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Data Binding Overview

RadToolBar fully supports binding to various types of data sources:

Data sources can support both hierarchical and non-hierarchical structures. However, RadToolBar only works with a flat structure.

Databinding Properties and Methods

The following properties and methods are used when binding the toolbar to a data source:

  • DataSource property - Set to an instance of your data source. This is mandatory when binding the toolbar at runtime.

  • DataSourceID property - Set to the ID of your data source. This is mandatory when binding the toolbar declaratively.

  • DataMember property - If the data source is a DataSet and DataMember is set, then the toolbar is bound to the DataTable with the respective name in the DataSet. If DataMember is not set, the toolbar is bound to the first DataTable in the DataSet.

  • DataTextField property - This is the field name from the data source to bind to the Text property.

  • DataValueField property - This is the field name from the data source to bind to the Value property.

  • DataBind method - Call this method after you have set the aforementioned properties when binding at runtime. This method is mandatory for binding at runtime.

Note, that unlike RadMenu or RadPanelbar, RadToolBar does not have DataFieldId and DataFieldParentId properties to establish items' hierarchy such as in a DropDown button.

If you need to map additional fields from the Data Source to properties of the toolbar button, you can use the ButtonDataBound event. See Binding To ASP DataSource Components for an example.

Appending Data Bound Items

RadToolBar exposes the AppendDataBoundItems property (False by default). If you bind the toolbar using the DataBind method, all toolbar buttons are automatically cleared.

Setting AppendDataBoundItems to True preserves the buttons that are already present in the toolbar. This lets you bind RadToolBar to multiple data sources or use both unbound and bound modes.

Using Templates with Data-bound Buttons

You can also use templates with a data-bound toolbar. To bind template buttons to column values, use DataBinder.Eval expressions in the template's definition:

<%# DataBinder.Eval(Container.DataItem, "ColumnName") %>

Note that you use Container.DataItem to access the toolbar button when it is in a bound mode. The toolbar button must already be bound before template binding can work.

See Also

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