Question

Answer in Custom jQGrid post action adds custom button to end of action buttons using appendTo().

How to add buttons befor action buttons ?

I tried to replace appendTo() with before() and prepend() but in this all buttons disappear.

Answer 1

I tried to use prependTo instead of appendTo and all works. To be exactly I used

loadComplete: function () {
    var iCol = getColumnIndexByName(grid, 'act');
    $(this).find(">tbody>tr.jqgrow>td:nth-child(" + (iCol + 1) + ")")
        .each(function() {
            $("<div>", {
                title: "Custom",
                mouseover: function() {
                    $(this).addClass('ui-state-hover');
                },
                mouseout: function() {
                    $(this).removeClass('ui-state-hover');
                },
                click: function(e) {
                    alert("'Custom' button is clicked in the rowis="+
                        $(e.target).closest("tr.jqgrow").attr("id") +" !");
                }
            }
          ).css({"margin-right": "5px", float: "left", cursor: "pointer"})
           .addClass("ui-pg-div ui-inline-custom")
           .append('<span class="ui-icon ui-icon-document"></span>')
           .prependTo($(this).children("div"));
    });
}

The corresponding demo displays

I added additionally the CSS

.ui-inline-custom.ui-state-hover span { margin: -1px; }

for small improvement of the hovering corresponds the the bug fix which already implemented in jqGrid 4.3.2.

UPDATED: The current version of free jqGrid supports easy way to implement custom buttons. See the demo.