How can I lock the first row and first column of a table when scrolling, possibly using JavaScript and CSS?

Question

How can I create a table that has its first row and first column both locked, as in Excel, when you activate \'freeze panes\'? I need the table to both scroll horizontally

Answer 1

You need two tables, where the first one is an exact overlay over the second one. The second one contains all the data, where the first one just contains the first column. You have to synchronize it's width and depending on the content also the height of it's rows.

Additional to this two tables, you need a third one. That's the first row, which lays exactly between the other two and has to be synchronized in the same way.

You will need absolute positioning here. Next, you would synchronize the scrolling of the data table with the scrolling positions of the head row and first column table.

That works very well in all major browsers, except for one issue: The synchronized scrolling will flutter. To fix that, you need two outher div containers that hold a clone of the content of the header row and the first column. When scrolling vertically, you display the header row clone to prevent fluttering, while you reposition the original in the background. When scrolling horizontally, you would show the first row clone. Same thing here.