SPGridView - User selecting the columns

Question

Is there a way to extend the SPGridView control in a webpart such that a user can select the columns that they want to display? Kinda like when creating/modifying a view for a list?

Thanks

Answer 1

SPGridView is not sealed so certainly it can be extended with this functionality. You would need to build your own data store of what users have chosen (a SharePoint list should suffice), make the UI modifications, etc.

One thing I've found when trying to extend the provided SharePoint controls is that even though most aren't sealed, often they aren't designed to be extended either. In some cases the members are obfuscated as well which in some cases can put an end to extension plans.

Make sure you research this as much as possible with some quick proof of concepts before devoting to this development. You may find it's necessary to write your own control from scratch (or find another standard ASP.NET control that provides this functionality and hook it up to a SharePoint data source).