It is possible to define default options for all columns when they are created.
In the example we demonstrate how the all fields can not be sortable.
By default all fields are sortable.
<?php 
require_once '../../../../php/demo/tabs.php';
?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>jqGrid PHP Demo</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen" href="../../../../css/jquery-ui.css" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen" href="../../../../css/trirand/ui.jqgrid.css" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen" href="../../../../css/ui.multiselect.css" />
    <style type="text">
        html, body {
        margin: 0;            /* Remove body margin/padding */
        padding: 0;
        overflow: hidden;    /* Remove scroll bars on browser window */
        font-size: 75%;
        }
        
    </style>
    <script src="../../../../js/jquery.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
    <script src="../../../../js/trirand/i18n/grid.locale-en.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
         <script src="../../../../js/trirand/jquery.jqGrid.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript">         
    $.jgrid.no_legacy_api = true;
    $.jgrid.useJSON = true;
    $.jgrid.defaults.width = "700";
    </script>
     
    <script src="../../../../js/jquery-ui.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
  </head>
  <body>
      <div>
          <?php include ("grid.php");?>
      </div>
      <br/>
      <?php tabs(array("grid.php"));?>
   </body>
</html>
grid.php.
<?php
require_once '../../jq-config.php';
// include the jqGrid Class
require_once ABSPATH."php/PHPSuito/jqGrid.php";
// include the driver class
require_once ABSPATH."php/PHPSuito/DBdrivers/jqGridPdo.php";
// Connection to the server
$conn = new PDO(DB_DSN,DB_USER,DB_PASSWORD);
// Tell the db that we use utf-8
$conn->query("SET NAMES utf8");

// Create the jqGrid instance
$grid = new jqGridRender($conn);
// Write the SQL Query
$grid->SelectCommand = 'SELECT OrderID, OrderDate, CustomerID, ShipName, Freight FROM orders';
// Set output format to json
$grid->dataType = 'json';
// Let the grid create the model
$grid->setColModel();
// Set the url from where we obtain the data
$grid->setUrl('grid.php');
// Set some grid options
$grid->setGridOptions(array(
    "rowNum"=>10,
    "rowList"=>array(10,20,30),
    "sortname"=>"OrderID",
    "userDataOnFooter"=>true,
    "footerrow"=>true,
    // define a model where all fields are not sortable,
    // this setting overwrite the deafult one for all fields
    "cmTemplate"=>array("sortable"=>false)
));
// Change some property of the field(s)
$grid->setColProperty("OrderDate", array(
    "formatter"=>"date",
    "formatoptions"=>array("srcformat"=>"Y-m-d H:i:s","newformat"=>"m/d/Y"),
    "search"=>false
    )
);
$grid->setColProperty("ShipName", array("width"=>"200"));
// Enable navigator
$grid->navigator = true;
// Enable excel export
$grid->setNavOptions('navigator', array("excel"=>false,"add"=>false,"edit"=>false,"del"=>false,"view"=>false));
// Enjoy
// Set summary field
$summaryrows=array("Freight"=>array("Freight"=>"SUM"));


$grid->renderGrid('#grid','#pager',true, $summaryrows, null, true,true);