We’ve just released version 12.2.0 of Handsontable, our Excel-like data grid. This version expands the ability to add new rows and columns, and brings a few anticipated bug fixes.

New actions of the alter() method

Handsontable’s alter() method has always been a great way to alter your grid’s structure by adding or removing rows and columns.

So far, alter() offered the following actions:

'insert_row'	Inserts rows above a specified field.
'insert_col'	Inserts columns before a specified column.
'remove_row'	Removes specified rows.
'remove_col'	Removes specified columns.

Starting with Handsontable 12.2.0, those actions are:

'insert_row_above'	Inserts rows above a specified row.
'insert_row_below'	Inserts rows below a specified row.
'remove_row'	Removes specified rows.
'insert_col_start'	Inserts columns before a specified column.
'insert_col_end'	Inserts columns after a specified column.
'remove_col'	Removes specified columns.
'insert_row'	Deprecated: Inserts rows above a specified row.
'insert_col'	Deprecated: Inserts columns before a specified column.

As you can see, you’re no longer limited to adding columns before a specified column – you can add columns after it as well. The same goes for rows.

The 'insert_row' and 'insert_col' parameters are marked as deprecated and are still available for backward compatibility. They work the same as 'insert_row_above' and 'insert_col_start', respectively, with one exception – when you call them with no arguments:

hot.alter('insert_row_above')	Adds one row to the top of the table.
hot.alter('insert_row')	Adds one row to the bottom of the table.
hot.alter('insert_col_start')	Adds one column to the beginning of the table.
hot.alter('insert_col)	Adds one column to the end of the table.

For a detailed description of the alter() method, see Handsontable’s API reference.

Release notes: what we added

• Added a new feature that lets you add rows and columns at a specified position. Now, the alter() method takes 4 new parameter values: insert_row_above, insert_row_below, insert_col_start, and insert_col_end. The insert_row and insert_col parameters are marked as deprecated. #9471

Release notes: what we fixed

• Fixed an issue where the width of the cell editor was calculated incorrectly. #3815
• Fixed an issue where formulas surrounded by merged cells were converted to values by mistake. #6359
• Fixed an issue where Handsontable could disappear on Firefox 93 (and later) in a specific use case. #9545
• Fixed an issue where changing a cell’s type through setCellMeta() didn’t properly set the cell’s editor and renderer. #9734
• Fixed an issue where the dropdown menu didn’t display when the NestedHeaders plugin was enabled, and all rows were trimmed out. #9753

Release notes: what we removed

• Removed a type definition for a non-existing method, translateRowsToColumns(). #9919