The following example shows how you can toggle word wrapping on a Flex DataGrid control’s DataGridColumn by setting the headerWordWrap property.

Full code after the jump.

View MXML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!-- http://blog.flexexamples.com/2008/09/14/toggling-word-wrap-on-a-datagrid-column-header-in-flex/ -->
<mx:Application name="DataGridColumn_headerWordWrap_test"
        xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
        layout="vertical"
        verticalAlign="top"
        backgroundColor="white">

    <mx:XML id="dp" source="data/products.xml" />

    <mx:ApplicationControlBar dock="true">
        <mx:Form styleName="plain">
            <mx:FormItem label="headerWordWrap:">
                <mx:CheckBox id="checkBox" />
            </mx:FormItem>
            <mx:FormItem label="rowCount:">
                <mx:HSlider id="slider"
                        minimum="2"
                        maximum="10"
                        value="6"
                        snapInterval="1"
                        tickInterval="1"
                        liveDragging="true"
                        showTrackHighlight="true" />
            </mx:FormItem>
        </mx:Form>
    </mx:ApplicationControlBar>

    <mx:DataGrid id="dataGrid"
            dataProvider="{dp.product}"
            rowCount="{slider.value}"
            verticalScrollPolicy="on"
            width="300">
        <mx:columns>
            <mx:DataGridColumn id="dataGridColumn1"
                    dataField="@name"
                    headerText="This is a column with a long title:"
                    headerWordWrap="{checkBox.selected}"
                    minWidth="80" />
            <mx:DataGridColumn id="dataGridColumn2"
                    dataField="@price"
                    headerText="Price:"
                    headerWordWrap="false"
                    minWidth="20" />
        </mx:columns>
    </mx:DataGrid>

</mx:Application>

And the XML file, data/products.xml, is as follows:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!-- http://blog.flexexamples.com/2008/09/14/toggling-word-wrap-on-a-datagrid-column-header-in-flex/ -->
<products>
	<product name="Product 1" price="1.99" />
	<product name="Product 2" price="2.99" />
	<product name="Product 3" price="3.99" />
	<product name="Product 4" price="4.99" />
	<product name="Product 5" price="5.99" />
	<product name="Product 6" price="6.99" />
	<product name="Product 7" price="7.99" />
	<product name="Product 8" price="8.99" />
	<product name="Product 9" price="9.99" />
	<product name="Product 0" price="0.99" />
</products>

View source is enabled in the following example.

You can also set the headerWordWrap property using ActionScript, as seen in the following example:

View MXML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!-- http://blog.flexexamples.com/2008/09/14/toggling-word-wrap-on-a-datagrid-column-header-in-flex/ -->
<mx:Application name="DataGridColumn_headerWordWrap_test"
        xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
        layout="vertical"
        verticalAlign="top"
        backgroundColor="white">

    <mx:Script>
        <![CDATA[
            private function checkBox_change(evt:Event):void {
                dataGridColumn1.headerWordWrap = checkBox.selected;
            }
        ]]>
    </mx:Script>

    <mx:XML id="dp" source="data/products.xml" />

    <mx:ApplicationControlBar dock="true">
        <mx:Form styleName="plain">
            <mx:FormItem label="headerWordWrap:">
                <mx:CheckBox id="checkBox"
                        change="checkBox_change(event);" />
            </mx:FormItem>
            <mx:FormItem label="rowCount:">
                <mx:HSlider id="slider"
                        minimum="2"
                        maximum="10"
                        value="6"
                        snapInterval="1"
                        tickInterval="1"
                        liveDragging="true"
                        showTrackHighlight="true" />
            </mx:FormItem>
        </mx:Form>
    </mx:ApplicationControlBar>

    <mx:DataGrid id="dataGrid"
            dataProvider="{dp.product}"
            rowCount="{slider.value}"
            verticalScrollPolicy="on"
            width="300">
        <mx:columns>
            <mx:DataGridColumn id="dataGridColumn1"
                    dataField="@name"
                    headerText="This is a column with a long title:"
                    minWidth="80" />
            <mx:DataGridColumn id="dataGridColumn2"
                    dataField="@price"
                    headerText="Price:"
                    headerWordWrap="false"
                    minWidth="20" />
        </mx:columns>
    </mx:DataGrid>

</mx:Application>

Due to popular demand, here is the “same” example in a more ActionScript friendly format:

View MXML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!-- http://blog.flexexamples.com/2008/09/14/toggling-word-wrap-on-a-datagrid-column-header-in-flex/ -->
<mx:Application name="DataGridColumn_headerWordWrap_test"
        xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
        layout="vertical"
        verticalAlign="top"
        backgroundColor="white"
        initialize="init();">

    <mx:Script>
        <![CDATA[
            import mx.containers.ApplicationControlBar;
            import mx.containers.Form;
            import mx.containers.FormItem;
            import mx.controls.CheckBox;
            import mx.controls.DataGrid;
            import mx.controls.HSlider;
            import mx.controls.dataGridClasses.DataGridColumn;
            import mx.core.ScrollPolicy;
            import mx.events.SliderEvent;

            private var checkBox:CheckBox;
            private var slider:HSlider;
            private var dataGrid:DataGrid;
            private var dataGridColumn1:DataGridColumn;
            private var dataGridColumn2:DataGridColumn;

            private function init():void {
                checkBox = new CheckBox();
                checkBox.addEventListener(Event.CHANGE,
                            checkBox_change);

                slider = new HSlider();
                slider.minimum = 2;
                slider.maximum = 10;
                slider.value = 6;
                slider.snapInterval = 1;
                slider.tickInterval = 1;
                slider.liveDragging = true;
                slider.setStyle("showTrackHighlight", true);
                slider.addEventListener(SliderEvent.CHANGE,
                            slider_change);

                var formItem1:FormItem = new FormItem();
                formItem1.label = "headerWordWrap:";
                formItem1.addChild(checkBox);

                var formItem2:FormItem = new FormItem();
                formItem2.label = "rowCount:";
                formItem2.addChild(slider);

                var form:Form = new Form();
                form.styleName = "plain";
                form.addChild(formItem1);
                form.addChild(formItem2);

                var appControlBar:ApplicationControlBar;
                appControlBar = new ApplicationControlBar();
                appControlBar.dock = true;
                appControlBar.addChild(form);
                addChildAt(appControlBar, 0);

                dataGridColumn1 = new DataGridColumn();
                dataGridColumn1.dataField = "@name";
                dataGridColumn1.headerText = "This is a column with a long title:";
                dataGridColumn1.minWidth = 80;

                dataGridColumn2 = new DataGridColumn();
                dataGridColumn2.dataField = "@price";
                dataGridColumn2.headerText = "Price:";
                dataGridColumn2.headerWordWrap = false;
                dataGridColumn2.minWidth = 20;

                dataGrid = new DataGrid();
                dataGrid.columns = [dataGridColumn1, dataGridColumn2];
                dataGrid.dataProvider = dp.product;
                dataGrid.rowCount = 6;
                dataGrid.verticalScrollPolicy = ScrollPolicy.ON;
                dataGrid.width = 300;
                addChild(dataGrid);
            }

            private function checkBox_change(evt:Event):void {
                dataGridColumn1.headerWordWrap = checkBox.selected;
            }

            private function slider_change(evt:SliderEvent):void {
                dataGrid.rowCount = evt.value;
            }
        ]]>
    </mx:Script>

    <mx:XML id="dp" source="data/products.xml" />

</mx:Application>
 
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About The Author

Peter deHaan

Peter deHaan currently works for Adobe on the Flex SDK QA team. While not working on Flex, Flash, and ColdFusion applications, Peter enjoys making up bios and writing in 3rd person. Peter's rarely updated blog can be found at blogs.adobe.com/pdehaan/, actionscriptexamples.com, airexamples.com, and coldfusionexamples.com.

9 Responses to Toggling word wrap on a DataGrid column header in Flex

  1. Jeff says:

    Just what I needed. Thanks.

    Now, how do I center the header text?

  2. peterd says:

    Jeff,

    Try this:

    <mx:Style>
        DataGrid {
            headerStyleName: centerAlignedBold;
        }
    
        .centerAlignedBold {
            fontWeight: bold;
            textAlign: center;
        }
    </mx:Style>
    

    Peter

  3. Akhil Kumar says:

    HI,
    how to insert button within the columns of data grid.

    thanks a lot..
    Akhil

  4. Dan G says:

    Seems if you try and style the header with CSS fontSize or fontFamily the header text doesn’t wrap. However, if I set the headerHeight high enough then it does. Is this a bug?

  5. Ajaz says:

    I have create a headerRenderer with a TextInput for a DataGridColumn in datagrid component.. But when i am doing filtering through the textinput change then i am getting filter data based on last type letter only …. and also i can not see the letter what i have typed in textinput … can anyone plzzzz help me in this aspect???

  6. Hi,

    In case you have a preceding hidden column (visible = “false”), then the headerWordWrap does not work any longer.
    Do you have an idea for this behaviour??
    Thanks.

    Best regards,
    Guillaume

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