DataTables example Individual column searching (select inputs)

This example is almost identical to text based individual column example and provides the same functionality, but in this case using select input controls.

After the table is initialised, the API is used to build the select inputs through the use of the column().data() method to get the data for each column in turn. The helper methods unique() and sort() are also used to reduce the data for set input to unique and ordered elements. Finally the change event from the select input is used to trigger a column search using the column().search() method.

Note that the column().search() method in this particular case performs an exact match through the use of a custom regular expression and disabling DataTables built in smart searching. For more information on the search options in DataTables API please refer to the documentation for search(), column().search() and $.fn.dataTable.util.escapeRegex() which are used for searching globally, by column and escaping regular expressions respectively.

Note also that this example shows the use of initComplete a callback function that is triggered when the table has fully loaded. Use of this callback isn't actually required in this example since the data is available in the table on load, but in the case of Ajax loaded data, initComplete is useful to execute code after the data has been loaded.

NamePositionOfficeAgeStart dateSalary
NamePositionOfficeAgeStart dateSalary
Tiger NixonSystem ArchitectEdinburgh612011/04/25$320,800
Garrett WintersAccountantTokyo632011/07/25$170,750
Ashton CoxJunior Technical AuthorSan Francisco662009/01/12$86,000
Cedric KellySenior Javascript DeveloperEdinburgh222012/03/29$433,060
Airi SatouAccountantTokyo332008/11/28$162,700
Brielle WilliamsonIntegration SpecialistNew York612012/12/02$372,000
Herrod ChandlerSales AssistantSan Francisco592012/08/06$137,500
Rhona DavidsonIntegration SpecialistTokyo552010/10/14$327,900
Colleen HurstJavascript DeveloperSan Francisco392009/09/15$205,500
Sonya FrostSoftware EngineerEdinburgh232008/12/13$103,600
Jena GainesOffice ManagerLondon302008/12/19$90,560
Quinn FlynnSupport LeadEdinburgh222013/03/03$342,000
Charde MarshallRegional DirectorSan Francisco362008/10/16$470,600
Haley KennedySenior Marketing DesignerLondon432012/12/18$313,500
Tatyana FitzpatrickRegional DirectorLondon192010/03/17$385,750
Michael SilvaMarketing DesignerLondon662012/11/27$198,500
Paul ByrdChief Financial Officer (CFO)New York642010/06/09$725,000
Gloria LittleSystems AdministratorNew York592009/04/10$237,500
Bradley GreerSoftware EngineerLondon412012/10/13$132,000
Dai RiosPersonnel LeadEdinburgh352012/09/26$217,500
Jenette CaldwellDevelopment LeadNew York302011/09/03$345,000
Yuri BerryChief Marketing Officer (CMO)New York402009/06/25$675,000
Caesar VancePre-Sales SupportNew York212011/12/12$106,450
Doris WilderSales AssistantSidney232010/09/20$85,600
Angelica RamosChief Executive Officer (CEO)London472009/10/09$1,200,000
Gavin JoyceDeveloperEdinburgh422010/12/22$92,575
Jennifer ChangRegional DirectorSingapore282010/11/14$357,650
Brenden WagnerSoftware EngineerSan Francisco282011/06/07$206,850
Fiona GreenChief Operating Officer (COO)San Francisco482010/03/11$850,000
Shou ItouRegional MarketingTokyo202011/08/14$163,000
Michelle HouseIntegration SpecialistSidney372011/06/02$95,400
Suki BurksDeveloperLondon532009/10/22$114,500
Prescott BartlettTechnical AuthorLondon272011/05/07$145,000
Gavin CortezTeam LeaderSan Francisco222008/10/26$235,500
Martena MccrayPost-Sales supportEdinburgh462011/03/09$324,050
Unity ButlerMarketing DesignerSan Francisco472009/12/09$85,675
Howard HatfieldOffice ManagerSan Francisco512008/12/16$164,500
Hope FuentesSecretarySan Francisco412010/02/12$109,850
Vivian HarrellFinancial ControllerSan Francisco622009/02/14$452,500
Timothy MooneyOffice ManagerLondon372008/12/11$136,200
Jackson BradshawDirectorNew York652008/09/26$645,750
Olivia LiangSupport EngineerSingapore642011/02/03$234,500
Bruno NashSoftware EngineerLondon382011/05/03$163,500
Sakura YamamotoSupport EngineerTokyo372009/08/19$139,575
Thor WaltonDeveloperNew York612013/08/11$98,540
Finn CamachoSupport EngineerSan Francisco472009/07/07$87,500
Serge BaldwinData CoordinatorSingapore642012/04/09$138,575
Zenaida FrankSoftware EngineerNew York632010/01/04$125,250
Zorita SerranoSoftware EngineerSan Francisco562012/06/01$115,000
Jennifer AcostaJunior Javascript DeveloperEdinburgh432013/02/01$75,650
Cara StevensSales AssistantNew York462011/12/06$145,600
Hermione ButlerRegional DirectorLondon472011/03/21$356,250
Lael GreerSystems AdministratorLondon212009/02/27$103,500
Jonas AlexanderDeveloperSan Francisco302010/07/14$86,500
Shad DeckerRegional DirectorEdinburgh512008/11/13$183,000
Michael BruceJavascript DeveloperSingapore292011/06/27$183,000
Donna SniderCustomer SupportNew York272011/01/25$112,000

The Javascript shown below is used to initialise the table shown in this example:

$(document).ready(function() { $('#example').DataTable( { initComplete: function () { this.api().columns().every( function () { var column = this; var select = $('<select><option value=""></option></select>') .appendTo( $(column.footer()).empty() ) .on( 'change', function () { var val = $.fn.dataTable.util.escapeRegex( $(this).val() ); column .search( val ? '^'+val+'$' : '', true, false ) .draw(); } ); column.data().unique().sort().each( function ( d, j ) { select.append( '<option value="'+d+'">'+d+'</option>' ) } ); } ); } } ); } );

In addition to the above code, the following Javascript library files are loaded for use in this example:

The HTML shown below is the raw HTML table element, before it has been enhanced by DataTables:

This example uses a little bit of additional CSS beyond what is loaded from the library files (below), in order to correctly display the table. The additional CSS used is shown below:

The following CSS library files are loaded for use in this example to provide the styling of the table:

This table loads data by Ajax. The latest data that has been loaded is shown below. This data will update automatically as any additional data is loaded.

The script used to perform the server-side processing for this table is shown below. Please note that this is just an example script using PHP. Server-side processing scripts can be written in any language, using the protocol described in the DataTables documentation.