Reasons to choose FlexGrid for LightSwitch

No-code Experience
FlexGrid gives you an easy-to-use interface to the features you need to make your grid interactive and useful. This means you can add advanced features without writing a line of code.

All the Features Included in the LightSwitch Grid
FlexGrid is designed to serve as a replacement for the built-in LightSwitch data grid. It uses the same command bar elements, looks similar (but better), behaves the same, but adds many useful features. These include: Conditional formatting, Excel export from the Web, Grouping, Outline buttons, Run time filtering, Printing, Clipboard support and Cell merging.

Ready-to-use Screen Template
This extension includes a complete FlexGrid screen template you can choose when adding a new screen to your project. This screen is similar to the LightSwitch editable grid screen, but it uses FlexGrid. It’s as simple as selecting it and choosing a data source. Using FlexGrid, you will get a searchable, editable grid view.

Upgrade Existing Screens
You can easily replace instances of the built-in LightSwitch data grid with FlexGrid while preserving the existing screen layout.

ComponentOne FlexGrid for LightSwitch Features:

• FlexGrid Screen Template - FlexGrid includes a screen template that includes a properly configured instance of the C1FlexGrid control extension, similar to the built-in editable grid screen. This is the easiest way to use the product. Alternatively, developers can start with any screen that uses the built-in data grid and replace it with the C1FlexGrid extension.
• Edit Data in Spreadsheet or Form View - Users can choose to edit data directly in the grid, as in a spreadsheet, or use the command bar to open detail dialogs to add or edit data in form view.
• Data Paging - Optionally show large data sets page-by-page rather than in one, long scrollable grid.
• Search Engine - The FlexGrid screen template exposes the same search functionality found in the built-in LightSwitch data grid.
• Runtime Sorting and Filtering - Allow users to instantly sort and filter data with intuitive on-screen controls.
• Design-time Grouping - Specify grouped views in LightSwitch's property pane.
• Outline Buttons for Collapsing Groups - Create hierarchical views of your data with outline buttons that users can collapse and expand.
• True Excel Export for the Web - Users can export views to .xls, .csv, .html, or .txt files. This works for both desktop and Web deployments.
• Conditional Formatting - Set formatting for cells that exceed a high or low value in any given column. This is commonly used to indicate values that need attention. For example, you may want to use a red background for a number below an acceptable value.
• Cell Merging - FlexGrid enables cell merging at the grid and column levels. This feature merges adjacent cells that have the same content, while positioning the text to maximize readability.
• Persistent User Views - Optionally restore the last view configured by the end-user before closing the application. This includes sorting and filtering operations as well as column sizing and reordering.
• Excel-like Filtering - Allow your end-users to filter the grid view using convenient check boxes or by specifying conditional expressions.
• Tooltips for Validation Errors - When modified field data is invalid, FlexGrid automatically shows a tooltip that explains what the error is.
• Printing Support - Print professional quality reports with the click of a button.
• Localized Interfaces - Deploy your application in 20 different languages without worrying about localization. Just set the Culture property in your LightSwitch project and FlexGrid will show the proper strings. Included languages: Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (United States), Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Slovak, Spanish and Swedish.
• Cell Range Selection and Clipboard Support - Select multiple cells by clicking and dragging or shift-clicking. Use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+C to copy the selection to the clipboard.
• Point-and-click Styling - Use convenient property pickers in LightSwitch to customize the appearance of rows, columns, headers, and grid lines.