How do I set datagrid column text alignment in compact framework?

I am using .NETCF version 2.0.  I would appreciate any help I can get.  This should be a simple task and is indeed simple in full .NET, and I cannot believe MS eliminated cell/column text alignment in CF.  

I have upgraded to CF 3.5 and still cannot find a solution for Datagrid column alignment.

I see that they didn't fix that problem in 3.5.  Did you look at the custom DataGrid control enhancements that I spoke of earlier?

I did download the file, but I see that it is a .msi file.  I don't want to install the sample app, I need to see the sample code as to how to do an Alignment property.

I did find another links http://www.ehartwell.com/InfoDabble/DataGrid_extensions_for_the_Compact_Framework  
and http://blog.quayinc.com/2008/01/net-compact-fra.html
that show an Alignment property for a CF Datagrid, but when I try the code construct they don't work.  Both examples are C# leading me to believe the all .NET languages are not created equal.

The .msi installs the source code, not a sample application.

I see what you mean.   I installed and loaded the resulting project, but the project loaded with a number of errors.  See attached.

I forgot the attachement.

Oh, yeah, I had to fix the project reference, and get the correct Import statements, since they were wrong.

Imports DataGridCustomColumns

The Import statement is already present in the code with the following error notation.  See attached.  You have to forgive me, but both dotNet and CF are new to me.  I am used to VB 6.

Here are the steps to remove and re-add the project reference:

I have add the DataGridCustomColumns project to my app and have added the Imports DataGridCustomColumns statement with no errors.   Now, when I instatiate the column using 'As New DataGridCustomTextBoxColumn' I get the attached error.

Right click on your project, and select 'Add Reference'.  Go to the .NET tab, and find System.Windows.Forms.DataGrid, and add that reference.

Curious.   System.Windows.Forms.DataGrid seems to have disappeared from my project references (it was there before).  And now the .dll isn't even in my C:\Program Files\Microsoft.NET\SDK\CompactFramework\v3.5\WindowsCE folder as it should be.  I upgraded from 2.0 to 3.5.  Is it possible that DataGrid was bundled with System.Windows.Forms for 3.5 ?  Even though I don't have an explicit reference to System.Windows.Forms.DataGrid, all of my app grids work fine.

I believe that for the 3.5 framework, that it is now in the System.Windows.Forms.dll, which you should have a reference to in your project.

I do have a reference to System.Windows.Forms as you can see in the attached list, and I still have the error noted in my CustCol2 image above.  Does it need to reference the 2.0 version of System.Windows.Forms.DataGrid ? I think there must be a conflict since the imported DataGridCustomColumns project has 2.0 references and my app has all 3.5 references.  

Hang in there.  You obviously know way more about this that I.

You can check the 'Target Framework', by right-clicking on the project in the Solution Explorer, selecting 'Properties', and checking on the Application tab.  It should be 3.5, but it might be 2.0 after the migration.

Solution Properties must have changed from 2.0 to 3.5 since I have no 'Target Framework' or any tabs as shown in attached.

Hmmm...my thinking gets stuck in the regular Windows Forms world.   The Smart Device project doesn't allow you  to change the target framework.

How to install and USE .net Compact Framework 3.5 WITHOUT upgrading your ROM.
http://www.modaco.com/content/windows-mobile-news/265615/how-to-install-and-use-net-compact-framework-3-5-without-upgrading-your-rom/

You right-clicked on the solution in the Solution Explorer, and not the project.  You can tell that by noticing the multiple project contexts listed for the entire solution.

The link seems to deal with upgrading the smart device to 3.5.  My app is already at 3.5 and deploys and works fine.  If I attempt to add the 2.0 reference to System.Windows.Forms.DataGrid, I get a 'DataGrid' is ambiguous in the namespace 'System.Windows.Forms', presumeably since it already knows DataGrid from the 3.5 framework.

Is there some way to upgrade the C# project to 3.5?  I tried the Project Upgrade selection and it didn't change any of the references.

I like the "clean" approach, where you create a new project in a different folder, and then re-add the files from previous project.

Are you suggesting creating a new 3.5 C# project and then adding the files from the 2.0 project?

Yes, that is the usual approach that I take.  It is the same approach that I use when I upgrade my Windows operating system.  There is usually too much junk in the trunk when you migrate from one version to another.

I gave it a try.  I deleted the previous C# project and created a blank project of the same name.  Then added back all of the code files and references.  I must have really hosed things up because now I've got 50 fatal errors.

What is the target platform for your CF project?

I created a new Pocket PC 2003 for .NET 3.5 Class Library project, and then added the code files from the 2.0 project, and added a reference to the System.Windows.Forms.dll and System.Drawing.dll to get a project.  I upload the file to the Experts-Exchange system, so that you can download.

http://www.ee-stuff.com/Expert/Upload/getFile.php?fid=7718

You can see that the project references are different when you create the project correctly.  Also, I saw a CGESRemote reference in the DataGridCustomColumns project.  What is that project for?

The reference was a case of 'monkey see, monkey do'.  I was including the DataGridCustomColumns project in with mine.  I have now realized that I should just create the .dll and reference it - must be getting senile.  Anyway, all of the fatal errors seemed to disappear upon restarting the DE this morning.  The only thing remaining was to get the reference correct, which has now been done with the .dll creation and added reference to it.

Now my app has no errors and calls the appropriate C# code correctly, but there must be something strange with the C# code.  Take a look at the two attached images - one shows a grid without using the DataGridCustomColumns Alignment and the other one with the Alignment.  The latter seems to be dropping my data.
Any ideas?

Can you show me how you defined the custom columns for the data grid style?

As you can see I only used the new Custom style for column 4, and that in this snippet I have commented out the previous instatiation code for tcol4.

        Dim ts As DataGridTableStyle = New DataGridTableStyle()
        Dim tcol0 As New DataGridTextBoxColumn
        Dim tcol1 As New DataGridTextBoxColumn
        Dim tcol2 As New DataGridTextBoxColumn
        Dim tcol3 As New DataGridTextBoxColumn
        '        Dim tcol4 As New DataGridTextBoxColumn
        Dim tcol4 As New DataGridCustomTextBoxColumn

        ts.MappingName = "RSFreight"
        tcol0.MappingName = "RecID"
        tcol0.Width = 0
        ts.GridColumnStyles.Add(tcol0)
        tcol1.MappingName = "RecHdrID"
        tcol1.Width = 0
        ts.GridColumnStyles.Add(tcol1)
        tcol2.MappingName = "RecChgType"
        tcol2.Width = 150
        tcol2.HeaderText = "Description"
        ts.GridColumnStyles.Add(tcol2)
        tcol3.MappingName = "RecGLPostCd"
        tcol3.Width = 0
        ts.GridColumnStyles.Add(tcol3)
        With tcol4
            .Owner = Me.grdFreight
            .MappingName = "RecAmount"
            .Width = 70
            .HeaderText = "Amount"
            .Format = "F2"
            .Alignment = HorizontalAlignment.Right
        End With
        ts.GridColumnStyles.Add(tcol4)
        grdFreight.TableStyles.Add(ts)

Weird.  I set up a small test, and the grid had 3 rows, and it won't fire the Paint event for the 2nd row, just like yours.  

I added more items to the grid to see that it was skipping every other row, which pointed to an alternating row style problem.

I added an additional setting for the column, to set AlternatingBackColor:

           column.AlternatingBackColor = Color.Red

and the grid starting painting the cell.

Ahhh, success at last . . .
Thanks for all of your efforts and patience.  Seems like a very unnecessary way to perform a seemingly simple task.

I will award the points at your original like reference, as it contains the DataGridCustomColumns .msi file containing the core solution.
Thanks again.