Sortable Tables

Here I will show how to make this sortable tables become generically useful on any asp enabled web server. This example, available for downloading in .txt format (simply save as a .asp file as required on your server). Click here to see a sample showing .asp Sortable Tables.

We will automate by enabling this one asp file to process any .csv (comma delimited file). These .csv files can easily be created in Excel and exported as a comma delimited file. Make the first row the Headers for the table, being sure there is one header for each column in the table. Data fields in some columns may be blank but be sure each column has a header value in the A row.

This asp generic program functions as follows:

• Define the values to be received from the invoking link:

  Dim tableName
  tableName = request("fname")
  Dim tableWidth
  tableWidth = request("twidth")
  Dim tableAlign
  tableAlign = request("talign")
  Dim borderSize
  borderSize = request("bsize")
  Dim tableNumerics
  tableNumerics = request("tnums")
  

• Then create javascript code from asp and start the data array.

  response.write "<scr" 
          & "ipt language=""javascript"">"
  response.write vbCrLf
  response.write 
          "var data = new Array(" & vbCrLf
  

• Open the .csv file and setup some values

  Set fileFSO = 
          CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
  
  dim strPathInfo, strPhysicalPath
  strPathInfo = Request.ServerVariables("PATH_INFO")
  strPhysicalPath = Server.MapPath(strPathInfo)
  
  Dim objFSO, objFile, objFileItem
  Dim objFolder, objFolderContents
  Set objFSO = 
          CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
  set objFile = objFSO.GetFile(strPhysicalPath)
  set objFolder = objFile.ParentFolder
  set objFolderContents = objFolder.Files
  fName = objFolder & "\VIS_PRINTERS.csv"
  fName = objFolder & "\" & tableName
  Set fileCurFile = fileFSO.OpenTextFile(fName,1)
  lineCurFile = fileCurFile.ReadLine 'future
  needTitles = true
  Dim Titles
  dim rows
  rows = 0
  cols = 0
  continue = false
  if fileCurFile.AtEndOfStream = false 
          then continue = true
  end if
  

• Start the loop for reading lines in the file.

  do until continue = false
          if fileCurFile.AtEndOfStream = true then 
                  continue = false
          end if
  

• On the first pass, read this line, counting the commas

  if needTitles then
          start = 1
          pos = Instr(start,lineCurFile,",")
          do until pos = 0
                  cols = cols + 1
                  start = pos + 1
                  pos = Instr(start,lineCurFile,",")
          loop
          cols = cols + 1
  End if
  

• Start the row count and initialize the output line for javascript, and create the javascript array values.

  rows = rows + 1
  if Right(lineCurFile,1) <> "," then 
          lineCurFile = lineCurFile & ","
  end if
  theLine = ""
  spos = 1
  epos = Instr(1,lineCurFile,",")
  'do while epos > 0
  'for i = 1 to 5
  for i = 1 to cols
          if epos > spos then
            temp = 
            Mid(lineCurFile,spos,(epos - spos))
            temp = Server.HTMLEncode(temp)
            theLine = theLine & 
                    """" & temp & ""","
          else
            theLine = theLine & 
                    """"","
          end if
          spos = epos + 1
          epos = Instr(spos,lineCurFile,",")
  next
  

• Remove the trailing comma so that javascript won't fail, read the next line of the .csv file, and set the conditional

  if Len(theLine) > 0 then 
          theLine = Left(theLine,(Len(theLine) - 1))
  end if
  if continue then 
          lineCurFile = fileCurFile.ReadLine
  end if
  

• If processing the first line, setup the Titles. Otherwise, output the javascript array statement. Close the file.

  if needTitles then
          needTitles = false
          Titles = theLine
  else
          'if fileCurFile.AtEndOfStream = True then
          if continue = false then
                  response.write 
                     "new Array(" & theLine & ")" 
                          & vbCrLf
          else
                  response.write 
                     "new Array(" & theLine & ")," 
                          & vbCrLf
          end if
  end if
  loop
  fileCurFile.close
  

var data = new Array(
new Array("George","Wade","676 781-5181","5"),
new Array("Rebecca","Wade","676 781-5181","9"),
new Array("Christia","Lewis","676 375-3775","21"),
new Array("Kalamazoo","SDA School","342-8983"),
new Array("Matthew","lewis","676 375-3991","15")
)
var buttons = new 
    Array("First Name","Last Name","Phone Number"," Age")

We allow javascript to create the buttons and the data table with the following assistance:

var buttons = new Array(<% =Titles %>)
var table = new 
    SortableTable("<% =tableName %>",<% =rows %>,
                <% =cols %>,
           <% =borderSize %>,"<% =tableWidth %>%",
           "<% =tableAlign %>") 
           /*id,rows,columns,border,width,align*/

And we are almost finished with our customization to the Sortable Tables. We still need to setup the definitions for sorting a column numerically (since sortable tables sorts alphabetically by default). We do this with the following asp code:

<%
Dim tableNumerics
Dim c
tableNumerics = request("tnums")
for i = 1 to Len(v) step 2
        c = CInt(mid(v,i,2))
        if c > 0 then
                response.write 
                "table.setNumeric(" & (c - 1) & ")"
                         & vbCrLf
        end if
next
%>

Oh, you want to know how to call this generical Sortable Tables page? Create this link:

<a href="genSortTables.asp?fname=phonelist.csv &twidth=90&talign=right&bsize=1">MyLink</a>

or for numeric columns

<a href="genSortTables.asp?fname=phonelist.csv& twidth=90&talign=right&bsize=1&tnums=00000004"> MyLink</a>

Enjoy using sortable Tables in the future. Just download this example as instructed above and use this code without changing anything within the script tags. Just link to the page using the parms shown.

Average Customer Review:
February 2002
http://www.wrox.com

Average Customer Review:
February 2002
http://www.wrox.com