Using the GridCtrl in a View

Download demo project.

I have had many, MANY questions asking how to use my MFC grid control
in a view instead of in a dialog, so hopefully this will help.

The easiest way as I see it is as follows:

1. Add a member variable of type CGridCtrl* to your view class:

   CGridCtrl* m_pGrid;
   

   
   

2. Initialise this to NULL in your view class’ constructor:

   CMyView::CMyView
   {
       m_pGrid = NULL;
   }
   

   
   

3. In the CView function OnInitialUpdate, create a new CGridCtrl object if the m_pGrid
   is not NULL, and then create the CGridCtrl window:

   CMyView::OnInitialUpdate
   {
       CView::OnInitialUpdate();

   if (m_pGrid == NULL) // Have we already done this bit?
   {
   m_pGridCtrl = new CGridCtrl; // Create the Gridctrl object
   if (!m_pGridCtrl) return;

   CRect rect; // Create the Gridctrl window
   GetClientRect(rect);
   m_pGridCtrl->Create(rect, this, 100);

   m_pGridCtrl->SetRowCount(50); // fill it up with stuff
   m_pGridCtrl->SetColumnCount(10);

   // … etc
   }
   }
   

   This allows the view to be reused (eg SDI situations).

4. We want the grid to take up the whole of the view’s client space, so add a handler to
   the WM_SIZE message for the view and edit the OnSize function thus:
   

   CMyView::OnSize(UINT nType, int cx, int cy)
   {
       CView::OnSize(nType, cx, cy);
       if (m_pGrid->GetSafeHwnd())     // Have the grid object and window been created yet?
       {
           CRect rect;
           GetClientRect(rect);        // Get the size of the view’s client area
           m_pGrid->MoveWindow(rect);  // Resize the grid to take up that space.
       }
   }
   

5. Remember to delete the object when you are done:
   

   CMyView::~CMyView
   {
       if (m_pGrid)
           delete m_pGrid;
   }
   

6. You may want to also add an OnCmdMsg
   overide to your view class and let the grid control have first go at
   the messages (this will allow commands such as ID_EDIT_COPY to be wired in
   automatically:

   BOOL CMyView::OnCmdMsg(UINT nID, int nCode, void* pExtra, AFX_CMDHANDLERINFO* pHandlerInfo)
   {
       if (m_pGrid && IsWindow(m_pGrid->m_hWnd))
           if (m_pGrid->OnCmdMsg(nID, nCode, pExtra, pHandlerInfo))
               return TRUE;

   return CView::OnCmdMsg(nID, nCode, pExtra, pHandlerInfo);
   }
   

Last updated: 29 November 1998