Configuration - XML vs API

There are two distinct mechanisms you can use to build the grid. XML, and API. The XML is easier, less verbose and can be used to cleanly separate the markup of the grid from the logic associated with it (like event handlers and function callbacks we discuss elsewhere in this guide).

The key to keep in mind however, is that the XML is ultimately passed into helper functions which then call the API methods and build out the grid. So the API is used in both cases, the XML is just a shorthand preprocessor for the API that makes it easier to configure the grid.