jqGrid provides client-side javascript API that interacts with sorting. You can use that to control / force sorting on the client based on certain criteria.

Events

The event the fires on the client-side upon colunm sorting is called ColumnSort, e.g.

<trirand:JQGrid runat="server" ID="JQGrid1" DataSourceID="SqlDataSource1">
   <ClientSideEvents ColumnSort="columnSort" />
</trirand:JQGrid>

Once defined in the grid, the event also needs to be defined as a javascript function. This particular event receives three parameters:

• fieldName is the DataField of the column being sorted
  
• columnIndex is the index of the column (zero bazed)
  
• sortOrder is a string "asc" or "desc"
  

e.g.

function columnSort(fieldName, columnIndex, sortOrder) 
{ 
   var line = "<b>Column sorted</b>: " + fieldName + "; Index: " + columnIndex + "; sortOrder: " + sortOrder + "<br/>";
   $("#log").append(line);
}

Methods

jqGrid exposes the client-side sortGrid method with two parameters

• columnName - the name of the column to be sorted
  
• reloadGrid - boolean denoting whether we need to reload the grid immediately after sorting.
  

e.g.

<script type="text/javascript">

function forceSort() 
{     
   var grid = $("#<%= JQGrid1.ClientID %>");
   grid.sortGrid("Freight", true);
}

</script>