How to hide a column (GridView) but still access its value?

C# Problem Overview

I have a GridView with a DataSource (SQL Database). I want to hide a column, but still be able to access the value when I select the record. Can someone show me how to do this?

This is the column I want to hide and still want to access its value:

<asp:BoundField DataField="Outlook_ID" HeaderText="OutlookID" />

I tried everything to hide the column (property Visible="false"), but I can't access its value.

C# Solutions

Solution 1 - C#

<head runat="server">
<title>Accessing GridView Hidden Column value </title>
<style type="text/css">
  .hiddencol
  {
    display: none;
  }
</style>

<asp:BoundField HeaderText="Email ID" DataField="EmailId" ItemStyle-CssClass="hiddencol" HeaderStyle-CssClass="hiddencol" >
</asp:BoundField>

ArrayList EmailList = new ArrayList();
foreach (GridViewRow itemrow in gvEmployeeDetails.Rows)
{
  EmailList.Add(itemrow.Cells[YourIndex].Text);
}

Solution 2 - C#

If I am not mistaken, GridView does not hold the values of BoundColumns that have the attribute visible="false". Two things you may do here, one (as explained in the answer from V4Vendetta) to use Datakeys. Or you can change your BoundColumn to a TemplateField. And in the ItemTemplate, add a control like Label, make its visibility false and give your value to that Label.

Solution 3 - C#

Define a style in css:

.hiddencol { display: none; }

Then add the ItemStyle-CssClass="hiddencol" and the HeaderStyle-CssClass="hiddencol" attribute to the grid field:

<asp:BoundField DataField="ID" HeaderText="ID" ItemStyle-CssClass="hiddencol"  HeaderStyle-CssClass="hiddencol" ClientIDMode="Static" />

Solution 4 - C#

You can use DataKeys for retrieving the value of such fields, because (as you said) when you set a normal BoundField as visible false you cannot get their value.

In the .aspx file set the GridView property

DataKeyNames = "Outlook_ID"

Now, in an event handler you can access the value of this key like so:

grid.DataKeys[rowIndex]["Outlook_ID"]

This will give you the id at the specified rowindex of the grid.

Solution 5 - C#

You can do it programmatically:

grid0.Columns[0].Visible = true;
grid0.DataSource = dt;
grid0.DataBind();
grid0.Columns[0].Visible = false;

In this way you set the column to visible before databinding, so the column is generated. The you set the column to not visible, so it is not displayed.

Solution 6 - C#

If you do have a TemplateField inside the columns of your GridView and you have, say, a control named blah bound to it. Then place the outlook_id as a HiddenField there like this:

<asp:TemplateField HeaderText="OutlookID">
    <ItemTemplate>
        <asp:Label ID="blah" runat="server">Existing Control</asp:Label>
        <asp:HiddenField ID="HiddenOutlookID" runat="server" Value='<%#Eval("Outlook_ID") %>'/>
    </ItemTemplate>
</asp:TemplateField>

Now, grab the row in the event you want the outlook_id and then access the control.
For RowDataBound access it like:

string outlookid = ((HiddenField)e.Row.FindControl("HiddenOutlookID")).Value;

Do get back, if you have trouble accessing the clicked row. And don't forget to mention the event at which you would like to access that.

Solution 7 - C#

You can make the column hidden on the server side and for some reason this is different to doing it the aspx code. It can still be referenced as if it was visible. Just add this code to your OnDataBound event.

protected void gvSearchResults_DataBound(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    GridView gridView = (GridView)sender;

    if (gridView.HeaderRow != null && gridView.HeaderRow.Cells.Count > 0)
    {
        gridView.HeaderRow.Cells[UserIdColumnIndex].Visible = false;
    }

    foreach (GridViewRow row in gvSearchResults.Rows)
    {
        row.Cells[UserIdColumnIndex].Visible = false;
    }
}

Solution 8 - C#

Leave visible columns before filling the GridView. Fill the GridView and then hide the columns.

Solution 9 - C#

I have a new solution hide the column on client side using css or javascript or jquery.

.col0
{
  display: none !important;
}

And in the aspx file where you add the column you should specify the CSS properties:

<asp:BoundField HeaderText="Address Key" DataField="Address_Id" ItemStyle-CssClass="col0" HeaderStyle-CssClass="col0" > </asp:BoundField>

Solution 10 - C#

Here is how to get the value of a hidden column in a GridView that is set to Visible=False: add the data field in this case SpecialInstructions to the DataKeyNames property of the bound GridView , and access it this way.

txtSpcInst.Text = GridView2.DataKeys(GridView2.SelectedIndex).Values("SpecialInstructions")

That's it, it works every time very simple.

Solution 11 - C#

I used a method similar to user496892:

SPBoundField hiddenField = new SPBoundField();
hiddenField.HeaderText = "Header";
hiddenField.DataField = "DataFieldName";
grid.Columns.Add(hiddenField);

grid.DataSource = myDataSource;
grid.DataBind();

hiddenField.Visible = false;

Solution 12 - C#

You can do it code behind.

Set visible= false for columns after data binding . After that you can again do visibility "true" in row_selection function from grid view .It will work!!

Solution 13 - C#

I searched a lot but no luck. The most of them was working with some errors. Finally I used this code and it worked for me. probably you should change 1 to some other value. for me I would hide second col.

protected void FoundedDrGridView_RowDataBound(object sender, GridViewRowEventArgs e) {

    if(e.Row.RowType!=DataControlRowType.Pager)e.Row.Cells[1].Visible = false;
}

Solution 14 - C#

When I want access some value from GridView before GridView was appears.

I have a BoundField and bind DataField nomally.
In RowDataBound event, I do some process in that event.

Before GridView was appears I write this:

 protected void GridviewLecturer_PreRender(object sender, EventArgs e) 
 {
     GridviewLecturer.Columns[0].Visible = false;
 }

Content Type	Original Author	Original Content on Stackoverflow
Question	Tassisto	View Question on Stackoverflow
Solution 1 - C#	Mubashir Ahmed	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 2 - C#	serhat_bundy	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 3 - C#	Niloofar	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 4 - C#	V4Vendetta	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 5 - C#	user496892	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 6 - C#	naveen	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 7 - C#	Ben Foster	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 8 - C#	rube	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 9 - C#	mukund	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 10 - C#	Benchmark	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 11 - C#	Amy Struck	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 12 - C#	Abhisek	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 13 - C#	Morteza	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 14 - C#	Mitr Raiputta	View Answer on Stackoverflow