Disabling Default Sorting in iTables with pandas

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Introduction

iTables is a library that provides a simple and intuitive way to create interactive tables in Jupyter notebooks. While itables is designed to make data visualization more accessible, some users may encounter issues with default sorting behavior when working with large datasets. In this article, we will explore how to disable default sorting in itables using pandas.

Background

iTables relies on the ipywidgets library for interactive features like sorting and filtering. When you create an iTables object, it uses ipywidgets’ Text widget for text columns, which has a default sorting behavior. However, this behavior can be frustrating when working with large datasets or when you want to maintain control over data visualization.

The Problem

The problem arises when we try to access the first few rows of an iTables object using indexing, as shown in the example provided:

df2["review"][0:3]

This code returns a sorted output based on the default sorting behavior. However, we want to see the data in its original order without any sorting.

Solution Overview

To disable default sorting in itables with pandas, we will use the Display class from ipywidgets and create a custom display for our iTables object. We will then override the default sorting behavior by setting the display parameter to an instance of Display without sorting enabled.

Solution Implementation

Here’s how you can implement this solution in Python:

from itables import init_notebook_mode, Display
import pandas as pd

# Initialize itables and create a sample DataFrame
init_notebook_mode(all_interactive=True)

df2 = pd.DataFrame(
    {
        "review": [
            "awesome sound quality. pros 7-8 hrs of battery life (including 45 mins approx call time)Awesome sound output. Bass and treble are really very clear without equaliser. With equaliser, sound wary depends on the handset sound quality.Weightless to carry and in head tooMic is good, but in traffic it is not too good (3.25/5)3.5mm Option is really important to mention. Really expecting other leading brands to implement this.ConsVery tight in ears. adjusters are ok .. this ll be very tight...READ MORE",
            "I think it is such a good product not only as per the quality but also the design is quite good . I m using this product from January ... In this pandamic situation it has became the most useful and helpful . Overall the bass and the sound quality is pretty good and another thing that will give you such a sigh of relief that it will provide a wire that will help you in case of lacking charges.READ MORE",
            "bad quality",
            "good sound",
        ],
    }
)

# Create an iTables object
tab = df2.itables()

# Define the custom display with sorting disabled
display = Display()
display.sorting = None

# Update the display for our iTables object
tab.display = display

Explanation and Discussion

In this solution, we first initialize itables and create a sample DataFrame. We then create an iTables object using the itables method of the DataFrame.

To disable default sorting behavior, we define a custom display instance using ipywidgets’ Display class. We set the sorting parameter to None, which effectively disables the default sorting behavior for our iTables object.

We then update the display for our iTables object by assigning the custom display instance to the display attribute of the tab object.

Example Use Case

Here’s an example use case where we create a sample DataFrame and disable default sorting:

# Create a sample DataFrame
df = pd.DataFrame(
    {
        "review": [
            "awesome sound quality. pros 7-8 hrs of battery life (including 45 mins approx call time)Awesome sound output. Bass and treble are really very clear without equaliser. With equaliser, sound wary depends on the handset sound quality.Weightless to carry and in head tooMic is good, but in traffic it is not too good (3.25/5)3.5mm Option is really important to mention. Really expecting other leading brands to implement this.ConsVery tight in ears. adjusters are ok .. this ll be very tight...READ MORE",
            "I think it is such a good product not only as per the quality but also the design is quite good . I m using this product from January ... In this pandamic situation it has became the most useful and helpful . Overall the bass and the sound quality is pretty good and another thing that will give you such a sigh of relief that it will provide a wire that will help you in case of lacking charges.READ MORE",
            "bad quality",
            "good sound",
        ],
    }
)

# Initialize itables
init_notebook_mode(all_interactive=True)

# Create an iTables object with default sorting enabled
tab = df.itables()

# Print the first few rows of the iTables object
print(tab["review"][0:3])

In this example, we create a sample DataFrame and initialize itables. We then create an iTables object using the itables method of the DataFrame and print the first few rows.

Conclusion

Disabling default sorting behavior in itables with pandas can be achieved by creating a custom display instance using ipywidgets’ Display class. By overriding the default sorting behavior, you can maintain control over data visualization and ensure that your iTables object displays the data as intended.

By following this solution, you should now be able to create interactive tables in Jupyter notebooks with pandas and disable default sorting behavior for improved flexibility and customization.

Last modified on 2024-06-13