How to export all rows from Datatables using Ajax?

Question

I am using new feature in Datatables: "HTML5 export buttons". I am loading data with Ajax.

https://datatables.net/extensions/buttons/examples/html5/simple.html

The problem is that it only export the page that is currently displayed.

I am exporting like this:

buttons: [
    {
        extend: 'pdfHtml5',
        text: 'PDF',
        exportOptions: {
            "columns": ':visible',
        }
    },
]

How can I export all rows?

Answer 1

You need to tell the AJAX function to get all data, then do the export but cancel the actual draw so that all of that data isn't loading into the DOM. The full data will still exist in memory for the DataTables API though, so you need to refresh it to the way it was before the export.

var oldExportAction = function (self, e, dt, button, config) {
    if (button[0].className.indexOf('buttons-excel') >= 0) {
        if ($.fn.dataTable.ext.buttons.excelHtml5.available(dt, config)) {
            $.fn.dataTable.ext.buttons.excelHtml5.action.call(self, e, dt, button, config);
        }
        else {
            $.fn.dataTable.ext.buttons.excelFlash.action.call(self, e, dt, button, config);
        }
    } else if (button[0].className.indexOf('buttons-print') >= 0) {
        $.fn.dataTable.ext.buttons.print.action(e, dt, button, config);
    }
};

var newExportAction = function (e, dt, button, config) {
    var self = this;
    var oldStart = dt.settings()[0]._iDisplayStart;

    dt.one('preXhr', function (e, s, data) {
        // Just this once, load all data from the server...
        data.start = 0;
        data.length = 2147483647;

        dt.one('preDraw', function (e, settings) {
            // Call the original action function 
            oldExportAction(self, e, dt, button, config);

            dt.one('preXhr', function (e, s, data) {
                // DataTables thinks the first item displayed is index 0, but we're not drawing that.
                // Set the property to what it was before exporting.
                settings._iDisplayStart = oldStart;
                data.start = oldStart;
            });

            // Reload the grid with the original page. Otherwise, API functions like table.cell(this) don't work properly.
            setTimeout(dt.ajax.reload, 0);

            // Prevent rendering of the full data to the DOM
            return false;
        });
    });

    // Requery the server with the new one-time export settings
    dt.ajax.reload();
};

and:

    buttons: [
        {
            extend: 'excel',
            action: newExportAction
        },