Alternating CssClass without repeating code in AlternatingItemTemplate?

[Danny Tuppeny]

Hi all,

Is there a way in something like a DataList, to have a different colour
background (via CssClass) without repeating all my code in both the
ItemTemplate and AlternatingItemTemplate blocks?

I have quite a lot of stuff in the ItemTemplate block, but because so much
of it is bound fields, creating a seperate user control mapping all of these
fields across would be a nightmare to maintain. Instead, I'd like something
like:


<ItemTemplate>
<div class="<% SomeExpress that returns True/False or Odd/Even etc. %>">
// all my stuff here
</div>
</ItemTemplate>

If there was a sort of "row number" I could get at, I could do "(row) Mod 2"
to do what I want, but I can't see anything obvious to do that.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Danny Tuppeny

 

[Danny Tuppeny]

If there was a sort of "row number" I could get at, I could do "(row) Mod
2" to do what I want, but I can't see anything obvious to do that.

It's going to be one of those days... The solution, is this:

<%# Container.ItemIndex %>

I tried it before posting and it didn't work, but I stupid had put it in the
wrong place. I have a FormView at the top of my page displaying the
"current" record. Then a DataList that displays "children". I'd put it in
the ItemTemplate of the first one, which of course, only displays one record
anyway. Doh!

 

[Gaurav Vaish]

: Is there a way in something like a DataList, to have a different colour
: background (via CssClass) without repeating all my code in both the
: ItemTemplate and AlternatingItemTemplate blocks?

Not directly.

One ugly way may be to use a variable with the "common" code. So,
finally, the templates may look like:

<ItemTemplate>
<%= common %> CssClass=... <%= remaining %>
</ItemTemplate>
<AlternatingItemTemplate>
<%= common %> CssClass=... <%= remaining %>
</AlternatingItemTemplate>

Or better still, you may like to make a CustomDataList as a sub-class of
DataList... tougher way but will give you exactly what you want with finer
control.

 

[Danny Tuppeny]

: Is there a way in something like a DataList, to have a different colour
: background (via CssClass) without repeating all my code in both the
: ItemTemplate and AlternatingItemTemplate blocks?

Not directly.

One ugly way may be to use a variable with the "common" code. So,
finally, the templates may look like:

<snip>

I managed it with the ItemIndex. Doing ItemIndex % 2 gives me an
alternativing variable I can use in class names