Data Tables is a term I am using to describe client-side (JavaScript) fancy formatting, sorting and other features of tabular data. Sometimes called a 'Data Grid', Data Tables is a name for systems that present data to the User Interface in a robust way without unnecessary programming. "Unnecessary programming" is a complicated phrase. It's good to know the frameworks (e.g. [[jQuery]]), because they're powerful and quite often in demand. However, you should know how the underlying technology works, and sometimes that is both necessary '''and''' more in demand <ref>https://teamtreehouse.com/forum/html-table-from-json-store-using-pure-javascript-no-jquery</ref>.
== Solutions == # [https://datatables.net/ https://datatables.net/index ] is a plugin for jQuery that I've used. It's probably the #1 solution in the category. This is '''available for MediaWiki.'''# Steve Schwartz created [http://www.dynatable.com/ DynaTable] This is even cooler. Best of all, it's AGPL licensed, so it's completely free software, and will remain so.# http://ajaxpatterns.org/Data_Grid is interesting because it discusses the pattern behind this problem, but fairly old (2010 last major edit), and doesn't even mention datatables# http://lazymofo.wdschools.com/ offers an MIT licensed PHP Data Grid# https://labs.mbrooks.info/demos/Tidy-Table/ is also MIT licensed
There are other solutions that create CRUD interfaces to databases, but they're either not worth mentioning, or I haven't fully researched it. There used to be a phpGrid that was free (GPL) software, but not now. phpgrid.org and phpgrid.com definitely are not
== See Also ==There is an extension called DataTable2 which has nothing to do with client-side display, formatting and functionality of tabular data. The [[mediawikiwiki:Extension:DataTable2|DataTable2 extension]] in the converse of SemanticMediaWiki. It allows you to store data centrally (many records on a single page) and re-use that data on other pages. {{References}}
[[Category:Data]]
[[Category:UI]]