How to Add a React Pivot Table to Your Web Application

Pivot Tables are undeniably one of the most powerful data analysis tools; they help organize data so users can detect recurring patterns more easily. Pivot Tables help users create customized tables from large data groups. The user can summarize, sort, reorganize, group, count, total, or average data effortlessly within a table using pivot functionalities.

SpreadJS, a React spreadsheet component, has an optional Pivot Tables add-on feature that allows React developers to create Excel-like Pivot Tables programmatically in their applications or allow end-users to create them easily with a familiar UI.

Download a Free Trial of the React Spreadsheet Component Today!

Check out our online React Pivot Table demo to see how to get started with SpreadJS’s PivotTables.

This blog will go through some of the essential properties and features of the React spreadsheet Pivot Table API:

• Create a React Pivot Table
• Set the React Pivot Layout
• Set the Pivot Table Theme
• Set the React Pivot Styles
• Apply the Pivot Table’s AutofitColumn
• Understand the Pivot Table Slicers
• Understand the Pivot ContextMenu
• Apply Conditional Formatting to a React Pivot Table

Create a React Pivot Table

Imagine having countless rows of data containing specific information. For example, in the datasheet below, we have a large number of records showing the best-selling video games.

The goal is to create a report summarizing this raw data into more insightful information. The below function shows how to programmatically add a pivot table and add fields in a React application using SpreadJS’s PivotTable class API.

    let initPivotTable = function (sheet) {
        let myPivotTable = sheet.pivotTables.add("myPivotTable", "tableSales", 1, 1, GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotTableLayoutType.outline, GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotTableThemes.medium14);
        myPivotTable.suspendLayout();
        // Set Pivot Table Options
        myPivotTable.options.showRowHeader = true;
        myPivotTable.options.showColumnHeader = true;
        myPivotTable.options.bandRows = true;
        myPivotTable.options.bandColumns = true;
        // Set PivotTable Row Fields
        myPivotTable.add("Genre", "Genre", GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotTableFieldType.rowField);
        myPivotTable.add("Game Name", "Game Name", GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotTableFieldType.rowField);
        // Set PivotTable Value Fields
        myPivotTable.add("NA_Sales", "NA_Sales", GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotTableFieldType.valueField, GC.Pivot.SubtotalType.sum);
        myPivotTable.add("EU_Sales", "EU_Sales", GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotTableFieldType.valueField, GC.Pivot.SubtotalType.sum);
        myPivotTable.add("JP_Sales", "JP_Sales", GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotTableFieldType.valueField, GC.Pivot.SubtotalType.sum);
        myPivotTable.add("Other_Sales", "Other_Sales", GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotTableFieldType.valueField, GC.Pivot.SubtotalType.sum);
        myPivotTable.add("Global_Sales", "Global_Sales", GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotTableFieldType.valueField, GC.Pivot.SubtotalType.sum);        let panel = new GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotPanel("myPivotPanel", myPivotTable, document.getElementById("panel"));
        // Customize the Pivot Table Panels Area
        panel.sectionVisibility(GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotPanelSection.fields + GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotPanelSection.area);
        myPivotTable.resumeLayout();
    }

After applying this code, the Pivot Table will display in the React application like so:

Download this ‘Getting Started’ sample application.

Set the React Pivot Layout

SpreadJS allows you to choose from three different pivot table layouts to offer different visualizations of your data. This includes the Compact, Outline, and Tabular form layouts. By default, the pivot table layout is Compact form. Still, users can set the layout when creating the pivot table using the PivotTable constructor or change the layout using the layoutType function. The function has an integer argument corresponding to the form layout (0 - compact, 1 - outline, 2 - tabular).

// Set an outline form (1)
pivotTable.layoutType(1);

Compact Form (0)

This layout contains all the Row fields in one column in a hierarchical structure.

This layout form optimizes readability by keeping related data in one column. Still, if you copy and paste the data into a new worksheet, it will be harder to do further analysis.

Outline Form (1)

This layout has a hierarchical structure, but each Row field is in a separate column in the pivot table. It displays one column per field and provides space for field headers.

Using this form, you can include Field headers in each column, repeat all item labels, and reuse the data of the Pivot Table in a new location for further analysis. Still, this form uses horizontal space, so it might not be beneficial to use it in some cases.

Tabular Form (2)

This layout is a hierarchical structure, and each Row field is in a separate column in the pivot table. It can display subtotals at the top of every group because items in the next column are displayed in one row below the current item.

This traditional table format is very preceptive for the users. It includes Field headers in each column and allows you to have all the item labels repeated and to reuse the Pivot Table data in a new location for further analysis. As a disadvantage, this layout uses horizontal space, and subtotals can’t appear at the top of the group if you want to include those at the top.

Set the Pivot Table Theme

SpreadJS’s React PivotTable provides 85 predefined themes - 29 light, 28 medium, and 28 dark.

You can apply the pivot table theme when adding the pivot table or use the theme function.

let pivotTable = sheet.pivotTables.add("PivotTable", table.name(), 0, 0, GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotTableLayoutType.outline, GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotTableThemes.medium2);
//pivotTable.theme(GC.Spread.Pivot.PivotTableThemes.dark2);
//pivotTable.theme("dark2");

Choosing the right theme improves the appearance of your pivot table and offers a more professional presentation of data for your report's end recipients.

Check out the online Pivot Table Themes Picker demo here.

Set the React Pivot Styles

You can apply a pivot table style to highlight any specific data. The style method can apply styles to row, column, value, and label fields. For example, the following code snippet applies a style to the value fields.

        // Get the pivot area
        let labelPivotArea = {
            dataOnly: true,
            references: [{
            fieldName: "Values",
            items: ["Global_Sales", "NA_Sales"]
            }]
        };
         // Create style
        let style = new GC.Spread.Sheets.Style();
        style.backColor = "#70ad47";
        // Set pivot style
        myPivotTable.setStyle(labelPivotArea, style);

This code will highlight the value fields “NA_Sales” and “Global_Sales.”

With this support, React developers can customize and apply their own rules, styles, and formatting to certain pivot table fields. Check our online Pivot Style demo for more information.

Apply the Pivot Table’s AutofitColumn

SpreadJS’s React pivot table offers an AutofitColumn function that adjusts the pivot table's column width to accommodate the longest value in a field. Overall, it is a helpful function and is convenient when working with long, text-based fields.

// Auto fit Pivot Table columns
pivotTable.autoFitColumn();

The GIF below demonstrates this function. When the page reloads, the autoFitColumn function is invoked:

Check out the React Pivot AutoFit Column online demo.

Understand the Pivot Table Slicers

Pivot Table Slicers are interactive visual controls that allow users to filter and manipulate data within a pivot table. They provide a user-friendly way to narrow down the data displayed in a pivot table by selecting specific criteria, such as dates, categories, or other relevant dimensions. Using slicers, users can quickly analyze and explore data subsets without modifying the underlying pivot table structure. SpreadJS supports both the Item Slicer and Timeline Slicer.

PivotTable Item Slicer	PivotTable Timeline Slicer

Check out our React PivotTable Slicer demos to try the slicers for yourself.

Understand the Pivot ContextMenu

The Pivot ContextMenu empowers users to perform various actions on pivot tables effortlessly. This feature allows users to sort data, rearrange field headers, and personalize the control by expanding or collapsing field values. The Pivot ContextMenu provides a user-friendly and compact interface to modify the appearance of pivot table data.

When interacting with different parts of a pivot table and then right-clicking, SpreadJS presents distinct context menu options. Some of the React Pivot Table Context Menus are shown below:

The page area	The header area
The data area	The Grand Total area

Users can also format values with given or customized formats by choosing the “Value Field Settings..." option from the data area or the Grand Total area context menu to open the dialog window.

Check out the React Pivot Table Context Menu online demo.

Apply Conditional Formatting to a React Pivot Table

Conditional Formatting is a powerful tool that allows you to quickly highlight data fields, making it easier to identify outliers or refine your results. In a pivot area, you have the flexibility to apply, retrieve, and remove conditional formatting rules. These rules remain in effect even if you make changes to the PivotTable layout.

You can apply Conditional Formatting to the SpreadJS’s React Pivot Table using the addConditionalRulemethod.

The screenshot below showcases a demo that applies different color formatting depending on the cell values, with green being the lowest and red the highest.

Check out the Pivot Table Conditional Formatting online demo.

Download a Free Trial of SpreadJS Today!

React Spreadsheet Pivot Tables

We hope you enjoyed learning how to create and customize React Spreadsheet Pivot Tables. You can download the sample application from the blog here. This article only scratches the surface of the full capabilities of SpreadJS, the React spreadsheet component.

Review the documentation to see some of the many available features, and check out our online demos to see the features in action and interact with the sample code. Integrating a spreadsheet component into your React applications allows you to customize your users' experience and provide them with familiar spreadsheet functionality.

To learn more about SpreadJS and the latest product updates, check out our Releases page.