I have a simple datagrid that is databound to an xml file. Unfortunately I do not have the ability to rearrange the order of the xml file, but I need to change the order of the columns in the datagrid. Can someone show me how to change the order of the columns after a databind()?

Thanks,
Levi

Right click on your grid and choose property builder
Choose columns on the left of the window
UNCheck create columns automatically at runtime
Then select the columns you want in the order you want.

The problem is that my dataset is being built in the Page_Load, and so the dataset is not accessible like that. I need to be able to change the order of the columns programmatically. Any more help PLEASE?

OK, then do your select in the order you want. Select <col>, <col> ..etc... then your datagrid will show the order of the select statement

Here, this might help you understand a little better. I'm not very good at describing things.

Private Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        'Put user code to initialize the page here

        Dim objData1 As New DataSet
        objData1.ReadXml(Server.MapPath("xml/fc.xml"))
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.DataSource = objData1
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.DataBind()
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(0).Width = New Unit("65px")
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(0).CellStyle.Horizonta lAlign = HorizontalAlign.Right
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(1).Width = New Unit("35px")
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(1).CellStyle.Horizonta lAlign = HorizontalAlign.Right
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(2).Width = New Unit("70px")
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(2).CellStyle.Horizonta lAlign = HorizontalAlign.Right
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(3).Width = New Unit("65px")
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(3).CellStyle.Horizonta lAlign = HorizontalAlign.Right
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(4).Width = New Unit("70px")
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(4).CellStyle.Horizonta lAlign = HorizontalAlign.Right
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(5).Hidden = True
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(6).Width = New Unit("45px")
        Me.FeederCattleGrid.Columns(6).CellStyle.Horizonta lAlign = HorizontalAlign.Center
End Sub

This is all of the vb.net code behind the page.

Create a new dataset
   Dim myNewDS As New DataSet
Add a table to it.

Add columns
   myNewDS.Tables(0).Columns.Add(objData1.Tables(0).C olumns("column you want"))
   myNewDS.Tables(0).Columns.Add(objData1.Tables(0).C olumns("column you want"))

... do that for each column in the order ypu want

I must really suck at this!!!

Column 'SYM' already belongs to this DataTable.

That is the error message I get.

Is this an aweful way of doing this. Is there a better way to read the contents of an xml file into a datagrid, so that I have more control over it?

You neeed to each column only once. I don't know of ean easier way using XML. Your hands are pretty much tied because I don't believe there is a way to change the order of the XML file directly.

busher,

Why can you not specify the column order in the grid's markup? If you are loading data from a known XML file then (hopefully) it will have a regular data structor such that you can specify the column layout.

If the data in the XML is correctly formed, you might be able to load the XML data into a data set. Then you could manipulate the table columns to get them in the order you want. But all of this also assumes that you will know ahead of time how the columns are structured. If that's the case, you can just lay out the grid columns and it will be a lot simpler.

-Peter