Customising Flex Datagrid or alternative solutions

Question

I'm currently building an application that is presenting tabular (fetched from a webservice) data and have squirted it into a datagrid - seemed the most obvious way to present it on screen.

I've now come across a few limitations in the datagrid and wonder how I might move forward. As a relative newcomer to flex development I'm a little lost.

A few things I am wanting to do.

1. The data is logically split into groups and I would like to be able to have subheadings in the grid whenever I move to a new group.
2. I would like to be able to highligh individual cells based on their content relative to other values in the row - ie highlight the cell with the highest value in the row.

Is this possible with the standard datagrid?

I'm actually using the try-before-you-buy version of flex builder at the moment but I have ordered Flex Builder 3 Pro - which is on its way to me. I understand there is an 'advanced datagrid' control in this version - perhaps that will support some of what I wish to do?

Alternatively - is there another way of building custom tabular data?

Answer 1

The DataGrid is the best bet for that, but also check out the AdvancedDataGrid (here are some AdvancedDataGrid Demos with Source from FarataSystems).

Both the DataGrid and AdvancedDataGrid are notoriously hard to customize, and everything you'd like to do is pretty advanced, so it will take a while to get going, but you can do it eventually.

There's no other way to build tabular data unless you start doing some advanced things with some of the data visualization libraries out there.

Good luck, Lance

Answer 2

What you are looking for is possible, using the Advanced DataGrid and grouping collection. For custom Highlighting, there is a function on the ADG called styleFunction, where you can perform custom logic. BTW - We've added a tremendous amount of cusotm functionality and made it available as a commercial component, if you are in terested : http://www.flexicious.com. On the demo page, you'll see some examples of grouped data.

Answer 3

stay the hell away from Adobe's AdvancedDataGrid. You will learn quickly it has many shortcomings, you will think you are better than it and override a few things here, tweak a few things there, but in the end the ADG will absolutely destroy you. Heed my call and avoid this at all costs. The ADG was outsourced by Adobe to their failed Indian team that has sense been disbanded, it alone counts for over %30 of the entire flex framework, and their are horrible deeply rooted issues that are better off starting over at this point. STAY AWAY FROM THE ADVANCDEDDATAGRID AT ALL COSTS!!!!!