JS TreeTable: a new word in the app's data organizing

Nowadays, building a web-centered app or even desktop business software requires tools that allow seamless data manipulation. JavaScript libraries like jQuery and other similar solutions offer diverse methods to structure data that will be most convenient for the end-user and will provide higher efficiency.

JS TreeTable component is currently the most efficient and the most convenient user interface solution for apps that require manipulation of a large amount of information. It gives the developer all the benefits of Tree data structure like a compact display of multiple trees. However, no matter how many trees you have, there's no need for horizontal scrolling to search for the information that's outside the visible area of the user interface.
On the other side, TreeTable also acts like DataGrid, which enables you to keep all the data in rows and cells. The main advantage of TreeTable is that the tabular data are grouped hierarchically. This doesn't include only individual pieces of data; on the contrary, this component can group entire arrays of data, thus extending its usability.

Main features

As we already said, TreeTable provides seamless web application development. Let’s take a look at some of the most important features that JavaScript TreeTable has to offer when it comes to data manipulation.

End-to-end sorting

Allowing your end-user to sort the provided data in a way that will provide the most effective working condition is of paramount importance for any app that manages large databases. With the TreeTable component, a user could sort items based on various conditions.

Fully editable

What if you need to create a web app that will let the end-user change a certain value within the user-interface? With this JQuery component, you could build apps that will present data in a compact and easy to follow the structure that users can edit on the spot.

Save current state

This is another useful feature that JS TreeTable offers to programmers so they could develop UI that could be saved for later use and also restored to the previous state with just a click of a button.

Checkbox

This feature serves to create a user interface that allows the selection of items for further manipulation like copying, deleting, editing, download or any other way.

Client-side filtering

eCommerce web applications often contain an enormous amount of diversely categorized information. This feature allows clients to filter their selection and thus reduce the amount of displayed data. It's an excellent feature when you're building software that shows a retail store stock so the end-user could seamlessly browse through the categories of interest.

Most popular TreeTable widgets

Using widgets and plugins significantly improves our ability to build fast and reliable UI without too much effort. Even though these pieces of software are based on a similar principle, some differences could influence your choice of a widget. For this reason, we have decided to create a list of some of the most popular JS TreeTable widgets that developers can use to build all sorts of data manipulation user interface solutions.

Webix

Based on DataGrid, which is a control that allows you to display data in rows and columns, Webix TreeTable widget offers all of the features that we can expect from this type of software including support for Sparklines, data editing, filtering, and Clipboard. Another major benefit of Webix is that it can combine various data grouping methods, which means it can group different types of information and display it according to end-user requirements.
Also, Webix completes its list of features and specs with support for manipulation of margins in terms of changing the width and development of vertical headers.

TreeGrid

This is a Dynamic HTML component that provides multiple options for data presentation. With TreeGrid widget, you could display information in the tree view, bar chart, or table. Furthermore, the script offers the ability to edit the data just as easily as it can be displayed.
TreeGrid is fast and full of advanced data manipulation features, most notably cell formulas that include multi-level Pivot tables, Gantt charts, as well as displaying and editing external components like Adobe Flash if there's ever a need for a third-party object. The widget also allows you to export data in MS Excel format, as well as the creation of calendars, language localization, and numerous other features that one might need to provide the ultimate data structure.

jQuery TreeTable

This piece of software is a script for jQuery JS library, and as such it offers only the most basic set of features. It allows you to display an unlimited data tree as a simple HTML table. For each item in your database, you can create an endless number of columns that could provide more in-depth information regarding each displayed piece of information.
Because of its simplicity, this plugin is extremely fast and lightweight; therefore, it won't affect your website speed negatively. This is important because pages that load slowly cause a high bounce rate, which is not good for your website's ranking. This simple component also features an API that's compatible with every major browser like Chrome, Mozilla, Opera, and other popular explorers.

DHTMLX TreeGrid component

DHTMLX libraries are an excellent choice for the development of web-based cross-platform applications, especially for mobile devices. As a TreeTable component, it provides smart rendering, XML parsing, and expandable rows. It's a perfect option for apps that work with ever-expanding databases or require a large number of rows to be displayed.
There are also other usable features like math formulas that you can use, column manipulation that allows you to change color, size, and sorting. Perhaps the most interesting feature is the ability to change the style using predefined skins or through CSS code. All of these features show a high level of customization, which is extremely important when you're trying to build UI that fits perfectly within the existing website layout.

Sencha TreeGrid

This TreeTable component is a part of the Sencha JS framework that features a series of built-in user interface solutions that secure the development of data-rich web apps. The main characteristics of Sencha TreeGrid include the ability to create multiple headers, filtering, keyboard navigation, custom icons, or single AJAX request nodes preloading.
As a prebuilt component of the Sencha JavaScript framework, this TreeTable includes a series of other user interface components that it can be combined with for further and deeper data manipulation.

Conclusion

Building a web or desktop application that gives you the means to structure presented data in a way that's easy to understand and navigate is of utmost importance because modern business models require a significant amount of data. Most importantly, it's essential that users have access to information in real-time, as well as manipulate the information without any restraints.
We’ve seen what JS TreeTable brings to the table, and how various software solutions utilize this component for the development of fast and efficient user interface for end-user data manipulation. We've reviewed some of the most popular widgets that allow developers faster web application development and what each of these software choices has in store. We hope that this article has shown you how you can enhance your web development process and create better apps with less effort.