Jquery Datatable (How It Works For Developers)

Add Model Class

I am using the Employee model class for this example. You may use it as per your requirement.

public class Employee
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string FirstName { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string LastName { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string Email { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string PhoneNumber { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string Gender { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string Designation { get; set; } = string.Empty;
}

public class Employee
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string FirstName { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string LastName { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string Email { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string PhoneNumber { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string Gender { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    public string Designation { get; set; } = string.Empty;
}

Add ApplicationDbContext Class

We need to add the ApplicationDbContext class to set up Entity Framework.

public class ApplicationDbContext : DbContext
{
    public ApplicationDbContext(DbContextOptions<ApplicationDbContext> options) : base(options)
    {
    }

    public DbSet<Employee> Employees { get; set; }
}

public class ApplicationDbContext : DbContext
{
    public ApplicationDbContext(DbContextOptions<ApplicationDbContext> options) : base(options)
    {
    }

    public DbSet<Employee> Employees { get; set; }
}

Add Employee Controller

Add the EmployeeController for creating the endpoint.

[Route("api/[controller]")]
[ApiController]
public class EmployeeController : ControllerBase
{
    private readonly ApplicationDbContext _context;

    public EmployeeController(ApplicationDbContext context)
    {
        _context = context;
    }

    [HttpGet]
    public IActionResult GetEmployees()
    {
        try
        {
            var employeeData = _context.Employees.ToList();
            var jsonData = new { data = employeeData };
            return Ok(jsonData);
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            // Log exception here
            throw;
        }
    }
}

[Route("api/[controller]")]
[ApiController]
public class EmployeeController : ControllerBase
{
    private readonly ApplicationDbContext _context;

    public EmployeeController(ApplicationDbContext context)
    {
        _context = context;
    }

    [HttpGet]
    public IActionResult GetEmployees()
    {
        try
        {
            var employeeData = _context.Employees.ToList();
            var jsonData = new { data = employeeData };
            return Ok(jsonData);
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            // Log exception here
            throw;
        }
    }
}

Here, we are using the HttpGet method, as we will be retrieving the complete data from the server on the client side, and implementing pagination, searching, and sorting on the client side. We are returning a JSON array that will be rendered on the client side.

Add Connection String

Add the following connection string in the appsettings.json file.

"ConnectionStrings": {
  "EmployeeDB": "Server=localserver\\SQLEXPRESS;Database=EmployeeDB;Trusted_Connection=True;MultipleActiveResultSets=true;TrustServerCertificate=True;"
}

Add the following line in the Program.cs class under the webApplication.CreateBuilder() line to connect with SQL Server.

builder.Services.AddDbContext<ApplicationDbContext>(options =>
{
    options.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("EmployeeDB"));
});

builder.Services.AddDbContext<ApplicationDbContext>(options =>
{
    options.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("EmployeeDB"));
});

Run Migration

The next step is to run the migration as we are using the Code First Approach. Run the following command in the Package Manager Console.

Add-Migration init

Add-Migration init

This command will create a migration. Now, run the following command to apply this migration to the database.

update-database

update-database

Now that our project is set and the database is ready, we just need to add the jQuery library and HTML tables to make our UI ready. We have used SQL Server as the data source in this example, but you may use any other database.

Add jQuery DataTables Library

We need to add the jQuery DataTables library, which is a table-enhancing plugin for the jQuery JavaScript library, in our project. We can add it by right-clicking on the project, selecting "Add", and then selecting "Add Client-Side Library". A small window will appear, where we can search for "jquery datatables" and install it, as shown below:

Add HTML Table

Let's add an HTML table with an empty table body. We will add the required column headings while setting up the jQuery DataTable. Add the following code to the Index.cshtml file.

@page
@model IndexModel
@{
    ViewData["Title"] = "Home page";
}
<link href="~/lib/datatables/css/dataTables.bootstrap4.min.css" rel="stylesheet" />
<div class="container">
    <br />
    <div style="width:90%; margin:0 auto;">
        <table id="employeeDatatable" class="table table-striped table-bordered dt-responsive nowrap" width="100%" cellspacing="0">
        </table>
    </div>
</div>
@section Scripts
{
    <script src="~/lib/datatables/js/jquery.dataTables.min.js"></script>
    <script src="~/lib/datatables/js/dataTables.bootstrap4.min.js"></script>
    <script src="~/js/EmployeeDatatable.js"></script>
}

We need to add the EmployeeDatatable.js file inside the wwwroot/Js folder. In this file, we will have an Ajax call and advanced features of the jQuery DataTable such as filtration, pagination, searching, sorting, etc.

Create EmployeeDatatable.js File

Create an EmployeeDatatable.js file inside the wwwroot/Js folder. Add the following code.

$(document).ready(function () {
    $("#employeeDatatable").DataTable({
        "processing": true,
        "serverSide": false,
        "filter": true,
        "ajax": {
            "url": "/api/Employee",
            "type": "GET",
            "datatype": "json"
        },
        "columnDefs": [{
            "targets": [0],
            "visible": false,
            "searchable": false
        }],
        "columns": [
            { "data": "id", "title": "Employee ID", "name": "Employee ID", "autoWidth": true },
            { "data": "firstName", "title": "First Name", "name": "First Name", "autoWidth": true },
            { "data": "lastName", "title": "Last Name", "name": "Last Name", "autoWidth": true },
            { "data": "email", "title": "Email", "name": "Email", "autoWidth": true },
            { "data": "phoneNumber", "title": "Phone Number", "name": "Phone Number", "autoWidth": true },
            { "data": "gender", "title": "Gender", "name": "Gender", "autoWidth": true },
            { "data": "designation", "title": "Designation", "name": "Designation", "autoWidth": true }
        ]
    });
});

$(document).ready(function () {
    $("#employeeDatatable").DataTable({
        "processing": true,
        "serverSide": false,
        "filter": true,
        "ajax": {
            "url": "/api/Employee",
            "type": "GET",
            "datatype": "json"
        },
        "columnDefs": [{
            "targets": [0],
            "visible": false,
            "searchable": false
        }],
        "columns": [
            { "data": "id", "title": "Employee ID", "name": "Employee ID", "autoWidth": true },
            { "data": "firstName", "title": "First Name", "name": "First Name", "autoWidth": true },
            { "data": "lastName", "title": "Last Name", "name": "Last Name", "autoWidth": true },
            { "data": "email", "title": "Email", "name": "Email", "autoWidth": true },
            { "data": "phoneNumber", "title": "Phone Number", "name": "Phone Number", "autoWidth": true },
            { "data": "gender", "title": "Gender", "name": "Gender", "autoWidth": true },
            { "data": "designation", "title": "Designation", "name": "Designation", "autoWidth": true }
        ]
    });
});

We have utilized the feature-rich jQuery DataTables library. This powerful jQuery plugin enables us to implement advanced features on the client side with minimal effort.

Now, build and run this application.

Output

We can see that we have a very interactive UI ready with the help of jQuery in ASP.NET. The data displayed is as follows:

Now, pagination is implemented on the client side, therefore complete data is sent from the server as shown below:

Output UI

We can search, sort, and change the page, all will be performed on the client side as shown below:

Export Data to Excel

Let's write code to convert our Employee List into an Excel file.

public void ExportToExcel(List<Employee> employeeList)
{
    // Create a new workbook instance
    WorkBook wb = WorkBook.Create(ExcelFileFormat.XLSX);
    // Get the default worksheet
    WorkSheet ws = wb.DefaultWorkSheet;

    // Add Header Row
    ws["A1"].Value = "Employee ID";
    ws["B1"].Value = "First Name";
    ws["C1"].Value = "Last Name";
    ws["D1"].Value = "Designation";
    ws["E1"].Value = "Gender";
    ws["F1"].Value = "Phone Number";
    ws["G1"].Value = "Email";

    int rowCount = 2;

    // Add Data Rows
    foreach (Employee employee in employeeList)
    {
        ws["A" + rowCount].Value = employee.Id.ToString();
        ws["B" + rowCount].Value = employee.FirstName;
        ws["C" + rowCount].Value = employee.LastName;
        ws["D" + rowCount].Value = employee.Designation;
        ws["E" + rowCount].Value = employee.Gender;
        ws["F" + rowCount].Value = employee.PhoneNumber;
        ws["G" + rowCount].Value = employee.Email;

        rowCount++;
    }

    // Save the workbook as an Excel file
    wb.SaveAs("Employee.xlsx");
}

public void ExportToExcel(List<Employee> employeeList)
{
    // Create a new workbook instance
    WorkBook wb = WorkBook.Create(ExcelFileFormat.XLSX);
    // Get the default worksheet
    WorkSheet ws = wb.DefaultWorkSheet;

    // Add Header Row
    ws["A1"].Value = "Employee ID";
    ws["B1"].Value = "First Name";
    ws["C1"].Value = "Last Name";
    ws["D1"].Value = "Designation";
    ws["E1"].Value = "Gender";
    ws["F1"].Value = "Phone Number";
    ws["G1"].Value = "Email";

    int rowCount = 2;

    // Add Data Rows
    foreach (Employee employee in employeeList)
    {
        ws["A" + rowCount].Value = employee.Id.ToString();
        ws["B" + rowCount].Value = employee.FirstName;
        ws["C" + rowCount].Value = employee.LastName;
        ws["D" + rowCount].Value = employee.Designation;
        ws["E" + rowCount].Value = employee.Gender;
        ws["F" + rowCount].Value = employee.PhoneNumber;
        ws["G" + rowCount].Value = employee.Email;

        rowCount++;
    }

    // Save the workbook as an Excel file
    wb.SaveAs("Employee.xlsx");
}

We have created an Excel file from a list in a simple and easy way.

IronXL provides comprehensive tutorials on creating XLSX files, code examples for reading Excel files, and detailed documentation to help you utilize its comprehensive API in the best way possible.