<ItemTemplate>
  <asp:label runat="server" text= '<%# ... %>'...>
</ItemTemplate>

<EditItemTemplate>
  <asp:textbox runat="server" text= '<%# ... %>'...>
</EditItemTemplate>

<HeaderTemplate>
  <asp:label runat="server" text= "Header"...>
</HeaderTemplate>

<FooterTemplate>
  <asp:label runat="server" text= "..."...>
</FooterTemplate>

public void ItemCreated(Object sender, DataGridItemEventArgs e)
{
    ListItemType lit = e.Item.ItemType;
    if (lit == ListItemType.Header)
    {
        // Create and fill a dropdown list control
        DropDownList dd = new DropDownList();
        dd.ID = "ddSort";
        ListItem li1, li2, li3;

        // ListItem constructor takes Text and Value for the item
        li1 = new ListItem("Title of courtesy", "titleofcourtesy");
        dd.Items.Add(li1);

        li2 = new ListItem("Last Name", "lastname");
        dd.Items.Add(li2);

        li3 = new ListItem("First Name", "firstname");
        dd.Items.Add(li3);

        // Selects the item, if any, that was selected last time
        dd.SelectedIndex = Convert.ToInt32(grid.Attributes["FieldIndex"]);

        // Add the dropdown list to the header of the 2nd column
        TableCell cell = (TableCell) e.Item.Controls[1];
        cell.Controls.Add(dd);
    }
}

public void SortCommand(Object sender, DataGridSortCommandEventArgs e)
{
    // Code that retrieves the grid's data source GOES HERE
    •••

    // Sort by the specified expression or figure it out 
    if (e.SortExpression != "*")
        dv.Sort = e.SortExpression;
    else
    {
        // Retrieves the dropdown list control through its ID 
        DataGridItem dgi = (DataGridItem) e.CommandSource;
        DropDownList dd = (DropDownList) dgi.FindControl("ddSort");

        // Retrieves the sorting expression from the list
        dv.Sort = dd.SelectedItem.Value; 

        // Persists the currently selected dropdown item
        grid.Attributes["FieldIndex"] = dd.SelectedIndex.ToString();
    }
    
    // Refreshes the grid
    grid.DataBind();
}

// ItemDataBound is an event that occurs when an item is 
// data-bound to the DataGrid control. Similar events fire
// for other iterative controls like the DataList control 
// and the Repeater control.

public void ItemDataBound(Object sender, DataGridItemEventArgs e)
{
    // Get the data item and make sure it is a non-null object
    DataRowView drv = (DataRowView) e.Item.DataItem;
    if (drv == null)
        return;

    // Access the contents of the column of interest. If the
    // value found is greater than 0 then use the webding 
    // character that evaluates to a checkmark
 
    if (((int) drv["boss"]) >0)
    {
        e.Item.Cells[3].Font.Name = "Webdings";
        e.Item.Cells[3].Text = "a";  
    }
    else
        e.Item.Cells[3].Text = "";
}

<asp:DataGrid id="grid" runat="server"  
    AutoGenerateColumns="false"
    CssClass="Shadow" BackColor="white"
    CellPadding="2" CellSpacing="0" 
    BorderStyle="solid" BorderColor="black" BorderWidth="1"
    font-size="x-small" font-names="verdana"
    AllowPaging="true"
    PageSize="4"
    DataKeyField="employeeid"
    OnPageIndexChanged="PageIndexChanged">

<AlternatingItemStyle BackColor="palegoldenrod" />
<ItemStyle BackColor="beige" VerticalAlign="top" />
<EditItemStyle BackColor="yellow" Font-Bold="true" />
<PagerStyle Mode="NumericPages" />
<HeaderStyle ForeColor="white" BackColor="brown" HorizontalAlign="center" 
    Font-Bold="true" />

    <columns>

   <asp:BoundColumn runat="server" DataField="employeeid" 
                    HeaderText="ID">    
    <itemstyle backcolor="lightblue" font-bold="true" 
               HorizontalAlign="right" />
   </asp:BoundColumn>

   <asp:TemplateColumn runat="server" HeaderText="Employee Name">        
    <itemtemplate>
        <asp:label runat="server" 
            Text='<%# DataBinder.Eval(Container.DataItem, 
            "TitleOfCourtesy") + "<b> " + 
            DataBinder.Eval(Container.DataItem, "LastName") + 
            "</b>" + ", " + 
            DataBinder.Eval(Container.DataItem, "FirstName") %>' />            
    </itemtemplate>
   </asp:TemplateColumn>

       <asp:TemplateColumn runat="server" HeaderText="Photo">
    <itemtemplate>
        <img runat="server" width="50"  
           visible='<%# IsImageAvailable(DataBinder.Eval
           (Container.DataItem, "lastname")
           ToString()) %>'    
           src='<%# "images\\" + DataBinder.Eval(Container.DataItem, 
           "lastname") + ".bmp" %>' />
        <asp:label runat="server" text="<i><small>No picture available.
                   </small></i>" 
           visible='<%# !IsImageAvailable(DataBinder.Eval
           (Container.DataItem, 
           "lastname").ToString()) %>' />
    </itemtemplate>
       </asp:TemplateColumn>

</columns>
</asp:DataGrid>

// Used to add a dynamically created template column

public void AddTemplateColumnFromITemplate(String strHeader)
{
    TemplateColumn bc = new TemplateColumn();
    bc.HeaderText = strHeader;
    bc.ItemTemplate = new LastFirstNameTemplate();
    grid.Columns.Add(bc);
}

// This class represents a custom template. You build a template by 
// populating the container's Controls collection with new instances
// of ASP.NET server controls. If the controls are data-bound, also 
// register your own handler for the OnDataBinding event.

public class LastFirstNameTemplate : ITemplate
{

    // Instantiate the elements of the template in the given
    // container. In this case, a DataGridItem element.

    public void InstantiateIn(Control container) 
    {
        container.Controls.Add(new LiteralControl("<b>"));

        Label lblLastName = new Label();
        lblLastName.DataBinding += new EventHandler(this.BindLastName);
        container.Controls.Add(lblLastName);

        container.Controls.Add(new LiteralControl("</b>, "));

        Label lblFirstName = new Label();
        lblFirstName.DataBinding += new EventHandler(this.BindFirstName);
        container.Controls.Add(lblFirstName);
    }

    // Handler of the OnDataBinding event for the Label element
    // that renders the lastname column in the template.

    private void BindLastName(Object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
            Label l = (Label) sender;
            DataGridItem container = (DataGridItem) l.NamingContainer;
            l.Text = ((DataRowView)container.DataItem)
                ["lastname"].ToString();
    }

    // Handler of the OnDataBinding event for the Label element
    // that renders the firstname column in the template.

    private void BindFirstName(Object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
            Label l = (Label) sender;
            DataGridItem container = (DataGridItem) l.NamingContainer;
            l.Text = ((DataRowView)container.DataItem)
                ["firstname"].ToString();
    }
}

namespace BWSLib
{
    public class MultiGrid : DataGrid
    {
        // Constructor that sets some styles and graphical properties    
        public MultiGrid()
        {
            AllowMultiSelect = false;
            AllowMultiSelectFooter = false;

            // Set event handlers
            Init += new EventHandler(OnInit);
            ItemCreated += new DataGridItemEventHandler(OnItemCreated);
        }

        // PROPERTY: SelectedItems
        public ArrayList SelectedItems 
        {
            get 
            {
                if (!AllowMultiSelect)    return null;

                ArrayList a = new ArrayList();
                foreach(DataGridItem dgi in Items)
                {
                    CheckBox cb = (CheckBox) dgi.Cells[0].Controls[0];
                    if (cb.Checked)
                        a.Add(dgi);
                }
                return a;
            }
        }

        // PROPERTY: AllowMultiSelect 
        public bool AllowMultiSelect = false;

        // PROPERTY: AllowMultiSelectFooter 
        public bool AllowMultiSelectFooter = false;

        // METHOD: ClearSelection
        public void ClearSelection()
        {
            foreach(DataGridItem dgi in Items)
            {
                CheckBox cb = (CheckBox) dgi.Cells[0].Controls[0];
                cb.Checked = false;
            }
        }

        ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
        // Event Handlers        // EVENT HANDLER: Init            
        private void OnInit(Object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            // Add a templated column that would allow for selection.
            // The item template contains a checkbox. It also features a 
            // templated footer containing links for Unselect/Select all 
            if (AllowMultiSelect)
                AddSelectColumn();
        }

        // EVENT HANDLER: Deselect
        private void OnDeselect(Object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            ClearSelection();
        }

        // EVENT HANDLER: ItemCreated            
        private void OnItemCreated(Object sender, DataGridItemEventArgs e)
        {
            // Get the newly created item
            ListItemType itemType = e.Item.ItemType;

            ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
            // FOOTER
            if (itemType == ListItemType.Footer && AllowMultiSelectFooter 
                && AllowMultiSelect)
            {
                // Look for a link button called "lnkSelect" in the context 
                // of the grid item that represents the footer
                LinkButton lb = (LinkButton) 
                    e.Item.FindControl("lnkDeselect");

                // Now you hold the living instance of the link 
                // button in the footer and can bind it to any code in the 
                // context of the MultiGrid control
                lb.Click += new EventHandler(OnDeselect);
                
                // Force ShowFooter to true
                ShowFooter = true;

                // Removes all the cells but the first 
                TableCell cell = e.Item.Cells[0];
                for (int i=1; i<Columns.Count; i++)
                {
                    e.Item.Cells.RemoveAt(1);
                }
                cell.ColumnSpan = Columns.Count;
            }
        }

        ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
        // Helper Functions

        private void AddSelectColumn()
        {
            // Create the new templated column
            TemplateColumn tc = new TemplateColumn();
            tc.ItemStyle.BackColor = Color.SkyBlue;
            tc.ItemTemplate = new SelectColumnTemplate();
            tc.FooterTemplate = new SelectFooterTemplate();
            Columns.AddAt(0, tc);
        }
    }

    ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    // Template Classes

    public class SelectColumnTemplate : ITemplate
    {
        public void InstantiateIn(Control container)
        {
            CheckBox cb = new CheckBox();
            container.Controls.Add(cb);
        }
    }

    public class SelectFooterTemplate : ITemplate
    {
        public void InstantiateIn(Control container)
        {
            LinkButton lb = new LinkButton();
            lb.Text = "Deselect all";
            lb.ID = "lnkDeselect";
            container.Controls.Add(lb);
        }
    }
}