How can I make a DataGridView cell's font a particular color?

Question

This code works fine for making the cell's background Blue:

DataGridViewRow dgvr = dataGridViewLifeSchedule.Rows[rowToPopulate];
dgvr.Cells[colName].Style.BackColor = Color.Blue;
dgvr.Cells[colName].Style.ForeColor = Color.Yellow;

...but the ForeColor's effects are not what I expected/hoped: the font color is still black, not yellow.

How can I make the font color yellow?

Solution 1

You can do this:

dataGridView1.SelectedCells[0].Style 
   = new DataGridViewCellStyle { ForeColor = Color.Yellow};

You can also set whatever style settings (font, for example) in that cell style constructor.

And if you want to set a particular column text color you could do:

dataGridView1.Columns[colName].DefaultCellStyle.ForeColor = Color.Yellow;
dataGridView1.Columns[0].DefaultCellStyle.BackColor = Color.Blue;

updated

So if you want to color based on having a value in the cell, something like this will do the trick:

private void dataGridView1_CellFormatting(object sender, DataGridViewCellFormattingEventArgs e)
{
    if (dataGridView1.Rows[e.RowIndex].Cells[e.ColumnIndex].Value != null && !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(dataGridView1.Rows[e.RowIndex].Cells[e.ColumnIndex].Value.ToString()))
    {
        dataGridView1.Rows[e.RowIndex].Cells[e.ColumnIndex].Style = new DataGridViewCellStyle { ForeColor = Color.Orange, BackColor = Color.Blue };
    }
    else
    {
        dataGridView1.Rows[e.RowIndex].Cells[e.ColumnIndex].Style = dataGridView1.DefaultCellStyle;
    }
}

Solution 2

1. To avoid performance issues (related to the amount of data in the DataGridView), use DataGridViewDefaultCellStyle and DataGridViewCellInheritedStyle. Reference: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ha5xt0d9.aspx

2. You could use DataGridView.CellFormatting to paint effected Cells on previous code limitations.

3. In this case, you need to overwrite the DataGridViewDefaultCellStyle, maybe.

//edit
In Reply to your comment on @itsmatt. If you want to populate a style to all rows/cells, you need something like this:

    // Set the selection background color for all the cells.
dataGridView1.DefaultCellStyle.SelectionBackColor = Color.White;
dataGridView1.DefaultCellStyle.SelectionForeColor = Color.Black;

// Set RowHeadersDefaultCellStyle.SelectionBackColor so that its default 
// value won't override DataGridView.DefaultCellStyle.SelectionBackColor.
dataGridView1.RowHeadersDefaultCellStyle.SelectionBackColor = Color.Empty;

// Set the background color for all rows and for alternating rows.  
// The value for alternating rows overrides the value for all rows. 
dataGridView1.RowsDefaultCellStyle.BackColor = Color.LightGray;
dataGridView1.AlternatingRowsDefaultCellStyle.BackColor = Color.DarkGray;

Comments

[KeithS]

Try also setting the SelectionBackColor and SelectionForeColor. If the row is selected, those colors will be used, not the ones for BackColor/ForeColor.

[LarsTech]

Can't reproduce the problem. My text is yellow on a blue background.

[Jay Riggs]

Any chance you've extended DataGridView and overidden OnPaintCell? If so this may help.

[B. Clay Shannon-B. Crow Raven]

@Jay: No, I didn't extend and override.

[B. Clay Shannon-B. Crow Raven]

The following does nothing; in fact, when I do select a cell, it becomes white font on a blue blackground: dgvr.Cells[colName].Style.SelectionForeColor = Color.Blue; And I want all the cells to be yellow on blue, anyway, not just the selected one[s].

[itsmatt]

That's the selection color you're seeing, Clay. If you want the entire column to be yellow on blue, see my update.

[B. Clay Shannon-B. Crow Raven]

Sorry, I wasn't clear at first: I need neither the entire column nor just the selection color to be yellow on blue, but rather only/all cells that have a value. Empty cells should simply have a white backcolor/no special processing.

[B. Clay Shannon-B. Crow Raven]

This also (in the CellFormatting() event) works for the blue backcolor, but does nothing re: a yellow forecolor: if (e.Value != string.Empty) { e.CellStyle.BackColor = Color.Blue; e.CellStyle.ForeColor = Color.Yellow; }

[itsmatt]

see my update - you can handle that in the cellformatting handler.

[varg]

i can confirm this solution. works perfect on my small testapplication.

[NuWin]

@itsmatt is it possible to change the font color of a specific word/number in a column/row only rather than the entire column/row?