Tutorial: Create and Manage Data in Code and Apply Data Annotation Attributes

• Sep 15, 2026
• 13 minutes to read

This tutorial populates a GridControl with objects created in code and uses .NET Data Annotation Attributes to configure generated columns, editors, formatting, and validation. The tutorial addresses the following tasks:

• Create in-memory data.
• Switch between in-memory data sources.
• Refresh columns when the data source changes.
• Define field metadata directly in a data class or in a reusable metadata class.

Watch Video: Create and Manage Data in Code and Apply Data Annotation Attributes

View Example: WinForms Data Grid - Bind to a Data Source with Data Annotation Attributes

Get Started

Create a Grid-based application with the DevExpress Template Kit:

Step 1: Create In-memory Data

1. Create a class for data records. This tutorial defines data classes in a separate DataSource.cs file (see the next code snippet).

2. Create a collection of data records. This tutorial populates the data collection in the GetCompanyPublicInfo() method of a separate GridSampleDataList class.

   DataSource.cs

   using System;
   using System.Collections.Generic;
   using System.Text;
   
   namespace dataAnnotationAttributes {
       // A class for data records
       public class CompanyPublicInfo {
           public string CompanyName { get; set; }
           public string Country { get; set; }
           public string City { get; set; }
           public string Url { get; set; }
           public string Email { get; set; }
           public string Phone { get; set; }
           public string AdditionalInfo { get; set; }
       }
   
       public class GridSampleDataList {
           // The following method returns a populated collection of data records
           static public List<CompanyPublicInfo> GetCompanyPublicInfo() {
               return new List<CompanyPublicInfo> {
                           new CompanyPublicInfo() {
                               AdditionalInfo = "Some Info",
                               City = "Glendale",
                               CompanyName = "Developer Express",
                               Country = "USA",
                               Email = "[e-mail]",
                               Phone = "1234567890",
                               Url = "www.devexpress.com",
                           }
                       };
           }
       }
   }
   

   DataSource.vb

   Imports System
   Imports System.Collections.Generic
   Imports System.Text
   
   Namespace dataAnnotationAttributes
       ' A class for data records
       Public Class CompanyPublicInfo
           Public Property CompanyName As String
           Public Property Country As String
           Public Property City As String
           Public Property Url As String
           Public Property Email As String
           Public Property Phone As String
           Public Property AdditionalInfo As String
       End Class
   
       Public Class GridSampleDataList
           ' The following method returns a populated collection of data records
           Public Shared Function GetCompanyPublicInfo() As List(Of CompanyPublicInfo)
               Return New List(Of CompanyPublicInfo) From {
                   New CompanyPublicInfo With {
                       .AdditionalInfo = "Some Info",
                       .City = "Glendale",
                       .CompanyName = "Developer Express",
                       .Country = "USA",
                       .Email = "[e-mail]",
                       .Phone = "1234567890",
                       .Url = "www.devexpress.com"
                   }
               }
           End Function
       End Class
   End Namespace
   

3. Assign the collection to the GridControl.DataSource property in the form constructor.

   The grid generates columns for public properties of each record.

   Form1.cs

   using DevExpress.XtraBars.Ribbon;
   using System.ComponentModel;
   
   namespace dataAnnotationAttributes {
       public partial class Form1 : RibbonForm {
           public Form1() {
               InitializeComponent();
               gridControl.DataSource = GridSampleDataList.GetCompanyPublicInfo();
           }
       }
   }
   

   Form1.vb

   Imports DevExpress.XtraBars.Ribbon
   Imports System.ComponentModel
   
   Namespace dataAnnotationAttributes
       Partial Public Class Form1
           Inherits RibbonForm
   
           Public Sub New()
               InitializeComponent()
               gridControl.DataSource = GridSampleDataList.GetCompanyPublicInfo()
           End Sub
       End Class
   End Namespace
   

The following image shows the result at runtime:

Step 2: Switch Between Data Sources

1. Create additional record classes with different fields. This tutorial uses CompanyPrivateInfo, CompanyPublicInfo, and Product classes (see the next code snippet).

2. Populate data collections for additional data classes. This tutorial populates record collections for each data class in GetCompanyPublicInfo, GetCompanyPrivateInfo, and GetProductSample methods of the GridSampleDataList class.

   DataSource.cs

   using DevExpress.DataProcessing.InMemoryDataProcessor;
   using System;
   using System.Collections.Generic;
   using System.ComponentModel;
   using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;
   using System.Text;
   
   namespace dataAnnotationAttributes {
       public class CompanyPublicInfo {
           public string CompanyName { get; set; }
           public string Country { get; set; }
           public string City { get; set; }
           public string Url { get; set; }
           public string Email { get; set; }
           public string Phone { get; set; }
           public string AdditionalInfo { get; set; }
       }
       public class CompanyPrivateInfo {
           public string Password { get; set; }
           public DateTime Date2 { get; set; }
           public double Sales { get; set; }
           public double Profit { get; set; }
           public double SalesVsTarget { get; set; }
           public double MarketShare { get; set; }
           public double CustomersSatisfaction { get; set; }
       }
       public class Product {
           public double UnitPrice { get; set; }
           public int Category { get; set; }
           public int Quantity { get; set; }
           public string Text { get; set; }
           public string MultilineText { get; set; }
           public int Currency { get; set; }
           public DateTime Date { get; set; }
           public DateTime Time { get; set; }
       }
       public class GridSampleDataList {
           static public List<CompanyPrivateInfo> GetCompanyPrivateInfo() {
               return new List<CompanyPrivateInfo> {
                           new CompanyPrivateInfo() {
                               CustomersSatisfaction = 3.1,
                               Date2 = DateTime.Now,
                               MarketShare = 42,
                               Password = "123qwerty",
                               Profit = 4951515,
                               Sales = 311414134,
                               SalesVsTarget = 0.0277,
                           }
                       };
           }
           static public List<CompanyPublicInfo> GetCompanyPublicInfo() {
               return new List<CompanyPublicInfo> {
                           new CompanyPublicInfo() {
                               AdditionalInfo = "Some Info",
                               City = "Glendale",
                               CompanyName = "Developer Express",
                               Country = "USA",
                               Email = "[e-mail]",
                               Phone = "1234567890",
                               Url = "www.devexpress.com",
                           }
                       };
           }
           static public List<Product> GetProductSample() {
               return new List<Product> {
                           new Product() {
                               Currency = 1000,
                               Category = 2,
                               Date = DateTime.Now,
                               MultilineText = "Line1\r\nLine2\r\nLine3",
                               Quantity = 321,
                               Text = "Sample Text",
                               Time = DateTime.Now,
                               UnitPrice = 1800,
                           }
                       };
           }
       }
   }
   

   DataSource.vb

   Imports DevExpress.DataProcessing.InMemoryDataProcessor
   Imports System
   Imports System.Collections.Generic
   Imports System.ComponentModel
   Imports System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations
   Imports System.Text
   
   Namespace dataAnnotationAttributes
       Public Class CompanyPublicInfo
           Public Property CompanyName As String
           Public Property Country As String
           Public Property City As String
           Public Property Url As String
           Public Property Email As String
           Public Property Phone As String
           Public Property AdditionalInfo As String
       End Class
   
       Public Class CompanyPrivateInfo
           Public Property Password As String
           Public Property Date2 As DateTime
           Public Property Sales As Double
           Public Property Profit As Double
           Public Property SalesVsTarget As Double
           Public Property MarketShare As Double
           Public Property CustomersSatisfaction As Double
       End Class
   
       Public Class Product
           Public Property UnitPrice As Double
           Public Property Category As Integer
           Public Property Quantity As Integer
           Public Property Text As String
           Public Property MultilineText As String
           Public Property Currency As Integer
           Public Property Date As DateTime
           Public Property Time As DateTime
       End Class
   
       Public Class GridSampleDataList
           Public Shared Function GetCompanyPrivateInfo() As List(Of CompanyPrivateInfo)
               Return New List(Of CompanyPrivateInfo) From {
                   New CompanyPrivateInfo With {
                       .CustomersSatisfaction = 3.1,
                       .Date2 = DateTime.Now,
                       .MarketShare = 42,
                       .Password = "123qwerty",
                       .Profit = 4951515,
                       .Sales = 311414134,
                       .SalesVsTarget = 0.0277
                   }
               }
           End Function
   
           Public Shared Function GetCompanyPublicInfo() As List(Of CompanyPublicInfo)
               Return New List(Of CompanyPublicInfo) From {
                   New CompanyPublicInfo With {
                       .AdditionalInfo = "Some Info",
                       .City = "Glendale",
                       .CompanyName = "Developer Express",
                       .Country = "USA",
                       .Email = "[e-mail]",
                       .Phone = "1234567890",
                       .Url = "www.devexpress.com"
                   }
               }
           End Function
   
           Public Shared Function GetProductSample() As List(Of Product)
               Return New List(Of Product) From {
                   New Product With {
                       .Currency = 1000,
                       .Category = 2,
                       .Date = DateTime.Now,
                       .MultilineText = "Line1" & vbCrLf & "Line2" & vbCrLf & "Line3",
                       .Quantity = 321,
                       .Text = "Sample Text",
                       .Time = DateTime.Now,
                       .UnitPrice = 1800
                   }
               }
           End Function
       End Class
   End Namespace
   

3. Add a dropdown editor with items that correspond to available data sources. This tutorial uses a ComboBox BarItem:

   

4. Handle the BarEditItem.EditValueChanged event to assign the selected data source to the GridControl.DataSource property (see the next code snippet).

5. Handle the GridControl.DataSourceChanged event and call ColumnView.PopulateColumns to recreate columns when the data source changes. You can also call BestFitColumns to adjust column widths.

   Form1.cs

   using DevExpress.XtraGrid;
   using DevExpress.XtraEditors;
   using DevExpress.XtraEditors.Repository;
   using System.ComponentModel;
   using DevExpress.XtraGrid.Views.Grid;
   
   namespace dataAnnotationAttributes {
       public partial class Form1 : RibbonForm {
           public Form1() {
               InitializeComponent();
               gridControl.DataSource = GridSampleDataList.GetCompanyPublicInfo();
               // Subscribe to events
               barEditItem1.EditValueChanged += BarEditItem1_EditValueChanged;
               gridControl.DataSourceChanged += GridControl_DataSourceChanged;
           }
   
           // Recreate columns when the data source changes
           private void GridControl_DataSourceChanged(object? sender, EventArgs e) {
               GridControl grid = sender as GridControl;
               if (grid == null) return;
               grid.MainView.PopulateColumns();
               (grid.MainView as GridView).BestFitColumns();
           }
   
           // Assign the selected data source to the grid
           private void BarEditItem1_EditValueChanged(object? sender, EventArgs e) {
               DevExpress.XtraBars.BarEditItem item = sender as DevExpress.XtraBars.BarEditItem;
               if (item == null) return;
               switch (item.EditValue as string) {
                   case "Company public info":
                       gridControl.DataSource = GridSampleDataList.GetCompanyPublicInfo();
                       break;
                   case "Company private info":
                       gridControl.DataSource = GridSampleDataList.GetCompanyPrivateInfo();
                       break;
                   case "Product info":
                       gridControl.DataSource = GridSampleDataList.GetProductSample();
                       break;
               }
           }
       }
   }
   

   Form1.vb

   Imports DevExpress.XtraGrid
   Imports DevExpress.XtraEditors
   Imports DevExpress.XtraEditors.Repository
   Imports System.ComponentModel
   Imports DevExpress.XtraGrid.Views.Grid
   
   Namespace dataAnnotationAttributes
       Partial Public Class Form1
           Inherits RibbonForm
   
           Public Sub New()
               InitializeComponent()
               gridControl.DataSource = GridSampleDataList.GetCompanyPublicInfo()
               ' Subscribe to events
               AddHandler barEditItem1.EditValueChanged, AddressOf BarEditItem1_EditValueChanged
               AddHandler gridControl.DataSourceChanged, AddressOf GridControl_DataSourceChanged
           End Sub
   
           ' Recreate columns when the data source changes
           Private Sub GridControl_DataSourceChanged(sender As Object, e As EventArgs)
               Dim grid As GridControl = TryCast(sender, GridControl)
               If grid Is Nothing Then Return
               grid.MainView.PopulateColumns()
               TryCast(grid.MainView, GridView).BestFitColumns()
           End Sub
   
           ' Assign the selected data source to the grid
           Private Sub BarEditItem1_EditValueChanged(sender As Object, e As EventArgs)
               Dim item As DevExpress.XtraBars.BarEditItem = TryCast(sender, DevExpress.XtraBars.BarEditItem)
               If item Is Nothing Then Return
               Select Case TryCast(item.EditValue, String)
                   Case "Company public info"
                       gridControl.DataSource = GridSampleDataList.GetCompanyPublicInfo()
                   Case "Company private info"
                       gridControl.DataSource = GridSampleDataList.GetCompanyPrivateInfo()
                   Case "Product info"
                       gridControl.DataSource = GridSampleDataList.GetProductSample()
               End Select
           End Sub
       End Class
   End Namespace
   

The following animation shows the result at runtime:

Step 3: Apply Data Annotation Attributes

Data annotation attributes allow the grid to select more appropriate editors, apply value formatting, control column generation, and validate input.

Reference the System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations library to use these attributes.

Annotations are applied to data and can be reused when you bind the data to another supported data-aware control.

Apply Attributes Directly

You can apply attributes directly to properties when the metadata is specific to one class. The following code snippet specifies a read-only field, data types, display settings, and a numeric range for properties of the Product data class:

DataSource.cs

using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;

public class Product {
    [ReadOnly(true)]
    public double UnitPrice { get; set; }
    // The following line specifies a custom data type
    // A corresponding enum is defined below the Product class
    [EnumDataType(typeof(ProductCategory))]
    public int Category { get; set; }
    [Display(Description = "The amount of currently available product")]
    public int Quantity { get; set; }
    [DataType(DataType.Text), Display(Order = -1)]
    public string Text { get; set; }
    [DataType(DataType.MultilineText)]
    public string MultilineText { get; set; }
    [DataType(DataType.Currency), Range(200, 5000)]
    public int Currency { get; set; }
    [DataType(DataType.Date)]
    public DateTime Date { get; set; }
    [DataType(DataType.Time)]
    public DateTime Time { get; set; }
}
public enum ProductCategory {
    Beverages = 1,
    Fruit = 2,
    Vegetables = 3,
    Meat = 4,
    Condiments = 5,
    Confections = 6,
    DairyProducts = 7,
    GrainsCereals = 8,
    Seafood = 9
}

DataSource.vb

Imports System
Imports System.ComponentModel
Imports System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations

Public Class Product
    <ReadOnly(True)>
    Public Property UnitPrice As Double
    <EnumDataType(GetType(ProductCategory))>
    Public Property Category As Integer
    <Display(Description := "The amount of currently available product")>
    Public Property Quantity As Integer
    <DataType(DataType.Text), Display(Order := -1)>
    Public Property Text As String
    <DataType(DataType.MultilineText)>
    Public Property MultilineText As String
    <DataType(DataType.Currency), Range(200, 5000)>
    Public Property Currency As Integer
    <DataType(DataType.Date)>
    Public Property [Date] As DateTime
    <DataType(DataType.Time)>
    Public Property Time As DateTime
End Class

Public Enum ProductCategory
    Beverages = 1
    Fruit = 2
    Vegetables = 3
    Meat = 4
    Condiments = 5
    Confections = 6
    DairyProducts = 7
    GrainsCereals = 8
    Seafood = 9
End Enum

These attributes introduce the following changes:

• Unit price values cannot be changed.
• The Category column displays category enum values instead of numbers.
• The Quantity column displays a tooltip when the column header is hovered over.
• The Text column is hidden.
• The grid uses uses a MemoEdit editor for multiline text and a SpinEdit for time values.
• Currency column values are formatted as currency, and the column accepts only values in the range specified by the Range attribute.

The following image shows the visual difference:

Use a Separate Metadata Class

Direct annotations are useful when a field belongs to one model or requires model-specific metadata. Use the MetadataType attribute when several classes share the same field metadata or when you want to separate annotations from model declarations.

The following code snippet creates a CompanyProductMetadata class with metadata settings for bothCompanyPublicInfo and CompanyPrivateInfo and applies these settings to both data classes.

DataSource.cs

using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;

[MetadataType(typeof(CompanyProductMetadata))]
public class CompanyPublicInfo {
    public string CompanyName { get; set; }
    public string Country { get; set; }
    public string City { get; set; }
    public string Url { get; set; }
    public string Email { get; set; }
    public string Phone { get; set; }
    public string AdditionalInfo { get; set; }
}

[MetadataType(typeof(CompanyProductMetadata))]
public class CompanyPrivateInfo {
    public string Password { get; set; }
    public DateTime Date2 { get; set; }
    public double Sales { get; set; }
    public double Profit { get; set; }
    public double SalesVsTarget { get; set; }
    public double MarketShare { get; set; }
    public double CustomersSatisfaction { get; set; }
}

public class CompanyProductMetadata {
    [Display(ShortName = "Company", Name = "Company Name", AutoGenerateFilter = false)]
    public object CompanyName;
    [Display(Order = 2)]
    public object Country;
    [Display(Order = 1), Editable(false)]
    public object City;
    [DataType(DataType.Url)]
    public object Url;
    [DataType(DataType.EmailAddress)]
    public object Email;
    [DataType(DataType.PhoneNumber), Required]
    public object Phone;
    [DataType(DataType.Text), Display(Order = -1)]
    public object Text;
    [Display(AutoGenerateField = false, Description = "This column isn't created")]
    public object AdditionalInfo;
    [DataType(DataType.Password), StringLength(20, MinimumLength = 3)]
    public object Password;
    [DisplayFormat(DataFormatString = "MMMM/yyyy"), Display(Name = "Date 2")]
    public object Date2;
    [DisplayFormat(DataFormatString = "#,##0,,M")]
    public object Sales;
    [DisplayFormat(DataFormatString = "#,##0,,M")]
    public object Profit;
    [DisplayFormat(DataFormatString = "p", ApplyFormatInEditMode = true), Display(Name = "Sales vs Target")]
    public object SalesVsTarget;
    [DisplayFormat(DataFormatString = "p0", ApplyFormatInEditMode = false)]
    public object MarketShare;
    [Display(Name = "Cust Satisfaction")]
    public object CustomersSatisfaction;
}

DataSource.vb

Imports System
Imports System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations

<MetadataType(GetType(CompanyProductMetadata))>
Public Class CompanyPublicInfo
    Public Property CompanyName As String
    Public Property Country As String
    Public Property City As String
    Public Property Url As String
    Public Property Email As String
    Public Property Phone As String
    Public Property AdditionalInfo As String
End Class

<MetadataType(GetType(CompanyProductMetadata))>
Public Class CompanyPrivateInfo
    Public Property Password As String
    Public Property Date2 As DateTime
    Public Property Sales As Double
    Public Property Profit As Double
    Public Property SalesVsTarget As Double
    Public Property MarketShare As Double
    Public Property CustomersSatisfaction As Double
End Class

Public Class CompanyProductMetadata
    <Display(ShortName := "Company", Name := "Company Name", AutoGenerateFilter := False)>
    Public CompanyName As Object
    <Display(Order := 2)>
    Public Country As Object
    <Display(Order := 1), Editable(False)>
    Public City As Object
    <DataType(DataType.Url)>
    Public Url As Object
    <DataType(DataType.EmailAddress)>
    Public Email As Object
    <DataType(DataType.PhoneNumber), Required>
    Public Phone As Object
    <DataType(DataType.Text), Display(Order := -1)>
    Public Text As Object
    <Display(AutoGenerateField := False, Description := "This column isn't created")>
    Public AdditionalInfo As Object
    <DataType(DataType.Password), StringLength(20, MinimumLength := 3)>
    Public Password As Object
    <DisplayFormat(DataFormatString := "MMMM/yyyy"), Display(Name := "Date 2")>
    Public Date2 As Object
    <DisplayFormat(DataFormatString := "#,##0,,M")>
    Public Sales As Object
    <DisplayFormat(DataFormatString := "#,##0,,M")>
    Public Profit As Object
    <DisplayFormat(DataFormatString := "p", ApplyFormatInEditMode := True), Display(Name := "Sales vs Target")>
    Public SalesVsTarget As Object
    <DisplayFormat(DataFormatString := "p0", ApplyFormatInEditMode := False)>
    Public MarketShare As Object
    <Display(Name := "Cust Satisfaction")>
    Public CustomersSatisfaction As Object
End Class

The following images show the visual difference after the attributes are apllied. For example, URLs are displayed as hyperlinks, phone numbers use masked input, and the AdditionalInfo field is excluded from automatically generated columns.

• CompanyPublicInfo data:

  

• CompanyPrivateInfo data:

  

See Also

Data Annotation Attributes