobox but i have seen examples of being able to databind the items. I suppose this is another issue for another time

Any help is always appreciated.

Thanks in advance guys

Answer 1

I have just done something similar that I feel is more flexible, which was inspired by this so I thought that I would share. The main advantage is that you don't need to switch off the auto generation of the columns. This is after I have already set the datagridviews (dgvPickList) datasource to a datatable and also loaded my list of locations in the datatable dtLocations. It replaces the second column, which was bound to the field "Location"

Dim comboBoxColumn As DataGridViewComboBoxColumn = New DataGridViewComboBoxColumn()
comboBoxColumn.HeaderText = "Location"
comboBoxColumn.DataPropertyName = "Location"
comboBoxColumn.DataSource = dtLocations
comboBoxColumn.ValueMember = dtLocations.Columns(0).ColumnName
comboBoxColumn.DisplayMember = dtLocations.Columns(1).ColumnName

dgvPickList.Columns.RemoveAt(1)
dgvPickList.Columns.Insert(1, comboBoxColumn)

Hope that's useful.

Answer 2

I have resolved the issue by disabling the autogenerate columns with the datagridview and manually adding each column. This has allowed me to create a combobox column and add choices to this. Further improvements to this will be to add a datasource to the combobox column so that it automatically loads the items from the stock table

the code is as follows

Private Sub SetTicketListTemp()

    Try
        Con.ConnectionString = CropTrackMod.strConn
        SQLAdaptor.SelectCommand = New SqlClient.SqlCommand("SELECT ID, StockRef, Weight, EstimatedPrice, DespatchedQuantity,EstimatedTransportPer,VATRate, EstimatedTransportTotal,EstimatedVAT, EstimatedLineTotal,TicketRef FROM TicketDetail where ticketref ='x'", Con)
        builder = New SqlClient.SqlCommandBuilder(SQLAdaptor)
        Con.Open()

        Dim myTable As DataTable = New DataTable
        SQLAdaptor.Fill(myTable)

        dgvTicketDetail.AutoGenerateColumns = False
        dgvTicketDetail.DataSource = myTable

        'ID Column
        Dim col1 As New DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
        col1.DataPropertyName = "ID"
        col1.HeaderText = "ID"
        col1.Name = "ID"
        col1.Visible = False
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns.Add(col1)


        'StockRef
        Dim col2 As New DataGridViewComboBoxColumn
        col2.DataPropertyName = "StockRef"
        col2.HeaderText = "StockRef"
        col2.Name = "StockRef"

        col2.Items.Add("StockItem1")
        col2.Items.Add("StockItem2")

        dgvTicketDetail.Columns.Add(col2)


        'Weight
        Dim col3 As New DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
        col3.DataPropertyName = "Weight"
        col3.HeaderText = "Weight"
        col3.Name = "Weight"
        col3.DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0"
        col3.DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns.Add(col3)

        'Price Per Unit
        Dim col4 As New DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
        col4.DataPropertyName = "EstimatedPrice"
        col4.HeaderText = "Price"
        col4.Name = "Price"
        col4.DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0.00"
        col4.DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0.00"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns.Add(col4)

        'Quantity
        Dim col5 As New DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
        col5.DataPropertyName = "DespatchedQuantity"
        col5.HeaderText = "Quantity"
        col5.Name = "Quantity"
        col5.DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0"
        col5.DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns.Add(col5)

        'Transport Cost Per Unit
        Dim col6 As New DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
        col6.DataPropertyName = "EstimatedTransportPer"
        col6.HeaderText = "TransportCostPer"
        col6.Name = "TransportCostPer"
        col6.DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0.00"
        col6.DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0.00"
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns.Add(col6)


        'VAT Rate
        Dim col7 As New DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
        col7.DataPropertyName = "VATRate"
        col7.HeaderText = "VAT Rate"
        col7.Name = "VATRate"
        col7.DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0.00"
        col7.DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0.00"
        col7.ReadOnly = True
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns.Add(col7)

        'Transport Total
        Dim col8 As New DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
        col8.DataPropertyName = "EstimatedTransportTotal"
        col8.HeaderText = "Transport Total"
        col8.Name = "TransportTotal"
        col8.DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0.00"
        col8.DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0.00"
        col8.ReadOnly = True
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns.Add(col8)

        'VAT Total
        Dim col9 As New DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
        col9.DataPropertyName = "EstimatedVAT"
        col9.HeaderText = "VAT Total"
        col9.Name = "VATotal"
        col9.DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0.00"
        col9.DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0.00"
        col9.ReadOnly = True
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns.Add(col9)

        'line Total
        Dim col10 As New DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
        col10.DataPropertyName = "EstimatedLineTotal"
        col10.HeaderText = "Total"
        col10.Name = "Total"
        col10.DefaultCellStyle.Format = "0.00"
        col10.DefaultCellStyle.NullValue = "0.00"
        col10.ReadOnly = True
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns.Add(col10)



        'TicketRef
        Dim col11 As New DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
        col11.DataPropertyName = "TicketRef"
        col11.HeaderText = "TicketRef"
        col11.Name = "TicketRef"
        col11.Visible = False
        dgvTicketDetail.Columns.Add(col11)

    Finally
        If Con.State = ConnectionState.Open Then
            Con.Close()
        End If
    End Try

End Sub

hope this helps anyone else that gets stuck

Good Luck