A good collection to use when binding to a DataGridView in C#

Question

What would be the best collection to use when binding a list of data to a DataGridview in C#? I'm currently using just a Generic List but the data grid doesn't update when there is objects added or removed from the list. I've looked at using a BindingList or a ObservableCollection, but can't decide which would be best to use that would update and be easy to sort/filter without having to rebind to the data grid. I'm currently working in windows form on .Net 3.5 framework with plans to move over to WPF soon.

Answer 1

• ObservableCollection<T> won't work for a DataGridView : it implements INotifyCollectionChanged, not IBindingList, and the DataGridView doesn't know about INotifyCollectionChanged. It is intended for WPF bindings and is not used in Windows Forms
• BindingList<T> is a good option, but note that it doesn't support sorting or filtering out of the box. However, you can find some custom implementations of these features on the web.
• DataTable is probably your best option if you need sorting and/or filtering capability

Answer 2

The data binding framework is completely different between WinForms and WPF, so (in general), there isn't a "best choice" for the both of them.

For WinForms, using the generic BindingList<T> will accomplish most of what you want (though it doesn't handle changes to individual items; you'll have to implement that yourself).

For WPF, ObservableCollection<T> serves a similar purpose.

Answer 3

Actually Microsoft reccomends using a Collection as your binding collection rather than a List because of the ability to do automatic functions like when adding and removing items, clearing the collection, or setting the value of an existing item.

Collection Class on MSDN.