New: column() API methods for working with a single column

- To round off the API, this commit adds a column() method, for working
  with a single column, as with row/rows, cell/cells and table/tables.

- New methods:
  - column() - Column selector
  - column().data() - Get column data
  - column().header() - Get the column header cell
  - column().visible( set ) - Get / set the column visiblity
  - column().order( dir ) - Order the table by this column

- Note that I haven't implemented column().search() yet as I'm sure
  there must be a better way of dealing with the singular functions...
  Need to look at the four groups a bit more before this (and then the
  API :-) ) is finalised

media/src/api/api.columns.js

@@ -4,6 +4,60 @@
 
 var _api = DataTable.Api;
 
+var _setColumnVis = function ( settings, column, vis ) {
+	var
+		cols = settings.aoColumns,
+		col  = cols[ column ],
+		data = settings.aoData,
+		row, cells, i, ien, tr;
+
+	// Get
+	if ( vis === undefined ) {
+		return col.bVisible;
+	}
+
+	// Set
+	// No change
+	if ( col.bVisible === vis ) {
+		return;
+	}
+
+	if ( vis ) {
+		// Insert column
+		// Need to decide if we should use appendChild or insertBefore
+		var insertBefore = $.inArray( true, _pluck(cols, 'bVisible'), column+1 );
+
+		for ( i=0, ien=data.length ; i<ien ; i++ ) {
+			tr = data[i].nTr;
+			cells = data[i].anCells;
+
+			if ( tr ) {
+				// insertBefore can act like appendChild if 2nd arg is null
+				tr.insertBefore( cells[ column ], cells[ insertBefore ] || null );
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	else {
+		// Remove column
+		$( _pluck( settings.aoData, 'anCells', column ) ).remove();
+
+		col.bVisible = false;
+		_fnDrawHead( settings, settings.aoHeader );
+		_fnDrawHead( settings, settings.aoFooter );
+
+		_fnSaveState( settings );
+	}
+
+	// Common actions
+	col.bVisible = vis;
+	_fnDrawHead( settings, settings.aoHeader );
+	_fnDrawHead( settings, settings.aoFooter );
+
+	_fnCallbackFire( settings, null, 'column-visibility', [settings, column, vis] );
+
+	_fnSaveState( settings );
+};
+
 
 /**
  *
@@ -56,61 +110,9 @@ _api.register( 'columns().data()', function () {
 } );
 
 
-
-
 _api.register( 'columns().visible()', function ( vis ) {
 	return this.iterator( 'column', function ( settings, column ) {
-		var
-			cols = settings.aoColumns,
-			col  = cols[ column ],
-			data = settings.aoData,
-			row, cells, i, ien, tr;
-
-		// Get
-		if ( vis === undefined ) {
-			return col.bVisible;
-		}
-
-		// Set
-		// No change
-		if ( col.bVisible === vis ) {
-			return;
-		}
-
-		if ( vis ) {
-			// Insert column
-			// Need to decide if we should use appendChild or insertBefore
-			var insertBefore = $.inArray( true, _pluck(cols, 'bVisible'), column+1 );
-
-			for ( i=0, ien=data.length ; i<ien ; i++ ) {
-				tr = data[i].nTr;
-				cells = data[i].anCells;
-
-				if ( tr ) {
-					// insertBefore can act like appendChild if 2nd arg is null
-					tr.insertBefore( cells[ column ], cells[ insertBefore ] || null );
-				}
-			}
-		}
-		else {
-			// Remove column
-			$( _pluck( settings.aoData, 'anCells', column ) ).remove();
-
-			col.bVisible = false;
-			_fnDrawHead( settings, settings.aoHeader );
-			_fnDrawHead( settings, settings.aoFooter );
-
-			_fnSaveState( settings );
-		}
-
-		// Common actions
-		col.bVisible = vis;
-		_fnDrawHead( settings, settings.aoHeader );
-		_fnDrawHead( settings, settings.aoFooter );
-
-		_fnCallbackFire( settings, null, 'column-visibility', [settings, column, vis] );
-
-		_fnSaveState( settings );
+		return _setColumnVis( settings, column, vis );
 	} );
 } );
 
@@ -151,5 +153,47 @@ _api.register( 'column.index()', function ( type, idx ) {
 
 
 
+_api.register( 'column()', function ( selector, opts ) {
+	return _selector_first( this.columns( selector, opts ) );
+} );
+
+
+_api.register( 'column().data()', function () {
+	var ctx = this.context;
+
+	if ( ctx.length && this.length ) {
+		return this.columns( this[0] ).data().flatten();
+	}
+	// return undefined
+} );
+
+
+_api.register( 'column().header()', function () {
+	var ctx = this.context;
+
+	if ( ctx.length && this.length ) {
+		return this.columns( this[0] ).header().flatten();
+	}
+	// return undefined
+} );
+
+
+_api.register( 'column().visible()', function ( vis ) {
+	var ctx = this.context;
+
+	if ( vis === undefined ) {
+		// Get
+		return ctx.length && this.length ?
+			ctx[0].aoColumns[ this[0] ].bVisible :
+			undefined;
+	}
+
+	// Set
+	_setColumnVis( ctx[0], this[0], vis );
+
+	return this;
+} );
+
+
 }());
 

media/src/api/api.order.js

@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ _Api.register( 'order.listener()', function ( node, column, callback ) {
 } );
 
 
-// Order by the selected column(s)
+// Order by the selected columns
 _Api.register( 'columns().order()', function ( dir ) {
 	var that = this;
 
@@ -92,6 +92,16 @@ _Api.register( 'columns().order()', function ( dir ) {
 	} );
 } );
 
+// Order by the selected columns
+_Api.register( 'column().order()', function ( dir ) {
+	var ctx = this.context;
+
+	if ( ctx.length && this.length ) {
+		ctx[0].aaSorting = [ [ this[0], dir ] ];
+	}
+
+	return this;
+} );
 
 
 }());