The DataView represents a custom view of a DataTable that can be bound to controls. It allows you to apply row sorting and filtering without affecting the underlying data. All DataTable binding takes place through a DataView . When you bind to a DataTable object, you are actually binding to the DataTable.DefaultView , which is an automatically created DataView object. You can configure this DataView or create a new DataView . In fact, you can even create multiple DataView objects for the same DataTable and use them to display different views of the same data in different user interface controls.

Some significant properties of the DataView are Sort , RowFilter , and RowStateFilter . Sort is a SQL expression that sets column-based sorting (as in CustomerID ASC ). RowFilter is a SQL expression that works like a WHERE clause, including only rows that match certain criteria (such as CustomerID > 100 ). Finally, RowStateFilter shows only rows that have a specified DataViewRowState . For more information about the DataView objects and the syntax you can use to filter and sort data within them, refer to Chapter 28. Much as with a Data-Table , you can add new rows (using AddNew( ) ) and select existing ones (using Find( ) ) through a DataView .

public class DataView : System.ComponentModel.MarshalByValueComponent , 
System.ComponentModel.IBindingList, IList, ICollection, IEnumerable, System.ComponentModel.ITypedList, 
System.ComponentModel.ISupportInitialize {
// Public Constructors
   public DataView(  );  
   public DataView( DataTable table);  
   public DataView(DataTable table, string RowFilter, string Sort, DataViewRowState RowState);
// Public Instance Properties
   public bool AllowDelete{set; get; } 
   public bool AllowEdit{set; get; }                   // implements System.ComponentModel.IBindingList
   public bool AllowNew{set; get; }                    // implements System.ComponentModel.IBindingList
   public bool ApplyDefaultSort{set; get; } 
   public int Count{get; }                             // implements ICollection
   public DataViewManager DataViewManager{get; } 
   public virtual string RowFilter{set; get; } 
   public DataViewRowState RowStateFilter{set; get; } 
   public string Sort{set; get; } 
   public DataTable Table{set; get; } 
   public DataRowView this[int recordIndex]{get; } 
// Protected Instance Properties
   protected bool IsOpen{get; } 
// Public Instance Methods
   public virtual DataRowView AddNew(  );  
   public void BeginInit(  );                           // implements System.ComponentModel.ISupportInitialize
   public void CopyTo( Array array, int index);            // implements ICollection
   public void Delete( int index);  
   public void EndInit(  );                             // implements System.ComponentModel.ISupportInitialize
   public int Find( object key);  
   public int Find( object[ ] key);  
   public DataRowView[ ] FindRows( object key);  
   public DataRowView[ ] FindRows( object[ ] key);  
   public IEnumerator GetEnumerator(  );                // implements IEnumerable
// Protected Instance Methods
   protected void Close(  );  
   protected virtual void ColumnCollectionChanged(object sender, System.ComponentModel.CollectionChangeEventArgs e);
   protected override void Dispose( bool disposing);        // overrides System.ComponentModel.MarshalByValueComponent
   protected virtual void IndexListChanged(object sender, System.ComponentModel.ListChangedEventArgs e);
   protected virtual void OnListChanged(System.ComponentModel.ListChangedEventArgs e);
   protected void Open(  );  
   protected void Reset(  );  
   protected void UpdateIndex(  );  
   protected virtual void UpdateIndex( bool force);  
// Events
   public event ListChangedEventHandler ListChanged;           // implements System.ComponentModel.IBindingList
}

Hierarchy

System.Object System.ComponentModel.MarshalByValueComponent(System.ComponentModel.IComponent, System.IDisposable , System.IServiceProvider) DataView(System.ComponentModel.IBindingList, System.Collections.IList , System.Collections.ICollection , System.Collections.IEnumerable , System.ComponentModel.ITypedList , System.ComponentModel.ISupportInitialize)

Returned By

DataRowView.{CreateChildView( ) , DataView} , DataTable.DefaultView , DataViewManager.CreateDataView( )