To display and modify data in an Asp.Net web application, we can use data-bound controls, such as Repeater, DataList and GridView. These 3 data-bound controls are bounded to data source control, such as LinqDataSource and SqlDataSource . These controls also contain some other basic Asp.net control, which includes DropdownList, Labels, and Textbox.
Difference Between Repeater, DataList and GridView
Here in this article, you will learn the difference between DataList, Repeater, and GridView.
DataList vs Repeater: A Head to Head Comparison
DataList | Repeater |
Object Rendering | |
Its object is rendered as a table. | It uses templates to render its object. |
Columns Generation | |
It automatically generates columns using the data source. | It cannot generate columns. |
Row Selection | |
It can select a row from the data source. | It cannot select rows. |
Content Editing | |
Using DataList control, we can edit object content. | It does not support content editing. |
Data Arrangement | |
It has the RepeatDirection property, which allows it to arrange data vertically and horizontally. | It cannot manually arrange data. |
Performance | |
It is slower than Repeater. | It is very fast because of being lightweight. |
GridView vs Repeater: A Head to Head Comparison
GridView | Repeater |
Debut | |
GridView was introduced in Asp.Net 2.0. | The Repeater was introduced in Asp.Net 1.0. |
Columns Generation | |
It automatically generates columns using the data source. | It cannot generate columns. |
Row Selection | |
It can select a row from the data source. | It cannot select rows. |
Content Editing | |
Using GridView control, we can edit object content. | It does not support content editing. |
In-built Methods | |
It comes with built-in paging and sorting methods. | No built-in support for paging and sorting. Thus, the developer has to code. |
Auto Formatting and Styling | |
In GridView, we get inbuilt auto format and styling features. | It does not support these features. |
Performance | |
It is slower than Repeater. | Because of its lightweight nature, it is faster as compared to GridView. |
GridView vs DataList: A Head to Head Comparison
GridView | DataList |
Debut | |
GridView was introduced in Asp.Net 2.0 version. | DataList was introduced in Asp.Net 1.0 version. |
In-built Methods | |
It comes with built-in paging and sorting methods. | No built-in support for paging and sorting. So, the developer has to code for these features. |
Build-in CRUD Operation | |
It comes with built-in Update and Delete Operations, so the developer does not need to write code for simple operations. | If the developer uses DataList then he/she has to write code for the Update and Delete operations. |
Auto Formatting and Styling | |
In GridView, we get inbuilt auto format and styling features. | It does not support these features. |
Customizable Row | |
We do not get the Customizable row separator feature in GridView. | DataList has SeparatorTemplate for customizable row separators. |
Performance | |
Its performance is the lowest as compared to Repeater and DataList. | It is faster than GridView. |
Conclusion
In this article, you learned all the differences between Repeater, DataList, and GridView. You can choose any of these data-bound controls according to your application needs. These 3 controls can be used to show the collection of records.
The GridView provides more features as compared to the Repeater and DataList, and it even makes the code implementation faster. But it does so at the expense of speed, resulting in slow loading. Although DataList and Repeaters lack built-in features, they are more customizable and faster.
People are also reading:
- Difference between Float and Double
- Difference between Stack and Heap
- What is the Python Data Structure?
- Matrix Multiplication in C
- Difference between List vs Array
- What is Functional Programming?
- Difference between Union vs Structure
- What is Structure Programming?
- Top Data Structure Interview Questions
- Diameter of a Binary Tree
Leave a Comment on this Post