Show/Hide Columns

This chapter shows how to implement a menu on the table which allows to show and hide columns of the table. Please note that Eclipse 3.5 introduced the possibility to add menus to columns headers.

Tip

This example is based on SWT Snippet 311

Change your coding in View.java to the following.

   
package de.vogella.jface.tableviewer;

import org.eclipse.jface.viewers.TableViewer;
import org.eclipse.jface.viewers.TableViewerColumn;
import org.eclipse.swt.SWT;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.KeyAdapter;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.KeyEvent;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.SelectionAdapter;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.SelectionEvent;
import org.eclipse.swt.layout.GridData;
import org.eclipse.swt.layout.GridLayout;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Composite;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Event;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Label;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Listener;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Menu;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.MenuItem;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Table;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.TableColumn;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Text;
import org.eclipse.ui.part.ViewPart;

import de.vogella.jface.tableviewer.filter.PersonFilter;
import de.vogella.jface.tableviewer.model.ModelProvider;
import de.vogella.jface.tableviewer.providers.PersonContentProvider;
import de.vogella.jface.tableviewer.providers.PersonEditingSupport;
import de.vogella.jface.tableviewer.providers.PersonLabelProvider;
import de.vogella.jface.tableviewer.sorter.TableSorter;

public class View extends ViewPart {
 public static final String ID = "de.vogella.jface.tableviewer.view";

 private TableViewer viewer;

 private TableSorter tableSorter;

 private PersonFilter filter;

 private PersonLabelProvider labelProvider;

 public void createPartControl(Composite parent) {
  GridLayout layout = new GridLayout(2, false);
  parent.setLayout(layout);
  Label searchLabel = new Label(parent, SWT.NONE);
  searchLabel.setText("Search: ");
  final Text searchText = new Text(parent, SWT.BORDER | SWT.SEARCH);
  searchText.setLayoutData(new GridData(GridData.GRAB_HORIZONTAL
    | GridData.HORIZONTAL_ALIGN_FILL));
  searchText.addKeyListener(new KeyAdapter() {
   public void keyReleased(KeyEvent ke) {
    filter.setSearchText(searchText.getText());
    labelProvider.setSearchText(searchText.getText());
    viewer.refresh();
   }
  });
  createViewer(parent);
 }

 private void createViewer(Composite parent) {
  viewer = new TableViewer(parent, SWT.MULTI | SWT.H_SCROLL
    | SWT.V_SCROLL | SWT.FULL_SELECTION | SWT.BORDER);

  createColumns(parent, viewer);
  viewer.setContentProvider(new PersonContentProvider());
  labelProvider = new PersonLabelProvider();
  viewer.setLabelProvider(labelProvider);
  // Get the content for the viewer, setInput will call getElements in the
  // contentProvider
  viewer.setInput(ModelProvider.getInstance().getPersons());
  // Make the selection available
  getSite().setSelectionProvider(viewer);
  // Set the sorter for the table
  tableSorter = new TableSorter();
  viewer.setSorter(tableSorter);
  filter = new PersonFilter();
  viewer.addFilter(filter);

  // Layout the viewer
  GridData gridData = new GridData();
  gridData.verticalAlignment = GridData.FILL;
  gridData.horizontalSpan = 2;
  gridData.grabExcessHorizontalSpace = true;
  gridData.grabExcessVerticalSpace = true;
  gridData.horizontalAlignment = GridData.FILL;
  viewer.getControl().setLayoutData(gridData);
 }

 public TableViewer getViewer() {
  return viewer;
 }

 // This will create the columns for the table
 private void createColumns(final Composite parent, final TableViewer viewer) {
  final Menu headerMenu = new Menu(parent);
  String[] titles = { "First name", "Last name", "Gender", "Married" };
  int[] bounds = { 100, 100, 100, 100 };

  for (int i = 0; i < titles.length; i++) {
   final int index = i;
   final TableViewerColumn viewerColumn = new TableViewerColumn(
     viewer, SWT.NONE);
   final TableColumn column = viewerColumn.getColumn();
   column.setText(titles[i]);
   column.setWidth(bounds[i]);
   column.setResizable(true);
   createMenuItem(headerMenu, column); // Create the menu item for this
            // column
   column.setMoveable(true);

   // Setting the right sorter
   column.addSelectionListener(new SelectionAdapter() {
    @Override
    public void widgetSelected(SelectionEvent e) {
     tableSorter.setColumn(index);
     int dir = viewer.getTable().getSortDirection();
     if (viewer.getTable().getSortColumn() == column) {
      dir = dir == SWT.UP ? SWT.DOWN : SWT.UP;
     } else {

      dir = SWT.DOWN;
     }
     viewer.getTable().setSortDirection(dir);
     viewer.getTable().setSortColumn(column);
     viewer.refresh();
    }
   });
   viewerColumn.setEditingSupport(new PersonEditingSupport(viewer, i));
  }
  final Table table = viewer.getTable();
  table.setHeaderVisible(true);
  table.setLinesVisible(true);

  table.addListener(SWT.MenuDetect, new Listener() {
   public void handleEvent(Event event) {
    table.setMenu(headerMenu);
   }
  });

 }

 private void createMenuItem(Menu parent, final TableColumn column) {
  final MenuItem itemName = new MenuItem(parent, SWT.CHECK);
  itemName.setText(column.getText());
  itemName.setSelection(column.getResizable());
  itemName.addListener(SWT.Selection, new Listener() {
   public void handleEvent(Event event) {
    if (itemName.getSelection()) {
     column.setWidth(150);
     column.setResizable(true);
    } else {
     column.setWidth(0);
     column.setResizable(false);
    }
   }
  });

 }

 /**
  * Passing the focus request to the viewer's control.
  */
 public void setFocus() {
  viewer.getControl().setFocus();
 }
}
  

If you run your application you are able to hide and show columns using the right mouse click on your table.