Programming Microsoft® ASP.NET 4

Chapter 11. The ListView Control

It’s a job that’s never started that takes the longest to finish.

— J. R. R. Tolkien

The ListView control sums up the features of multiple view controls in a single one. For example, it can be used to create a tabular view of data nearly identical to the view you can obtain from a GridView or DataGrid control. At the same time, the ListView control can be employed to generate a multicolumn layout with the flexibility that only a general-purpose Repeater or, better yet, DataList control can offer.

The ListView control doesn’t only have similarities with other controls; it also has a number of unique features that, when evaluated from a wider perspective, make similarities shine under a different light. ListView uses ...