Matrix View
The matrix view lays records out on two axes — a row dimension crossed with a column dimension — and shows the records that fall at each intersection in the cells. It’s a regular view type, so it sits alongside grid, list, kanban, calendar, and tree-grid, and can also be embedded inside a form as a child control.
A surprising number of business screens are the same shape once you look at them this way:
| You want | Rows | Columns | Cell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skill matrix | Employees | Skills | Level + certification |
| Rate card | Services | Regions | Rate |
| Pricing matrix | Products | Customer tiers | Price + margin |
| Budget plan | Accounts | Months | Amount |
| Shift roster | Employees | Days | Shift |
| Translation grid | Source keys | Locales | Text |
All of these are one matrix view configured differently.
How it’s built
A matrix crosses three entities:
- Row source — the entity (often a tree) that supplies the rows, e.g. employees or an account hierarchy.
- Column source — the entity that supplies the columns, e.g. skills, months, or regions.
- Cell (value) entity — the records shown at each intersection. A cell record links to one row and one column.
When you open the view, dForge pivots the cell entity across the two axes and renders each cell with the same field controls used everywhere else, so the data stays typed and validated.
Working in the grid
- Edit in place — cells use the normal field controls, so you can type a number, pick an option, or set a date directly in the grid.
- One or many per cell — a cell can hold a single record (a rate, a level) or several (shifts on a day, allocations in a week).
- Add as you go — empty intersections can create a new cell record on first edit, so you fill the grid by typing into it rather than opening forms.
When to use it
Reach for a matrix view when your data is naturally “this, by that” — values that only make sense at the crossing of two dimensions. If you’re mostly listing or filtering one entity, a grid or list view is simpler; if you’re grouping by status, use a kanban.
Related
- Views — grids, lists, kanbans, calendars, and how views bind to folders
- Fields Reference — the field controls cells are rendered with
- Core Concepts — entities, references, and sets