How do I bind the result of DataTable.Select() to a ListBox control?

Question

I have the following code:

ListBox.DataSource = DataSet.Tables("table_name").Select("some_criteria = match")
ListBox.DisplayMember = "name"

The DataTable.Select() method returns an array of System.Data.DataRow objects.

No matter what I specify in the ListBox.DisplayMember property, all I see is the ListBox with the correct number of items all showing as System.Data.DataRow instead of the value I want which is in the "name" column!

Is it possible to bind to the resulting array from DataTable.Select(), instead of looping through it and adding each one to the ListBox?

(I've no problem with looping, but doesn't seem an elegant ending!)

Josh · Accepted Answer · 2008-09-22T13:42:01.747

33

Use a DataView instead.

ListBox.DataSource = new DataView(DataSet.Tables("table_name"), "some_criteria = match", "name", DataViewRowState.CurrentRows);
ListBox.DisplayMember = "name"

edited Sep 22 '08 at 13:42

answered Sep 22 '08 at 13:32

Josh

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In most cases you can't bind standard controls directly to a DataTable or a DataRow. You have to get a DataTableView or a DataRowView. Josh is correct. – Sep 22 '08 at 13:33

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 22 '08 at 14:05

Josh has it right with the DataView. If you need a very large hammer, you can take the array of rows from any DataTable.Select("...") and do a merge into a different DataSet.


 DataSet copy = new DataSet();
 copy.Merge(myDataTable.Select("Foo='Bar'"));
 // copy.Tables[0] has a clone

That approach for what you're trying to do is most probably overkill but there are instances when you may need to get a datatable out of an array of rows where it's helpful.

How do I bind the result of DataTable.Select() to a ListBox control?

2 Answers2

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