Question posted in 
I worked with ChatGPT 4o to create a complex DataTables.net proof of concept based on the needs of my client, which includes the following DataTables.net plugins and functionality:
- FixedHeader
- Row Grouping
- Child Rows
- Row Footer
- Multi select and select all
In the example code/jsfiddle provided, each of these are highlighted with a different color for easy identification.
Everything works perfectly. There’s just one issue with the Fixed Headers. When scrolling down and up, the fixed headers align perfectly. However, when you scroll up and reach the top of the page/view, the Fixed Headers shift left and are misaligned with the columns below. (see the Position column)
You can see the issue in this jsfiddle: https://jsfiddle.net/v5fs3do6/
Before (working)
After (headers shifted)
I have spent hours trying to resolve this with chatgpt, but the example seems to be too complex for it to resolve. We have tried rolling back certain plugins to try and see where/when the issue is introduced, but that has failed too.
Unfortunately, the requirements necessitate all of this functionality and plugins.
I am hoping the eyes of a human expert in front-end design/coding will be able to help me resolve this issue.
The jsfiddle has a working example demonstrating all the functionality and the issue, but here is the code as well.
Any help would be greatly appreciated and save me from going insane.
Thanks!
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>DataTable with Grouping, Expanded Child Rows</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.datatables.net/1.13.6/css/jquery.dataTables.min.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.datatables.net/fixedheader/3.4.0/css/fixedHeader.dataTables.min.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.datatables.net/rowgroup/1.4.0/css/rowGroup.dataTables.min.css">
<style>
table.dataTable thead th {
background-color: #f4f4f4;
}
.group-header {
font-weight: bold;
background-color: #d8d8d8;
}
.child-row td {
padding: 10px 0;
border-top: none;
text-align: left;
}
.blueTable th {
background-color: #007bff !important;
color: white !important;
}
.groupRow {
background-color: #0056b3 !important;
color: white !important;
}
.childDataRow {
background-color: #80c1ff !important;
color: black !important;
}
.groupFooterRow {
background-color: #cce5ff !important;
font-weight: bold;
color: black !important;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h3>Select Grouping Column:</h3>
<select id="group-by-column">
<option value="none">None</option>
<option value="office">Office</option>
<option value="position">Position</option>
</select>
<table id="example" class="display nowrap table responsive-table table-vcenter table-hover" style="width:100%">
<thead class="text-white">
<tr class="bg-primary">
<th><input type="checkbox" id="select-all"></th>
<th>Name</th>
<th>Position</th>
<th>Age</th>
<th>Start date</th>
<th>Salary</th>
<th>Department</th>
<th>Project</th>
<th>Experience (Years)</th>
<th>Location</th>
<th class="d-none">Office</th>
<th class="d-none">Hobby</th>
<th class="d-none">Favorite Animal</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Tiger Nixon
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Fishing">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Tiger">
</td>
<td>System Architect</td>
<td>61</td>
<td>2011/04/25</td>
<td>$320,800</td>
<td>IT</td>
<td>Project A</td>
<td>10</td>
<td>Scotland</td>
<td>Edinburgh</td>
<td>Fishing</td>
<td>Tiger</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Garrett Winters
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Gardening">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Cat">
</td>
<td>Accountant</td>
<td>63</td>
<td>2011/07/25</td>
<td>$170,750</td>
<td>Finance</td>
<td>Project B</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>Japan</td>
<td>Tokyo</td>
<td>Gardening</td>
<td>Cat</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Ashton Cox
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Painting">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Dog">
</td>
<td>Junior Technical Author</td>
<td>66</td>
<td>2009/01/12</td>
<td>$86,000</td>
<td>Documentation</td>
<td>Project C</td>
<td>5</td>
<td>USA</td>
<td>San Francisco</td>
<td>Painting</td>
<td>Dog</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Ryan Dixon
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Fishing">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Tiger">
</td>
<td>System Architect</td>
<td>61</td>
<td>2011/04/25</td>
<td>$320,800</td>
<td>IT</td>
<td>Project D</td>
<td>15</td>
<td>Japan</td>
<td>Tokyo</td>
<td>Fishing</td>
<td>Tiger</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Brielle Williamson
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Photography">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Dolphin">
</td>
<td>Integration Specialist</td>
<td>61</td>
<td>2012/12/02</td>
<td>$372,000</td>
<td>Development</td>
<td>Project E</td>
<td>9</td>
<td>New Zealand</td>
<td>Wellington</td>
<td>Photography</td>
<td>Dolphin</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Herrod Chandler
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Hiking">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Eagle">
</td>
<td>Sales Assistant</td>
<td>59</td>
<td>2012/08/06</td>
<td>$137,500</td>
<td>Sales</td>
<td>Project F</td>
<td>12</td>
<td>UK</td>
<td>London</td>
<td>Hiking</td>
<td>Eagle</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Rhona Davidson
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Reading">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Panda">
</td>
<td>Senior Javascript Developer</td>
<td>55</td>
<td>2010/10/14</td>
<td>$327,900</td>
<td>Development</td>
<td>Project G</td>
<td>7</td>
<td>Canada</td>
<td>Toronto</td>
<td>Reading</td>
<td>Panda</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Colleen Hurst
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Cooking">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Elephant">
</td>
<td>Javascript Developer</td>
<td>39</td>
<td>2009/09/15</td>
<td>$205,500</td>
<td>Development</td>
<td>Project H</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>Australia</td>
<td>Sydney</td>
<td>Cooking</td>
<td>Elephant</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Sonya Frost
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Knitting">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Fox">
</td>
<td>Software Engineer</td>
<td>23</td>
<td>2008/12/13</td>
<td>$103,600</td>
<td>IT</td>
<td>Project I</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>USA</td>
<td>San Diego</td>
<td>Knitting</td>
<td>Fox</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Jena Gaines
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Traveling">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Whale">
</td>
<td>Office Manager</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>2008/12/19</td>
<td>$90,560</td>
<td>Administration</td>
<td>Project J</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>USA</td>
<td>New York</td>
<td>Traveling</td>
<td>Whale</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Quinn Flynn
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Swimming">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Shark">
</td>
<td>Support Lead</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>2013/03/03</td>
<td>$342,000</td>
<td>Support</td>
<td>Project K</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>Canada</td>
<td>Vancouver</td>
<td>Swimming</td>
<td>Shark</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Charde Marshall
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Writing">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Wolf">
</td>
<td>Regional Director</td>
<td>36</td>
<td>2008/10/16</td>
<td>$470,600</td>
<td>Management</td>
<td>Project L</td>
<td>11</td>
<td>Singapore</td>
<td>Singapore</td>
<td>Writing</td>
<td>Wolf</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Haley Kennedy
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Cycling">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Bear">
</td>
<td>Senior Marketing Designer</td>
<td>43</td>
<td>2012/12/18</td>
<td>$313,500</td>
<td>Marketing</td>
<td>Project M</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>UK</td>
<td>Manchester</td>
<td>Cycling</td>
<td>Bear</td>
</tr>
<tr class="mainRecordRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td class="custom-cell-class">
Tatyana Fitzpatrick
<input type="hidden" class="hobby" value="Dancing">
<input type="hidden" class="favorite-animal" value="Peacock">
</td>
<td>Regional Director</td>
<td>19</td>
<td>2010/03/17</td>
<td>$385,750</td>
<td>Management</td>
<td>Project N</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>India</td>
<td>Mumbai</td>
<td>Dancing</td>
<td>Peacock</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.4.1.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.datatables.net/1.13.6/js/jquery.dataTables.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.datatables.net/fixedheader/3.4.0/js/dataTables.fixedHeader.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.datatables.net/rowgroup/1.4.0/js/dataTables.rowGroup.min.js"></script>
<script>
$(document).ready(function() {
var groupColumn = 10;
var initialColumnWidths = [];
function storeOriginalClasses() {
$('#example tbody tr').each(function() {
$(this).data('original-classes', $(this).attr('class'));
$(this).find('td').each(function() {
$(this).data('original-classes', $(this).attr('class'));
});
});
}
function reapplyOriginalClasses() {
$('#example tbody tr').each(function() {
var originalClasses = $(this).data('original-classes');
if (originalClasses) {
$(this).attr('class', originalClasses);
}
$(this).find('td').each(function() {
var originalTdClasses = $(this).data('original-classes');
if (originalTdClasses) {
$(this).attr('class', originalTdClasses);
}
});
});
$('.groupRow').each(function() {
var originalClasses = $(this).data('original-classes');
if (originalClasses) {
$(this).attr('class', originalClasses);
}
});
}
function addChildRows() {
$('.child-row').remove();
var colspan = $('#example thead tr th:visible').length - 1;
table.rows().every(function(rowIdx, tableLoop, rowLoop) {
var tr = $(this.node());
var hobby = tr.find('.hobby').val();
var favoriteAnimal = tr.find('.favorite-animal').val();
var childRowHtml = `
<tr class="childDataRow table-light">
<td></td>
<td colspan="${colspan}">Hobby: ${hobby} | Favorite Animal: ${favoriteAnimal}</td>
</tr>
`;
tr.after(childRowHtml);
});
}
function addGroupFooter() {
$('.groupFooterRow').remove();
var groupData = {};
table.rows({
page: 'current'
}).every(function() {
var data = this.data();
var groupKey = data[groupColumn];
if (!groupData[groupKey]) {
groupData[groupKey] = {
totalSalary: 0,
totalYears: 0,
rows: []
};
}
groupData[groupKey].rows.push(this.node());
groupData[groupKey].totalSalary += parseFloat(data[5].toString().replace(/[$,]/g, ''));
groupData[groupKey].totalYears += parseFloat(data[8]) || 0;
});
$.each(groupData, function(groupKey, groupInfo) {
var lastRow = $(groupInfo.rows[groupInfo.rows.length - 1]);
var lastChildRow = lastRow.next('.childDataRow').length ? lastRow.next('.childDataRow') : lastRow;
var totalVisibleColumns = $('#example thead tr th:visible').length;
var colspanBeforeSalary = 5;
var colspanBetween = 2;
var colspanAfterYears = totalVisibleColumns - 9;
var formattedSalary = groupInfo.totalSalary.toFixed(2).replace(/B(?=(d{3})+(?!d))/g, ',');
var formattedYears = groupInfo.totalYears.toFixed(2);
var groupFooterHtml = `
<tr class="groupFooterRow bg-primary text-white">
<td colspan="${colspanBeforeSalary}"></td>
<td>Group Total Salary: $${formattedSalary}</td>
<td colspan="${colspanBetween}"></td>
<td>Group Total Years: ${formattedYears}</td>
<td colspan="${colspanAfterYears}"></td>
</tr>
`;
lastChildRow.after(groupFooterHtml);
});
}
// Capture initial column widths when the table is first drawn
function captureInitialColumnWidths() {
initialColumnWidths = [];
$('#example thead th').each(function() {
initialColumnWidths.push($(this).width());
});
}
// Apply the captured column widths
function applyColumnWidths() {
$('#example thead th').each(function(index) {
$(this).css('width', initialColumnWidths[index] + 'px');
});
$('#example tbody tr:first td').each(function(index) {
$(this).css('width', initialColumnWidths[index] + 'px');
});
}
storeOriginalClasses();
var table = $('#example').DataTable({
responsive: false,
fixedHeader: true,
scrollX: true,
order: [
[1, 'asc']
],
lengthChange: true,
lengthMenu: [10, 25, 50, 100],
paging: true,
rowGroup: {
dataSrc: groupColumn,
startRender: function(rows, group) {
var colspan = $('#example thead tr th:visible').length;
return $('<tr/>')
.addClass('groupRow bg-primary-light text-white')
.append(`<td colspan="${colspan}">Group: ${group}</td>`);
}
},
columnDefs: [{
targets: 0,
orderable: false,
searchable: false,
className: 'select-checkbox',
render: function() {
return '<input type="checkbox" class="select-row">';
}
},
{
targets: [10, 11, 12],
visible: false,
searchable: true
},
{
targets: 2, // The "Position" column
width: '100px', // Set width to 100px
createdCell: function(td, cellData, rowData, row, col) {
$(td).css('white-space', 'normal'); // Enable word wrapping
$(td).css('word-wrap', 'break-word'); // Ensure long words break
}
}
],
autoWidth: false
});
// Add child rows and group footers initially
addChildRows();
addGroupFooter();
// Capture initial column widths after the table is drawn
table.on('draw', function() {
if (initialColumnWidths.length === 0) {
captureInitialColumnWidths();
}
addChildRows();
addGroupFooter();
reapplyOriginalClasses();
adjustTable();
});
// Apply fixed column widths during scrolling to avoid shifting
$('#example_wrapper .dataTables_scrollBody').on('scroll', function() {
applyColumnWidths();
});
// Adjust on column order change
table.on('order', function() {
adjustTable();
});
// Handle Select All checkbox
$('#select-all').on('click', function() {
var rows = table.rows({
'search': 'applied'
}).nodes();
$('input[type="checkbox"]', rows).prop('checked', this.checked);
});
// Handle grouping change based on dropdown
$('#group-by-column').on('change', function() {
var selectedColumn = $(this).val();
if (selectedColumn === "none") {
groupColumn = null;
} else if (selectedColumn === "position") {
groupColumn = 2;
} else if (selectedColumn === "office") {
groupColumn = 10;
}
table.rowGroup().dataSrc(groupColumn).draw();
adjustTable();
});
// Function to adjust columns and fixed header alignment
function adjustTable() {
table.columns.adjust();
if (table.fixedHeader) {
table.fixedHeader.adjust();
}
}
// Fix header alignment on window resize
$(window).on('resize', function() {
adjustTable();
});
// Recalculate column width on table draw events, like search or paging
table.on('responsive-resize', function() {
adjustTable();
});
// Call the adjustment function on initial load to ensure correct alignment
adjustTable();
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
2
Answers
Changing the scrollX attribute as below seems to fix the issue in this particular code (tested on Chrome and FF, and only in the jsfiddle provided):
However, in this example, the following Javascript library files are referenced:
You are referencing a mix of distinct libraries, so not sure what is the right way to do it. Also for some reason, in your code the horizontal scrollbar is there when
scrollXis set tofalse, which is the opposite of the expected behaviour (?). In the documentation, this seems to be preferred (in addition to jQuery):Not sure how to proceed with ChatGPT from here, though.
This is not a canonical answer – for that you would have to ask on the official DataTable forums.
But here goes…
Problem summary: "…when you scroll up and reach the top of the page/view, the fixed headers shift left and are misaligned with the columns below"
Basic solution: Make sure you are using the latest versions of the core DataTables library and relevant plugins.
You can download these files (or use the CDN resources) by going to the official downloads page and selecting the various components you need.
In your specific case, I changed your Fiddle to one which uses the latest versions, which you can find here:
https://jsfiddle.net/pfyhdrmq/
(code also included at the end of this answer)
It seemed to resolve your specific issue, but it’s always possible that you may see some other unwanted behaviod which I missed.
I think getting column headings to behave consistently with fixed scrolling is challenging, so it does not surprise me if there can be issues caused by using incompatible/older versions of different plugins.
It may be worth adding a couple of extra notes (perhaps a bit off-topic), for other visitors to this question and answer:
1) Older versions
If you cannot upgrade to the latest version of everything (I don’t know why that would be the case, but maybe it is), then you can base your solution on whatever version of the core library you can use.
You can browse older versions of the core libraries and all the addons here:
DataTables CDN
This page contains links to all the plugins, where each page for each version has:
It would probably require a trial-and-error process to see which plugins work correctly with each version of the core library… Try to avoid needing to do that.
2) Compatibility table
If you want to combine multiple different plugins (using the latest versions!), then take a careful look at this:
Official compatibility table.
This assumes the latest versions of each component – but at least you will see where you might be trying to do something which is not supported.
3) External style libraries
I mention this because I have seen a lot of questions relating to this (again, not directly relevant to the question, but worth mentioning while we are in the ballpark).
You can encounter display/behavior issues if you do not use the officially supported DataTables libraries when trying to integrate with Bootstrap, Foundation and other style libraries.
Start with the downloads page (already linked above). Choose the relevant style library you want to use, to get a version which integrates correctly with your version of DataTables.
You can’t just throw a version of Bootstrap at a version of DataTables and hope for the best (again, not relevant to this specific question, but worth mentioning).
4) One step at a time
If you combine multiple DataTables addons at the same time, together with more complex options and API logic, then if/when you do encounter an issue, it will be difficult to know what the specific cause may be.
In these cases, I typically try the "all-at-once" approach first. But if it fails, I will build a stand-alone super-simple web page (just a text file that I can open in a browser).
I’ll hard-code some test data.
I’ll use only the core library and not implement any complicated options/API logic (yet).
I’ll make sure that works, with some testing
Then I’ll add one plugin and set that up as needed – and re-run my tests.
I will repeat for each addon I want to use.
If I hit an issue, I will rewind back to my clean starting point and see if I can recreate the issue with only the most recent changes I made. It also means I have a [mre] ready (and which I can explain) if I need to ask for help.
Code included in this answer, in case the Fiddle becomes unavailable: