Why is Better ListView the best ListView replacement component for .NET?

Let’s face it – the regular .NET ListView control included with Visual Studio is not very good and other alternatives are usually complex overkills. Better ListView is just what you are looking for. It is the ideal replacement component for .NET ListView.

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Fast, light-weight, pure managed code

  1. Written from scratch in pure managed C# code – does not inherit from regular ListView
  2. No dependencies
  3. Easy deployment - single DLL binary that has just 80 kB when compressed in a ZIP archive
  4. 100% compatible with .NET 2.0 or higher
  5. Lightning fast. Optimized for 100.000+ items

Fixed all bugs and issues related to regular .NET ListView control

Since we’ve written the whole control from scratch and it does not inherit from the regular Microsoft .NET ListView component, the original ListView bugs are not present.

Furthermore, we’ve fixed all issues and some limitations related to the regular .NET ListView control, especially incorrect behavior and non-standard implementation of many features (selections, drag & drop, checkboxes, etc).

Surprisingly, .NET ListView does not support complex data binding. This forces developers to write additional code for populating and updating the control. Better ListView, however, has the ability just like the DataGrid control – one can simply bound any IList, DataSet, DataTable and several other types directly to Better ListView and left all the management on .NET internals.

Better drag & drop support:

  1. Insertion mark for inner reordering of items helps users preview the action
  2. Auto-scroll while reordering items added

Better column headers:

  1. Columns can be shown in all layouts (not just Details)
  2. Column headers have their own context menu
  3. Auto-scroll when reordering column headers added

Better sorting:

  1. Inbuilt sorting (zero code needed)
  2. Multi-column sort supported (use Shift+Click to add additional columns to sort)
  3. Ability to create custom comparer
<%= product_image(1) %>

Images support:

  1. Each sub-item can have its own image
  2. Use both ImageList control or individual images
  3. Supports images of all sizes
  4. Can automatically resize images nicely if needed (no pixelated horrors!)
  5. Column header images are supported

Better checkboxes:

  1. Checkboxes can be used in all layouts (not just Details)
  2. Fixed behavior. Checkboxes behave as expected – this makes Better ListView user friendly, compared to regular ListView.
  3. Three-state checkboxes supported
<%= product_image(2) %>

Looks and feels great

  1. Better ListView always fully utilizes the current Windows theme
  2. Double-buffered and flicker-free

Fixed bugs and wrong behavior of regular .NET ListView

The regular ListView has various obscure bugs (like events firing twice) and non-standard implementation of behavior in many cases. We’ve fixed all the bugs, and made it to always behave as expected. See more below.

User friendly:

Leverage the user knowledge of Windows Explorer ListView. The ListView in Windows Explorer is a great model, because every Windows user already knows how it works and how to use it. Unfortunately, the regular .NET ListView deviates from this behavior, and is thus not user friendly. Better Listview replicates the correct standard behavior of Windows Explorer ListView whenever possible. Better ListView always works as expected.

Developer friendly:

BetterListview can be used just like the common ListView. All the method names and property names are the same whenever possible. If you know how to use the common ListView, BetterListview will require nearly no learning on your side. Better ListView is a true pragmatic choice — skip the learning time, and focus on development.

Powerful, flexible, customizable:

Advanced features like super powerful HitTest and ability to have owner-drawn item are supported. You might be surprised by all the things that are possible to do with Better ListView.

Guaranteed supported and continued development

Better ListView is developed as a joint-venture of two software companies that use it in their flagship products (Swift To-Do List and ImagingShop), used by thousands of users daily. This is your guarantee that it will be supported and developed in the future.

Tested in real world applications by thousands of users

Because Better ListView is used in professional consumer software applications - Swift To-Do List and ImagingShop, thousands of users work with it every day. Although we do unit tests, and do thorough inhouse testing, this is your true bullet-proof guarantee that it is tested thoroughly in the real world.

Other nice-to-have and might-come-handy features:

  1. Customizable searching by typing
  2. Ability to set custom size for items in all layouts
  3. Any element of the control can be customized with properties and owner-drawing