# FixedColumns example - Basic initialisation

When displaying a table which scrolls along the x-axis, it can sometimes be useful to the end user for the left most column to be fixed in place, if it shows grouping, index or similar information. This is basically the same idea as 'freeze columns' in Excel. This can be achieved with the FixedColumns plug-in for DataTables, as shown below.

Note that FixedColumns is suitable only for use with the scrolling features in DataTables. If you want to achieve a similar effect without scrolling enabled, please checkout FixedHeader, also for DataTables.

FixedColumns is initialised using the constructor `new $.fn.dataTable.FixedColumns();` - shown below.

First name | Last name | Position | Office | Age | Start date | Salary | Extn. | E-mail
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Tiger | Nixon | System Architect | Edinburgh | 61 | 2011/04/25 | $3,120 | 5421 | t.nixon@datatables.net
Garrett | Winters | Director | Edinburgh | 63 | 2011/07/25 | $5,300 | 8422 | g.winters@datatables.net
Ashton | Cox | Technical Author | San Francisco | 66 | 2009/01/12 | $4,800 | 1562 | a.cox@datatables.net
Cedric | Kelly | Javascript Developer | Edinburgh | 22 | 2012/03/29 | $3,600 | 6224 | c.kelly@datatables.net
Jenna | Elliott | Financial Controller | Edinburgh | 33 | 2008/11/28 | $5,300 | 5407 | j.elliott@datatables.net
Brielle | Williamson | Integration Specialist | New York | 61 | 2012/12/02 | $4,525 | 4804 | b.williamson@datatables.net
Herrod | Chandler | Sales Assistant | San Francisco | 59 | 2012/08/06 | $4,080 | 9608 | h.chandler@datatables.net
Rhona | Davidson | Integration Specialist | Edinburgh | 55 | 2010/10/14 | $6,730 | 6200 | r.davidson@datatables.net
Colleen | Hurst | Javascript Developer | San Francisco | 39 | 2009/09/15 | $5,000 | 2360 | c.hurst@datatables.net
Sonya | Frost | Software Engineer | Edinburgh | 23 | 2008/12/13 | $3,600 | 1667 | s.frost@datatables.net
Jena | Gaines | System Architect | London | 30 | 2008/12/19 | $5,000 | 3814 | j.gaines@datatables.net
Quinn | Flynn | Financial Controller | Edinburgh | 22 | 2013/03/03 | $4,200 | 9497 | q.flynn@datatables.net
Charde | Marshall | Regional Director | San Francisco | 36 | 2008/10/16 | $5,300 | 6741 | c.marshall@datatables.net
Haley | Kennedy | Senior Marketing Designer | London | 43 | 2012/12/18 | $4,800 | 3597 | h.kennedy@datatables.net
Tatyana | Fitzpatrick | Regional Director | London | 19 | 2010/03/17 | $2,875 | 1965 | t.fitzpatrick@datatables.net
Michael | Silva | Senior Marketing Designer | London | 66 | 2012/11/27 | $3,750 | 1581 | m.silva@datatables.net
Paul | Byrd | Javascript Developer | New York | 64 | 2010/06/09 | $5,000 | 3059 | p.byrd@datatables.net
Gloria | Little | Systems Administrator | New York | 59 | 2009/04/10 | $3,120 | 1721 | g.little@datatables.net
Bradley | Greer | Software Engineer | London | 41 | 2012/10/13 | $3,120 | 2558 | b.greer@datatables.net
Dai | Rios | System Architect | Edinburgh | 35 | 2012/09/26 | $4,200 | 2290 | d.rios@datatables.net
Jenette | Caldwell | Financial Controller | New York | 30 | 2011/09/03 | $4,965 | 1937 | j.caldwell@datatables.net
Yuri | Berry | System Architect | New York | 40 | 2009/06/25 | $3,600 | 6154 | y.berry@datatables.net
Caesar | Vance | Technical Author | New York | 21 | 2011/12/12 | $4,965 | 8330 | c.vance@datatables.net
Doris | Wilder | Sales Assistant | Edinburgh | 23 | 2010/09/20 | $4,965 | 3023 | d.wilder@datatables.net
Angelica | Ramos | System Architect | London | 36 | 2009/10/09 | $2,875 | 5797 | a.ramos@datatables.net
Gavin | Joyce | Developer | Edinburgh | 42 | 2010/12/22 | $4,525 | 8822 | g.joyce@datatables.net
Jennifer | Chang | Regional Director | London | 28 | 2010/11/14 | $4,080 | 9239 | j.chang@datatables.net
Brenden | Wagner | Software Engineer | San Francisco | 18 | 2011/06/07 | $3,750 | 1314 | b.wagner@datatables.net
Ebony | Grimes | Software Engineer | San Francisco | 48 | 2010/03/11 | $2,875 | 2947 | e.grimes@datatables.net
Russell | Chavez | Director | Edinburgh | 20 | 2011/08/14 | $3,600 | 8899 | r.chavez@datatables.net
Michelle | House | Integration Specialist | Edinburgh | 37 | 2011/06/02 | $3,750 | 2769 | m.house@datatables.net
Suki | Burks | Developer | London | 53 | 2009/10/22 | $2,875 | 6832 | s.burks@datatables.net
Prescott | Bartlett | Technical Author | London | 27 | 2011/05/07 | $6,730 | 3606 | p.bartlett@datatables.net
Gavin | Cortez | Technical Author | San Francisco | 22 | 2008/10/26 | $6,730 | 2860 | g.cortez@datatables.net
Martena | Mccray | Integration Specialist | Edinburgh | 46 | 2011/03/09 | $4,080 | 8240 | m.mccray@datatables.net
Unity | Butler | Senior Marketing Designer | San Francisco | 47 | 2009/12/09 | $3,750 | 5384 | u.butler@datatables.net
Howard | Hatfield | Financial Controller | San Francisco | 51 | 2008/12/16 | $4,080 | 7031 | h.hatfield@datatables.net
Hope | Fuentes | Financial Controller | San Francisco | 41 | 2010/02/12 | $4,200 | 6318 | h.fuentes@datatables.net
Vivian | Harrell | System Architect | San Francisco | 62 | 2009/02/14 | $4,965 | 9422 | v.harrell@datatables.net
Timothy | Mooney | Financial Controller | London | 37 | 2008/12/11 | $4,200 | 7580 | t.mooney@datatables.net
Jackson | Bradshaw | Director | New York | 65 | 2008/09/26 | $5,000 | 1042 | j.bradshaw@datatables.net
Miriam | Weiss | Support Engineer | Edinburgh | 64 | 2011/02/03 | $4,965 | 2120 | m.weiss@datatables.net
Bruno | Nash | Software Engineer | London | 38 | 2011/05/03 | $4,200 | 6222 | b.nash@datatables.net
Odessa | Jackson | Support Engineer | Edinburgh | 37 | 2009/08/19 | $3,600 | 9383 | o.jackson@datatables.net
Thor | Walton | Developer | New York | 61 | 2013/08/11 | $3,600 | 8327 | t.walton@datatables.net
Finn | Camacho | Support Engineer | San Francisco | 47 | 2009/07/07 | $4,800 | 2927 | f.camacho@datatables.net
Elton | Baldwin | Data Coordinator | Edinburgh | 64 | 2012/04/09 | $6,730 | 8352 | e.baldwin@datatables.net
Zenaida | Frank | Software Engineer | New York | 63 | 2010/01/04 | $4,800 | 7439 | z.frank@datatables.net
Zorita | Serrano | Software Engineer | San Francisco | 56 | 2012/06/01 | $5,300 | 4389 | z.serrano@datatables.net
Jennifer | Acosta | Javascript Developer | Edinburgh | 43 | 2013/02/01 | $2,875 | 3431 | j.acosta@datatables.net
Cara | Stevens | Sales Assistant | New York | 46 | 2011/12/06 | $4,800 | 3990 | c.stevens@datatables.net
Hermione | Butler | Director | London | 47 | 2011/03/21 | $4,080 | 1016 | h.butler@datatables.net
Lael | Greer | Systems Administrator | London | 21 | 2009/02/27 | $3,120 | 6733 | l.greer@datatables.net
Jonas | Alexander | Developer | San Francisco | 30 | 2010/07/14 | $5,300 | 8196 | j.alexander@datatables.net
Shad | Decker | Regional Director | Edinburgh | 51 | 2008/11/13 | $5,300 | 6373 | s.decker@datatables.net
Michael | Bruce | Javascript Developer | Edinburgh | 29 | 2011/06/27 | $4,080 | 5384 | m.bruce@datatables.net
Donna | Snider | System Architect | New York | 27 | 2011/01/25 | $3,120 | 4226 | d.snider@datatables.net

- Javascript
- HTML
- CSS
- Ajax
- Server-side script

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

`$(document).ready(function() { var table = $('#example').DataTable( { scrollY: "300px", scrollX: true, scrollCollapse: true, paging: false } ); new $.fn.dataTable.FixedColumns( table ); } );`

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

- ../../../media/js/jquery.js
- ../../../media/js/jquery.dataTables.js
- ../js/dataTables.fixedColumns.js

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:

`/* Ensure that the demo table scrolls */ th, td { white-space: nowrap; } div.dataTables_wrapper { width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; }`

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

- ../../../media/css/jquery.dataTables.css
- ../css/dataTables.fixedColumns.css

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.