Using Yii2 GridView & ListView Widgets

Yii2 provides powerful widgets for displaying and managing data in a structured format. The two primary widgets used for this purpose are GridView and ListView. These widgets work seamlessly with Yii2's ActiveDataProvider and ArrayDataProvider, making it easy to integrate data with pagination, sorting, and filtering.

1. GridView Widget

What is GridView?

GridView is used to display tabular data. It provides built-in features such as sorting, pagination, column customization, and action buttons.

Basic Usage

To use GridView, you need a DataProvider. The most common type is ActiveDataProvider, which fetches data from an ActiveRecord model.

Example: Displaying Data from a Model

use yii\grid\GridView;
use yii\data\ActiveDataProvider;
use app\models\User;
$dataProvider = new ActiveDataProvider([
    'query' => User::find(),
    'pagination' => [
        'pageSize' => 10,
    ],
    'sort' => [
        'defaultOrder' => [
            'id' => SORT_DESC,
        ]
    ],
]);
echo GridView::widget([
    'dataProvider' => $dataProvider,
    'columns' => [
        ['class' => 'yii\grid\SerialColumn'],
        'id',
        'username',
        'email',
        'created_at:datetime',
        ['class' => 'yii\grid\ActionColumn'],
    ],
]);

GridView Columns

You can customize GridView columns in multiple ways.

1. Using SerialColumn

Automatically generates serial numbers.

['class' => 'yii\grid\SerialColumn'],

2. Using Data Columns

Displays data from specific model attributes.

'username',
'email:email', // Formats the column as an email link
'created_at:datetime', // Formats as datetime

3. Using ActionColumn

Displays action buttons like view, update, and delete.

['class' => 'yii\grid\ActionColumn'],

4. Using Custom Columns

You can create custom columns by defining a value function.

[
    'label' => 'Full Name',
    'value' => function ($model) {
        return $model->first_name . ' ' . $model->last_name;
    },
]

Filtering in GridView

You can enable filtering by using search models.

'filter' => Html::activeTextInput($searchModel, 'username', ['class' => 'form-control'])

2. ListView Widget

What is ListView?

ListView is used for displaying data in a flexible layout, such as lists, cards, or custom templates.

Basic Usage

use yii\widgets\ListView;
use yii\data\ActiveDataProvider;
use app\models\Post;
$dataProvider = new ActiveDataProvider([
    'query' => Post::find(),
    'pagination' => [
        'pageSize' => 5,
    ],
]);
echo ListView::widget([
    'dataProvider' => $dataProvider,
    'itemView' => '_post', // Refers to the partial view file _post.php
]);

Customizing ListView

1. Partial View (_post.php)

/* @var $model app\models\Post */
?>
<div class="post">
    <h3><?= $model->title ?></h3>
    <p><?= $model->content ?></p>
</div>

2. Customizing Layout

You can modify the layout of ListView.

'layout' => "{summary}\n{items}\n{pager}",

3. Comparison of GridView vs. ListView

Feature	GridView	ListView
Tabular Format	Yes	No
Custom Templates	No	Yes
Sorting	Yes	Yes
Pagination	Yes	Yes
Filtering	Yes	No

GridView is best for structured tabular data, while ListView is better for custom layouts and flexible designs.

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Advanced Yii2 GridView Features & Formatting Options

Yii2 GridView provides a highly customizable way to display data. Below are some advanced options, including custom buttons, column formatting, and additional configurations.

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1. GridView Table Customization

You can customize the table's appearance by setting class names and formatting options:

echo GridView::widget([
    'dataProvider' => $dataProvider,
    'filterModel' => $searchModel,
    'formatter' => ['class' => 'yii\i18n\Formatter', 'nullDisplay' => 'N/A'], // Custom null display
    'tableOptions' => ['class' => 'table table-bordered table-striped'], // Table styling
    'columns' => [
        ['class' => 'yii\grid\SerialColumn'],
        'id',
        'name',
        'email',
        ['class' => 'yii\grid\ActionColumn'],
    ],
]);

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2. Formatting GridView Columns

Yii2 allows formatting data using predefined formats such as text, html, boolean, date, etc.

[
    'attribute' => 'created_at',
    'format' => ['date', 'php:Y-m-d H:i:s'],
],
[
    'attribute' => 'is_active',
    'format' => 'boolean',
],

All Supported Formats in Yii2 GridView

Format Name	Description
text	Displays plain text (default)
html	Renders HTML content
boolean	Displays Yes/No for boolean values
date	Formats a date value
datetime	Formats a datetime value
currency	Formats numbers as currency
email	Converts text into a mailto: link
url	Converts text into a hyperlink

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3. Custom Buttons in GridView

Delete Button (Conditional)

Show a delete button only when the logged-in user created the entry. 

[
    'header' => 'Remove',
    'value' => function ($model) {
        if ($model->created_by == Yii::$app->user->identity->id) {
            return Html::a(
                '<i class="fa fa-trash"></i>',
                ['remove', 'id' => $model->id],
                ['class' => 'btn btn-danger', 'data-confirm' => 'Are you sure you want to delete this?']
            );
        }
    },
    'format' => 'raw',
    'contentOptions' => ['style' => 'width: 5%', 'class' => 'text-center'],
],

Displaying Images in GridView

Use Html::img() inside a format => 'raw' column.

[
    'header' => 'Image',
    'value' => function ($model) {
        return Html::button(
            Html::img(Url::to(['viewimage', 'photo_id' => $model->id, 'image' => $model->path]), [
                'style' => 'height:50px; width:auto;',
                'alt' => 'Image'
            ]),
            ['value' => Url::to(['fullview', 'photo_id' => $model->id]), 'class' => 'btn popupButton']
        );
    },
    'format' => 'raw',
],

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4. GridView Action Column Customization

You can modify the action buttons (view, update, delete) in ActionColumn:

[
    'class' => 'yii\grid\ActionColumn',
    'template' => '{view} {update} {delete} {custom}',
    'buttons' => [
        'custom' => function ($url, $model) {
            return Html::a('<i class="fa fa-file"></i>', ['export', 'id' => $model->id], [
                'title' => 'Export Data',
                'class' => 'btn btn-success'
            ]);
        },
    ],
],

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5. Conditional Formatting for Row Colors

To highlight specific rows based on a condition, use rowOptions:

'rowOptions' => function ($model) {
    if ($model->status == 'inactive') {
        return ['class' => 'danger']; // Bootstrap class for red background
    }
    return [];
},

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6. Merging Columns (Using group Feature)

[
    'attribute' => 'category',
    'group' => true, // This will merge the same category rows
],

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Conclusion

Both GridView and ListView are essential Yii2 widgets for displaying data. Use GridView for tabular data and ListView for flexible layouts. By combining these widgets, you can create powerful data-driven applications in Yii2.