Question

Scrollable table (vertical & horizontal) - fixed header content

Asked by: fargo

Hi,

I am asking here a age old problem to make the HTML Table scrollable. Sure, in simple scenarios like having defined column width and the cell content fits the column width, one can handle this with two table concept. But in my case, i have no control over the column content, it may fit and it may not. The table has more than 30 columns and the  data body may contain over 100 rows.

My requirement is to make the table scrollable (both horizontal and vertical) and sure, it needs to be cross-browser compatible.

Can someone please advice and provide some sample code?
I am asking this question in javascript forum because i don't think it can plainly be done with css.

Here you will find the example big table (only in columns, rows can be added more)!!
http://www.geocities.com/vickansh/big-table.html

I have gone thru some links like
http://www.imaputz.com/cssStuff/bigFourVersion.html
Which doesn't work at all under IE7.

Thanks for your help.
fargo

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Asked On
2007-09-03 at 02:39:08ID22803362
Tags

table

,

fixed

,

header

,

scrollable

,

horizontal

Topics

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

,

JavaScript

Participating Experts
2
Points
0
Comments
17

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Answers

 

by: mplungjanPosted on 2007-09-03 at 02:50:22ID: 19819858

<table style="overflow:auto">

or

<div style="overflow:auto">
<table .....
</table>
</div>

 

by: mplungjanPosted on 2007-09-03 at 02:53:11ID: 19819865

to limit the space:

<div style="width:800px; height:640px; overflow:auto">
<table .....
</table>
</div>

 

by: fargoPosted on 2007-09-03 at 02:58:43ID: 19819877

Thanks mplungjan for your reply.
But how one can make the header fix? Doing the above it can only make the complete table scroll. I have updated the link
http://www.geocities.com/vickansh/big-table.html

 

by: mplungjanPosted on 2007-09-03 at 04:14:30ID: 19820086

Sorry, I missed the fixed header

Here are millions: http://www.google.com/search?q=scroll+table+header

 

by: fargoPosted on 2007-09-04 at 00:55:04ID: 19823702

Hi mplungjan, Sure i have gone thru my research before posting the question here. The case where there are too many columns and rows, none of the css tricks works. I would appreciate if one can show me the way of doing it with the mentioned big table in the link. Thanks.

 

by: mplungjanPosted on 2007-09-04 at 02:00:08ID: 19823857

If I look here
<table width="2000" border="1">
<colgroup>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="60"/>
<col width="160"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="350"/>
<col width="40"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="25"/>
<col width="100"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="180"/>
<col width="200"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="25"/>
<col width="25"/>
<col width="25"/>
<col width="60"/>
</colgroup>

you already fix the width.

If I read your comments, this will not be the case in the real application?

 

by: fargoPosted on 2007-09-04 at 02:43:53ID: 19823964

In my comments, i mean to say that the width is surely fixed for the column. But what if the content on the data body for the cell goes beyond the specified width. A classic example is, if one has a dropdown box in the cell and the content of the dropdown box goes beyond the width of the column, then the HTML Table tries to adjust the width from other columns. isn't it?

To clearly visualise it, i have updated the link with the select box in the first cell. Even though the width for the column is set to 45, the content of the select box can make it bigger. This is exactly what i meant in my question. I hope the things are clear now. Thanks for your help.

 

by: mplungjanPosted on 2007-09-04 at 02:56:27ID: 19824001

Sure you can

<select name="select" size="1" style="width:160px">
        <option>Something verybig can come here</option>
        <option>One cannot control the width here</option>
</select>

 

by: mplungjanPosted on 2007-09-04 at 02:56:53ID: 19824005

Sorry, I put it in column 5

<select name="select" size="1" style="width:45px">
        <option>Something verybig can come here</option>
        <option>One cannot control the width here</option>
</select>

 

by: mplungjanPosted on 2007-09-04 at 03:03:31ID: 19824042

And for IE you can help people with

<select onChange="this.parentNode.title=this.options[this.selectedIndex].text"

 

by: fargoPosted on 2007-09-04 at 09:41:23ID: 19826439

Hi, I think we are diverting from my actual requirement. I do not wish to make any controls over the content all together. My basic need is, whatever is available in the HTML Table, make it scrollable (vertical and horizontal). Any further ideas?

 

by: mplungjanPosted on 2007-09-04 at 11:44:17ID: 19827372

You now have fixed sized columns - if you keep them fixed, e.g. make sure the content does not widen them, then you can take any of the fixed header scrollable table solutions out there without change.

If you do NOT want to have fixed size columns, then I need to know since I could possibly take an existing scrollable thing and programatically set the width of the header cells to the widest of the corresponding data cell in that column.

Michel

 

by: fargoPosted on 2007-09-04 at 15:56:56ID: 19829058

Could you please provide some sample code for the second option you said? to dynamically set the width as per the content.

 

by: mplungjanPosted on 2007-09-04 at 22:55:03ID: 19830194

Hmm, I will try.

I was going to use the first example on google, but that is the one you posted as not working in IE7
How so?

Thanks

 

by: mplungjanPosted on 2007-09-04 at 23:44:29ID: 19830330

So the idea was great.
Too bad it does not work :((((

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">

<html>
<head>

        <title>Untitled</title>
<script>

function resizeTable() {
  var t1 = document.getElementById('headers');
  var widths = new Array();
  var cg = document.getElementById('cg');
  for (var i=0,n=cg.childNodes.length;i<n;i++) {
    if (cg.childNodes[i].nodeType != 1) { ;// ELEMENT_NODE
      continue;
    }
    widths[widths.length]=cg.childNodes[i].getAttribute('width');
  }
  var t2 = document.getElementById('data');
  var w,oldW;
  for (var i=0, n=t2.rows.length; i<n;i++) {
    for (var j=0, m=t2.rows[i].cells.length;j<m;j++) {
      w = t2.rows[i].cells[j].offsetWidth;
      if (w>widths[j]) {
        widths[j] = w;
        oldW = t1.rows[0].cells[j].offsetWidth;
        t1.rows[0].cells[j].title=w+'('+oldW+')'
        t1.rows[0].cells[j].style.border="1px solid red";
        t2.rows[i].cells[j].title=w;
        t2.rows[i].cells[j].style.border="1px solid red";
        t1.rows[0].cells[j].width=w+'px'
      }
    }
  }
}  
//document.getElementById('col1').width=document.getElementById('cell1').offsetWidth+'px'
</script>
</head>

<body onLoad="resizeTable()">
<table width="2000" border="1" id="headers">
<colgroup id="cg">
<col width="45"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="60"/>
<col width="160"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="350"/>
<col width="40"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="25"/>
<col width="100"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="180"/>
<col width="200"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="25"/>
<col width="25"/>
<col width="25"/>
<col width="60"/>
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-1</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-2</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-3</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-4</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-5</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-6</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-7</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-8</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-9</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-10</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-11</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-12</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-13</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-14</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-15</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-16</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-17</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-18</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-19</td>
<td class="header" align="center">Col-20</td>
</tr>
</table>
<div style="width:2000px; height:100px;overflow:auto">
<table width="2000" border="1" id="data">
<colgroup>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="60"/>
<col width="160"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="350"/>
<col width="40"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="25"/>
<col width="100"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="180"/>
<col width="200"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="45"/>
<col width="25"/>
<col width="25"/>
<col width="25"/>
<col width="60"/>
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr id="tr0">
<td>
<select>
<option>Something very big can come here</option>
<option>One cannot control the width here</option>
</select>
</td>
<td>Value-2</td>
<td>Value-3</td>
<td>Value-4</td>
<td><input class="input" type="text" size="10" value="Value-5"/></td>

<td>Value-6</td>
<td>Value-7</td>
<td>Value-8</td>
<td>Value-9</td>
<td><input class="input" type="text" size="10" value="Value-10"/></td>
<td>Value-11</td>
<td>Value-12</td>
<td>Value-13</td>
<td>Value-14</td>

<td><input class="input" type="text" size="10" value="Value-15"/></td>
<td>Value-16</td>
<td>Value-17</td>
<td>Value-18</td>
<td>Value-19</td>
<td>Value-20</td>
</tr>
<tr id="tr1">
<td>Value-1</td>
<td>Value-2</td>

<td>Value-3</td>
<td>Value-4</td>
<td><input class="input" type="text" size="10" value="Value-5"/></td>
<td>Value-6</td>
<td>Value-7</td>
<td>Value-8</td>
<td>Value-9</td>
<td><input class="input" type="text" size="10" value="Value-10"/></td>
<td>Value-11</td>
<td>Value-12</td>

<td>Value-13</td>
<td>Value-14</td>
<td><input class="input" type="text" size="10" value="Value-15"/></td>
<td>Value-16</td>
<td>Value-17</td>
<td>Value-18</td>
<td>Value-19</td>
<td>Value-20</td>
</tr>
<tr id="tr3">

<td>Value-1</td>
<td>Value-2</td>
<td>Value-3</td>
<td>Value-4</td>
<td><input class="input" type="text" size="10" value="Value-5"/></td>
<td>Value-6</td>
<td>Value-7</td>
<td>Value-8</td>
<td>Value-9</td>

<td><input class="input" type="text" size="10" value="Value-10"/></td>
<td>Value-11</td>
<td>Value-12</td>
<td>Value-13</td>
<td>Value-14</td>
<td><input class="input" type="text" size="10" value="Value-15"/></td>
<td>Value-16</td>
<td>Value-17</td>
<td>Value-18</td>
<td>Value-19</td>

<td>Value-20</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</body>
</html>

 

by: ee_autoPosted on 2009-06-02 at 01:30:20ID: 24524669

Question PAQ'd, 500 points refunded, and stored in the solution database.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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