Tutorial: Features

Features

Handsontable includes many features and plugins. By "feature" we mean a functionality that provides you with a specific benefit. It can be literally anything, even the smallest thing like the navigation or the data binding capabilities. A plugin, on the other hand, is intended to be perceived as an internal or external "container" that contains one or more features.

Below you will find the most complete list of features for either Handsontable Pro and Community Edition:

Pro features

Name Description
Binding rows with headers Bind rows with headers to lock the row number and always display one beside the other.
Collapsing columns Expand and collapse columns to better fit the content.
Column summary Make pre-defined calculations and display the results in Handsontable.
Dropdown menu Add a menu to the heading to enable additional operations for the columns.
Export to file Export data to a flat file like CSV or a string.
Filtering Display rows that meet your criteria and hide the rest.
Header tooltips Display the header label in a tooltip.
Hiding columns Hide specific columns and show the rest.
Hiding rows Hide specific rows and show the rest.
Nested headers Create a nested, hierarchical structure of headers to get your data into groups.
Trimming rows Exclude specific rows from the rendering process so they won't be displayed.

Experimental Pro features (not yet supported)

Name Description
Formulas Use formulas in cells to perform calculations.
Gantt Chart Create a simple Gantt Chart using Handsontable.
Nested rows Create a nested, parent-child structure of rows to get your data into groups and summaries.

Community Edition features

Name Description
Alignment Decide where the content is placed within the cell or a range of cells.
Autocomplete Choose one of the suggested options while typing or entering a custom value.
Checkbox Add a checkbox to a cell to indicate binary choices.
Comments Provide an additional note about the cell to help better understand its content.
Conditional formatting Define how specific cells are formatted depending on their values.
Context menu Invoke a shortcut menu to choose an action related to the selected object.
Custom borders Apply custom border style around cells or range of cells.
Custom buttons Insert and remove column or row using custom action buttons.
Custom HTML Display HTML content in a cell or header.
Data validation Control what values can be entered into a cell.
Date Use a date picker to select a date.
Disable cell editing Make cell non-editable without changing its appearance and behaviour.
Auto fill Drag the fill handle (a square in the bottom right corner of the cell) to fill cells with data series.
Dropdown Create an advanced dropdown list of choices in a cell.
Fixed rows and columns Define which rows or columns are visible while scrolling down or across the table.
Freezing Create freeze columns to keep them visible while scrolling.
Handsontable Use Handsontable itself as a custom cell editor.
Highlighting current Indicate the entire active column or row.
Internationalization Change the text of the UI for the purpose of translating it to specific languages.
Merge cells Display cells across multiple rows or columns.
Moving Drag rows or columns to swap them within the table.
Numeric Type a custom number format in a cell.
Password Use asterisks to mask the value in a cell.
Pre-populating new rows Create empty cells with predefined types or values
Read-only Lock the cell or a range of cells to disallow altering them.
Resizing Drag the sizing handle to change the size of column or row.
Scrolling Use native scrollbars to navigate within the table.
Search for values Search through the content with the search field.
Select Create a simple dropdown list of choices in a cell.
Sorting data Sort data in ascending or descending order throughout the column.
Stretching Allow columns to the parent container width.

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