GridView

The GridView control in WinUI provides a flexible way to display and manage collections of data in a grid-like layout. It excels at presenting tabular data with multiple columns and rows, allowing for sorting, filtering, and selection.

Introduction

The GridView is a powerful UI element for presenting structured data. It virtualizes its content, meaning it only renders the items that are currently visible, which is crucial for performance when dealing with large datasets.

Key Features

• Data Binding: Easily bind to collections of data using ItemsSource.
• Column Definition: Define columns explicitly using GridView.Columns for precise control over data presentation.
• Column Auto-Sizing: Columns can automatically adjust their width based on content or container size.
• Sorting: Implement client-side or server-side sorting for columns.
• Filtering: Support filtering of data based on user input or application logic.
• Selection: Configure single or multiple item selection.
• Templating: Customize the appearance of cells and rows using DataTemplates.
• Virtualization: Efficiently handles large datasets by only rendering visible items.

Basic Usage

Here's a simple example of how to define a GridView with columns and bind it to a collection of data:

<Page
    x:Class="WinUIDemo.Views.GridViewPage"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
    xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
    mc:Ignorable="d"
    Background="{ThemeResource ApplicationPageBackgroundThemeBrush}">

    <Grid>
        <GridView ItemsSource="{x:Bind SampleData}"
                  SelectionMode="Extended"
                  IsItemClickEnabled="True"
                  ItemClick="{x:Bind ViewModel.ItemClickedCommand}">

            <GridView.ItemsPanel>
                <ItemsPanelTemplate>
                    <ItemsWrapGrid Orientation="Horizontal" />
                </ItemsPanelTemplate>
            </GridView.ItemsPanel>

            <GridView.ItemTemplate>
                <DataTemplate x:DataType="local:SampleDataItem">
                    <StackPanel Width="200" Height="150" Background="LightGray" Padding="10" CornerRadius="5">
                        <TextBlock Text="{x:Bind Title}" FontSize="16" FontWeight="SemiBold" Margin="0,0,0,5" />
                        <TextBlock Text="{x:Bind Description}" TextWrapping="Wrap" FontSize="12" />
                    </StackPanel>
                </DataTemplate>
            </GridView.ItemTemplate>
        </GridView>
    </Grid>
</Page>

Defining Columns

While the example above uses an ItemTemplate for a more visual grid, you can also define explicit columns similar to a DataGrid for tabular data. This is achieved using GridView.Columns:

<GridView ItemsSource="{x:Bind SampleData}">
    <GridView.Columns>
        <GridViewColumn Header="ID" Width="100" DisplayMemberBinding="{Binding Id}" />
        <GridViewColumn Header="Name" Width="*" DisplayMemberBinding="{Binding Name}" />
        <GridViewColumn Header="Category" Width="150" DisplayMemberBinding="{Binding Category}" />
    </GridView.Columns>
</GridView>

Data Virtualization

GridView automatically uses UI virtualization for its items. This means that only the items currently visible on screen are created and rendered in the UI tree. As the user scrolls, the GridView recycles and reuses these UI elements, significantly improving performance with large datasets.

Customization

Item Container Style

You can customize the appearance and behavior of individual grid items by setting the ItemContainerStyle property:

<GridView ...>
    <GridView.ItemContainerStyle>
        <Style TargetType="GridViewItem">
            <Setter Property="Margin" Value="5"/>
            <Setter Property="Background" Value="AliceBlue"/>
            <Setter Property="CornerRadius" Value="8"/>
            <Style.Triggers>
                <Trigger Property="IsPointerOver" Value="True">
                    <Setter Property="Background" Value="LightSkyBlue"/>
                </Trigger>
                <Trigger Property="IsSelected" Value="True">
                    <Setter Property="Background" Value="DodgerBlue"/>
                    <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="White"/>
                </Trigger>
            </Style.Triggers>
        </Style>
    </GridView.ItemContainerStyle>
    ...
</GridView>

Best Practices

• Use GridView.Columns for presenting structured, tabular data where column alignment is important.
• Use ItemTemplate for more visually distinct, card-like items where precise column alignment is not critical.
• Always consider the performance implications of large datasets and leverage virtualization effectively.
• Implement sorting and filtering to enhance user experience for data exploration.