DataTables

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Development with DataTables

As flexible as DataTables is, there may be times when you wish to customise certain aspects to your specific needs. Currently DataTables provides plug-in support for the following methods:

• Sorting functions
• Type detection
• Pagination types
• API functions
• Filtering functions

DataTables plug-ins are attached to the $.fn.dataTableExt object in order to ensure that there is no global clutter from DataTables.

If you do take the time to create a plug-in for DataTables and wish to share it with others, please get in touch with me and I'll post your plug-in on the plug-ins page.

General properties:

There are a few general variables in this object which are detailed below:

• $.fn.dataTableExt.sVersion - Version number for DataTables, in the typical major.minor.debug format (for example 1.5.0).
• $.fn.dataTableExt.iApiIndex - Which table to operate on if multiple tables have been created with a single call to $().dataTable().
• $.fn.dataTableExt.oApi - Container for publicly exposed internal functions, which can be useful when developing plug-ins.
• $.fn.dataTableExt.sErrMode - What error mode DataTables should operate in. If set to 'alert' DataTables will alert() primary errors. If set to 'throw' it will throw a Javascript warning.

Notation and coding convention

DataTables uses a form of Hungarian notation for variables, and this is reflected in it's API. Hungarian notation is a method of marking what a variable is used for by adding a prefix to it's name. It's use is contentious, and many developers do not advocate their use, or consistent and careful use (the approach DataTables takes!). Obviously it is simply down to developer preference, and I find it useful to know what a parameter should be used for in a loosely typed language such as JavaScript. A variable should mean one thing, and one thing only and this helps to keep that true here, it also helps to self-document the code.

Prefixes used:

• n - node
• o - object
• a - array
• s - string
• b - boolean
• f - float
• i - integer
• fn - function

Obviously (almost) everything in JavaScript is actually an object, so you could say that every variable should simply be prefixed by an 'o'. However, these prefixes give an indication as to what the variable is intended for / what it's purpose is, as Hungarian notation was intended for. You do not have to use this form - it is simply documented here for the internal DataTables convention.