Cleanest way to implement collapsable entries in a table generated via asp:Repeater?

Question

Before anyone suggests scrapping the table tags altogether, I'm just modifying this part of a very large system, so it really wouldn't be wise for me to revise the table structure (the app is filled with similar tables).

This is a webapp in C# .NET - data comes in from a webservice and is displayed onscreen in a table. The table's rows are generated with asp:Repeaters, so that the rows alternate colers nicely. The table previously held one item of data per row. Now, essentially, the table has sub-headers... The first row is the date, the second row shows a line of data, and all the next rows are data rows until data of a new date comes in, in which case there will be another sub-header row.

At first I thought I could cheat a little and do this pretty easily to keep the current repeater structure- I just need to feed some cells the empty string so that no data appears in them. Now, however, we're considering one of those +/- collapsers next to each date, so that they can collapse all the data. My mind immediately went to hiding rows when a button is pressed... but I don't know how to hide rows from the code behind unless the row has a unique id, and I'm not sure if you can do that with repeaters.

I hope I've expressed the problem well. I'm sure I'll find a way TBH but I just saw this site on slashdot and thought I'd give it a whirl :)

Answer 1

When you build the row in the databinding event, you can add in a unique identifier using say the id of the data field or something else that you use to make it unique.

Then you could use a client side method to expand collapse if you want to fill it with data in the beginning, toggling the style.display setting in Javascript for the table row element.

Answer 2

just wrap the contents of the item template in an asp:Panel, then you have you have a unique id. Then throw in some jquery for some spice ;)

edit: just noticed that you are using a table. put the id on the row. then toggle it.