jQuery DataTables plug-in has lots of useful extensions that let you add extra functionality. Select extension is probably one of the most popular ones providing item selection capabilities. Usually it is used to select table rows or cells but it is capable of column selection as well.
Past version of jQuery DataTables had column reordering plug-in ColReorderWithResize that also provided the ability to resize columns by clicking and dragging the point between two columns. However this plug-in was not compatible with the latest version of jQuery DataTables.
Luckily Jeff Walter updated ColReorderWithResize to make column reordering and resizing work with jQuery DataTables 1.10 and released it under MIT license.
Came across a question on StackOverflow asking on how to use KeyTable plug-in to navigate rows instead of cells. Currently KeyTable plug-in for jQuery DataTables lets you navigate cells but not rows.
Recently I needed to add drag-and-drop support for an element that contained iframe. When mouse pointer went over iframe dragging stopped and that wasn’t accepted.
jQuery DataTables displays a message when there is Ajax error or invalid JSON response. However most of the time you will only see a JavaScript error in your browser console if something is wrong. I have compiled a list of the most common JavaScript errors appearing in the console, their cause and possible solutions.
This is a typical problem for users just starting to use jQuery DataTables. It is caused by how it handles the table data.
According to some usability studies “Load more” button is superior to pagination or infinite scrolling when it comes to displaying multiple records on one page. It is simple to use and allows user to compare records more easily because new records are added to the list.
jQuery DataTables distribution comes with server_processing.php script and ssp.class.php class that add support for server-side processing and better performance for datasets with more that 10,000 records. However these files need to be tweaked if your query contains WHERE, JOIN or GROUP BY clauses.
In the examples below I will demonstrate how to add autocomplete functionality to search input box for jQuery DataTables using typeahead.js library adapted for Bootstrap 3.
See some WordPress interview questions below to sharpen your programming skills and practice.
