DSL way for building table component

[bykka]

Hi,
I'm looking a way how to define table component in more declarative way
For how I have the next code

public static Component BuildTableComponent(string[][] data)
    {
        var tbl = new TableGrid
        {
            FullWidth = true
        };
        
        data.Select(rowData => rowData
                .Select(colData => new TableCell
                {
                    Contents = { colData }
                })
                .Aggregate(new TableRow(), (tableRow, cell) =>
                {
                    tableRow.Cells.Add(cell);
                    return tableRow;
                }))
            .Aggregate(tbl, (grid, row) =>
            {
                grid.Rows.Add(row);
                return grid;
            });
        
        return tbl;
    }

As you can see is not pleased to read. Especially because of nested Aggregate methods.
It happens because properties Rows, Cell, Contents do not allow to set values
If to assume that I can set a new value for the those properties than code could look like the next:

public static Component TableWidgetComponent(string[][] data)
    {
        return new TableGrid
        {
            FullWidth = true,
            Rows = data.Select(rowData => new TableRow
            {
                Cells = rowData.Select(colData => new TableCell
                {
                    Contents = { colData }
                })
            })
        };
    }

Maybe there is a some another way for defining document/component in more declarative way which I have missed?

[richard-scryber]

Hi Pavlo, as the TableRowList and TableCellList are directly associated with the Table and Row instances (so that parents can be traversed back up the hierarchy), then I can look at it, but I feel that setters would become exhaustive in checking, updating parent ownership etc.

You could go back to using template content as a string. It then becomes really flexible on the data structure and content...

private static TableGrid BuildDynamicTable()
        {
            var table = new Scryber.Components.TableGrid() { FullWidth = true };
            table.DataContent = "<template xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml' data-bind='{{myModel}}'>" +
                "<tr>" +
                    "<template data-bind='{{.}}'>" +
                        "<td><span>{{.}}</span></td>" +
                    "</template>" +
                "</tr>" +
            "</template>";
            return table;
        }

Then set the data in your execution

string[][] data = GetData();
doc.Params["myModel"] = data;

Or just go with old school foreach loops. :-)

[bykka]

A set method does not mean that you need to assign a new collection. You can iterate the collection and add elements into existed collection
For example:

        public TableCellList Cells
        {
            get 
            {
                if (_cells == null)
                    _cells = new TableCellList(this.InnerContent);

                return _cells;
            }
            set
            {
                foreach (var cell in value)
                {
                    this.Cells.Add(cell);
                }
            }
        }

[richard-scryber]

Fair shout, but the property type would then have to be IEnumerable as far as I am aware, or IList if you used the ToList() method after select. The TableCellList does not have a parameterless constructor because it uses the inner collection with parent ownership.

However, an AddRange method could be a nice work around allowing Select (and Where, etc)...

        private TableGrid GenerateTableGridWithAddRange(string[][] data)
        {

            var grid = new TableGrid() { FullWidth = true };
            grid.Rows.AddRange(data.Select(rowData => {

                    var row = new TableRow();
                    row.Cells.AddRange(rowData.Select(cellData => {

                        var cell = new TableCell();
                        cell.Contents.Add(cellData);

                        return cell;
                    }));

                    return row;
                }));
            return grid;
        }

This is easy to implement on the base class and will be available to Document.Pages, List.Items, Table.Rows, Row.Cells, and all other Contents?