Using QueryString for Pager on Repeater Control in C#

Tutorial shows how to add page links to your Repeater control and make use of QueryString to move between pages. C# version.

The Repeater control is one of the most powerful controls in the ASP.NET toolbox. However, there is no built-in method of creating pages to display with it, like the GridView, for example. Building a pager for the Repeater control is possible in more than one ways, but if we use PostBack, then the result is not really SEO-friendly.

An alternative to using PostBack is to use a QueryString for the page numbers. This tutorial will show how we can do this, based upon data in the Repeater.
First, add the following assembly reference:

using System.Data.SqlClient;

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For this example, we use a sample database. Add the connection string in the Web.Config similar to the following:

<appSettings> <add key="ConnectionString" value="Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|\Database.mdf;Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True" /> </appSettings>

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Next, we add the following to the ASPX page (a Repeater) and a Label:

<form id="form1" runat="server"> <div> <asp:Label ID="lblCurrpage" runat="server"></asp:Label> <asp:Repeater ID="Repeater1" runat="server"> <HeaderTemplate><table width="100%"><tr><th>Name</th><th>City</th></tr></HeaderTemplate> <ItemTemplate> <tr><td><%#DataBinder.Eval(Container.DataItem, "name")%></td> <td><%#DataBinder.Eval(Container.DataItem, "city")%></td></tr> </ItemTemplate> <FooterTemplate></table></FooterTemplate> </asp:Repeater> </div> </form>

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The code-behind should look something like this:

using System; using System.Data; using System.Configuration; using System.Web; using System.Web.Security; using System.Web.UI; using System.Web.UI.WebControls; using System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts; using System.Web.UI.HtmlControls; using System.Data.SqlClient; public partial class _Default : System.Web.UI.Page { protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) { DisplayData(); } public void DisplayData() { SqlConnection myConnection = new SqlConnection(ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["ConnectionString"]); SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand("SELECT * FROM [Table1]", myConnection); cmd.Connection.Open(); SqlDataAdapter myDA = new SqlDataAdapter(cmd); DataSet ds = new DataSet(); myDA.Fill(ds, "Table1"); PagedDataSource pageds = new PagedDataSource(); pageds.DataSource = ds.Tables["Table1"].DefaultView; pageds.AllowPaging = true; pageds.PageSize = 3; int curpage = 0; if (Request.QueryString["page"] != null) { curpage = Convert.ToInt32(Request.QueryString["page"]); } else { curpage = 1; } pageds.CurrentPageIndex = curpage - 1; if (curpage == 1 && pageds.DataSourceCount > pageds.PageSize) lblCurrpage.Text = "Pages: 1"; else if (pageds.DataSourceCount == 0) lblCurrpage.Text = "No data to display."; else if (curpage > 1 && pageds.DataSourceCount > pageds.PageSize) lblCurrpage.Text = "Pages: <a href='Default.aspx?page=1'>1</a>"; for (int i = 2; i <= pageds.PageCount; i++) { if (i == curpage) lblCurrpage.Text = lblCurrpage.Text + ", " + i.ToString(); else lblCurrpage.Text = lblCurrpage.Text + ", <a href='Default.aspx?page=" + i.ToString() + "'>" + i.ToString() + "</a>"; } Repeater1.DataSource = pageds; Repeater1.DataBind(); cmd.Connection.Close(); cmd.Connection.Dispose(); } }

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