DataGrid

Multi-column data grid with typed columns, sorting indicators, and row selection.

Overview

DataGrid extends Selector and provides a tabular data view with typed columns, sortable headers, and row selection. Columns follow a WPF-aligned type hierarchy:

DataGridColumn — abstract base with Header, Width, sorting config
DataGridBoundColumn — abstract, adds Binding property (AOT-safe via PropertyAccessorRegistry)
DataGridTextColumn — displays bound values as text
DataGridCheckBoxColumn — displays boolean values as [x] / [ ]
DataGridTemplateColumn — renders cells via a CellTemplate DataTemplate

When a column is sorted, the header displays ▲ for ascending and ▼ for descending. Column separators use │, header lines use ─, and crossings use ┼.

Basic Example

<DataGrid ItemsSource="{Binding Employees}" SelectedIndex="0">
  <DataGrid.Columns>
    <DataGridTextColumn Header="Name" Binding="Name" />
    <DataGridTextColumn Header="Department" Binding="Department" />
    <DataGridCheckBoxColumn Header="Active" Binding="Active" Width="10" />
  </DataGrid.Columns>
</DataGrid>

Properties

Property	Type	Default	Description
SelectedBackground	Color	Blue	Background color of the selected row.
SelectedForeground	Color	White	Foreground color of the selected row.
HeaderBackground	Color	DarkGray	Background color of the column header row.
HeaderForeground	Color	White	Foreground color of the column header row.
ShowGridLines	bool	true	Whether to display column separators and header line using box-drawing characters.
CanSort	bool	true	Whether sorting is enabled globally for the grid.
SelectedIndex	int	-1	Zero-based index of the currently selected row. Inherited from Selector.
SelectedItem	object	null	The currently selected data item. Inherited from Selector.
ItemsSource	IEnumerable	null	Data source for generating rows. Inherited from ItemsControl.

Column Types

DataGridColumn (abstract base)

Property	Type	Default	Description
Header	string	""	Text displayed in the column header.
Width	int	0 (star)	Character width. 0 = fill remaining space (star sizing).
SortDirection	SortDirection	None	Current sort direction: None, Ascending, or Descending.
CanUserSort	bool	true	Whether this column can be sorted.
SortMemberPath	string?	null	Property path for sorting. Bound columns default to their Binding path.

DataGridBoundColumn (abstract, extends DataGridColumn)

Property	Type	Default	Description
Binding	string?	null	Property path on each data item. Resolved via PropertyAccessorRegistry (AOT-safe).

DataGridTextColumn (extends DataGridBoundColumn)

Displays the bound value as text. Falls back to ToString() if Binding is not set.

DataGridCheckBoxColumn (extends DataGridBoundColumn)

Displays a boolean value as [x] (true) or [ ] (false), centered in the cell.

DataGridTemplateColumn (extends DataGridColumn)

Property	Type	Default	Description
CellTemplate	DataTemplate?	null	Template used to render each cell. DataContext is set to the row's data item.

Examples

Text and CheckBox Columns

<DataGrid ItemsSource="{Binding Employees}" SelectedIndex="0">
  <DataGrid.Columns>
    <DataGridTextColumn Header="Id" Binding="Id" Width="6" />
    <DataGridTextColumn Header="Name" Binding="Name" />
    <DataGridTextColumn Header="Department" Binding="Department" />
    <DataGridCheckBoxColumn Header="Active" Binding="Active" Width="10" />
  </DataGrid.Columns>
</DataGrid>

Template Column

<DataGrid ItemsSource="{Binding Items}">
  <DataGrid.Columns>
    <DataGridTextColumn Header="Name" Binding="Name" />
    <DataGridTemplateColumn Header="Status">
      <DataGridTemplateColumn.CellTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
          <TextBlock Text="{Binding Status}"
                     Foreground="Green" />
        </DataTemplate>
      </DataGridTemplateColumn.CellTemplate>
    </DataGridTemplateColumn>
  </DataGrid.Columns>
</DataGrid>

Sorting Columns

<DataGrid CanSort="True">
  <DataGrid.Columns>
    <DataGridTextColumn Header="Name" Binding="Name"
                        SortDirection="Ascending" />
    <DataGridTextColumn Header="Score" Binding="Score"
                        CanUserSort="True" />
    <DataGridCheckBoxColumn Header="Passed" Binding="Passed"
                            CanUserSort="False" />
  </DataGrid.Columns>
</DataGrid>

Without Grid Lines

<DataGrid ShowGridLines="False" SelectedIndex="0">
  <DataGrid.Columns>
    <DataGridTextColumn Header="File" Binding="FileName" />
    <DataGridTextColumn Header="Size" Binding="Size" Width="10" />
  </DataGrid.Columns>
</DataGrid>

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
Up Arrow	Move selection to the previous row.
Down Arrow	Move selection to the next row.
Home	Move selection to the first row.
End	Move selection to the last row.

Key Concepts

DataGrid extends Selector, inheriting SelectedIndex, SelectedItem, and SelectionChanged event.
Columns use a WPF-aligned type hierarchy: DataGridColumn → DataGridBoundColumn → DataGridTextColumn / DataGridCheckBoxColumn, and DataGridColumn → DataGridTemplateColumn.
The Binding property on bound columns is a string path resolved via PropertyAccessorRegistry — fully Native AOT compatible, no reflection at runtime.
Data item types must be discoverable by the source generator: use [BindableObject] for plain records/classes, or extend ViewModelBase.
A Width of 0 uses star sizing, filling all remaining horizontal space equally.
Sort indicators ▲ (ascending) and ▼ (descending) are rendered in the header next to the column title.
DataGridTemplateColumn renders each cell via a CellTemplate, setting DataContext on the template content to the row's data item.