BaseColumnConfig

Base contract for a column configuration.

Defines the fundamental properties all columns share. Extended by ColumnConfig with additional features like custom renderers and grouping.

Example

// Basic column with common properties
const columns: BaseColumnConfig<Employee>[] = [
  {
    field: 'name',
    header: 'Full Name',
    sortable: true,
    resizable: true,
  },
  {
    field: 'salary',
    type: 'number',
    width: 120,
    format: (value) => `$${value.toLocaleString()}`,
    sortComparator: (a, b) => a - b,
  },
  {
    field: 'department',
    type: 'select',
    options: [
      { label: 'Engineering', value: 'eng' },
      { label: 'Sales', value: 'sales' },
    ],
  },
];

Properties

Property	Type	Description
`field`	`keyof TRow & string`	Unique field key referencing property in row objects
`header?`	`string`	Visible header label; defaults to capitalized field
`type?`	`ColumnType`	Column data type.
`width?`	`string \| number`	Column width in pixels; fixed size (no flexibility)
`minWidth?`	`number`	Minimum column width in pixels (stretch mode only); when set, column uses minmax(minWidth, 1fr)
`sortable?`	`boolean`	Whether column can be sorted
`resizable?`	`boolean`	Whether column can be resized by user
`sortComparator?`	`(a: TValue, b: TValue, rowA: TRow, rowB: TRow) => number`	Optional custom comparator for sorting (a,b) -> number
`valueAccessor?`	`(ctx: object) => TValue`	Compute the cell’s value from the row. When defined, this is the single source of truth used by sorting, filtering, formatting, cell rendering, export, and clipboard — eliminating the need to duplicate value-extraction logic across `sortComparator`, `filterValue`, and per-renderer code.
`options?`	`object[] \| () => object[]`	For select type - available options
`format?`	`(value: TValue, row: TRow) => string`	Formats the raw cell value into a display string.
`utility?`	`boolean`	Marks this column as a system / utility column — a column that exists to support grid behaviour rather than to display user data.
`meta?`	`Record<string, unknown>`	Arbitrary extra metadata for application use.
`editable?`	`boolean \| (row: TRow) => boolean`	Whether the field is editable (enables editors). Requires EditingPlugin.
`editor?`	`ColumnEditorSpec<TRow, TValue>`	Optional custom editor factory or element tag name. Requires EditingPlugin.
`multi?`	`boolean`	For select type - allow multi select. Requires EditingPlugin.
`editorParams?`	`EditorParams`	Configuration parameters for built-in editors. Shape depends on column type (NumberEditorParams, TextEditorParams, DateEditorParams, SelectEditorParams). Requires EditingPlugin.
`nullable?`	`boolean`	Whether this column allows `null` values. Requires EditingPlugin.
`filterable?`	`boolean`	Whether this column can be filtered (only applicable when FilteringPlugin is enabled).
`filterParams?`	`FilterParams`	Configuration for the filter UI (only applicable when FilteringPlugin is enabled). For number columns: { min, max, step } For date columns: { min, max } (ISO date strings) Falls back to editorParams if not set.
`filterValue?`	`(value: unknown, row: any) => unknown`	Custom value extractor for filtering. Use this when the cell value is a complex type (e.g., an array of objects) and the filter should operate on derived primitive values instead.
`filterType?`	`FilterType`	Override the filter panel UI type independently of the column’s `type`.
`pinned?`	`PinnedPosition`	Pin column to an edge of the grid.
`lockPinning?`	`boolean`	Prevent the user from unpinning or repinning this column via the header context menu. Programmatic changes are still allowed. Requires PinnedColumnsPlugin.
`lockPosition?`	`boolean`	Prevent this column from being reordered by the user. When `true`, the column cannot be dragged in the header row or rearranged via the visibility panel. Programmatic reordering (e.g. `setColumnOrder()`) is not affected.
`checkboxColumn?`	`boolean`	Marks this column as the selection checkbox column. Set automatically by SelectionPlugin on its synthesized utility column.
`cellTooltip?`	`string \| false \| (ctx: CellRenderContext<TRow, TValue>) => string \| unknown`	Cell tooltip configuration. Requires TooltipPlugin.
`headerTooltip?`	`string \| false \| (ctx: HeaderLabelContext<TRow>) => string \| unknown`	Header tooltip configuration. Requires TooltipPlugin.

Property Details

type

Column data type.

Built-in types: 'string', 'number', 'date', 'boolean', 'select'

Custom types (e.g., 'currency', 'country') can have type-level defaults via gridConfig.typeDefaults or framework adapter registries.

Default: Inferred from first row data

valueAccessor

Compute the cell’s value from the row. When defined, this is the single source of truth used by sorting, filtering, formatting, cell rendering, export, and clipboard — eliminating the need to duplicate value-extraction logic across sortComparator, filterValue, and per-renderer code.

Resolution precedence:

Sort: sortComparator → valueAccessor → row[field]
Filter: filterValue → valueAccessor → row[field]
Render / format / export / copy: valueAccessor → row[field]

The accessor is the default value source — per-column escape hatches (sortComparator, filterValue) still take precedence when set.

Results are memoized per (row identity, column field) so accessors are free to be “slow but correct” (e.g. array.find(...)). Immutable row updates auto-invalidate; in-place mutations are invalidated by the grid’s edit / transaction paths.

Note: a valueAccessor without a paired valueSetter (planned API) implies the column is read-only — editors will not commit through it.

// Computed value from nested data
{
  field: 'bolDate',
  header: 'BL date',
  valueAccessor: ({ row }) => {
    if (isCargo(row)) {
      return row.movements.find(m => m.operationType === 'LOAD')?.movementDate ?? null;
    }
    return row.movementDate ?? null;
  },
  filterType: 'date',
  // No need for sortComparator or filterValue — they fall back to the accessor.
}

format

Formats the raw cell value into a display string.

Used both for cell rendering and the built-in filter panel:

In cells, the formatted value replaces the raw value as text content.
In the filter panel (set filter), checkbox labels show the formatted value instead of the raw value, and search matches against the formatted text.

The row parameter is available during cell rendering but is undefined when called from the filter panel (standalone value formatting). Avoid accessing row properties in format functions intended for filter display.

// Currency formatter — works in both cells and filter panel
{
  field: 'price',
  format: (value) => `$${Number(value).toFixed(2)}`,
}

// ID-to-name lookup — filter panel shows names, not IDs
{
  field: 'departmentId',
  format: (value) => departmentMap.get(value as string) ?? String(value),
}

utility

Marks this column as a system / utility column — a column that exists to support grid behaviour rather than to display user data.

Built-in plugins set this on the columns they synthesize (selection checkbox, row-reorder drag handle, master-detail / tree / row-grouping expander). You can also set it on columns you author yourself when you want them to behave the same way — for example, a row-action menu column, a status indicator, or any developer-defined “system” column that should be visible in the grid only.

Setting utility: true excludes the column from:

Visibility panel — not listed in the show/hide UI
Column reorder — header drag-drop and visibility-panel drag treat it as locked (equivalent to lockPosition: true)
Print — hidden by PrintPlugin during print
Clipboard copy — skipped by ClipboardPlugin
Export (CSV / JSON / Excel) — skipped by ExportPlugin
Range / row selection — clicks land on the column but selection ignores it
Filter UI — no filter button rendered, no filter model entry

The column is still rendered in the grid and still receives cellRenderer / viewRenderer / headerRenderer callbacks — it is “hidden from the system, visible in the grid”.

Convention: name the field with a __-prefix (e.g. __actions) so it cannot collide with a real data field.

{
  field: '__actions',
  header: '',
  width: 80,
  utility: true,         // excluded from print, export, reorder, visibility, etc.
  resizable: false,
  sortable: false,
  filterable: false,
  viewRenderer: ({ row }) => createActionsButton(row),
}

editable

Whether the field is editable (enables editors). Requires EditingPlugin.

true — editable for all rows
false / omitted — not editable
(row: TRow) => boolean — conditionally editable per row

When a function is provided it is evaluated each time the grid needs to determine if a specific cell can enter edit mode (click, keyboard, grid mode render, tab navigation, etc.). Keep the function fast — it runs on hot render paths.

// Always editable
{ field: 'name', editable: true }

// Conditionally editable
{ field: 'price', editable: (row) => row.status !== 'locked' }

editorParams

{ field: 'price', type: 'number', editable: true, editorParams: { min: 0, max: 1000, step: 0.01 } }

nullable

Whether this column allows null values. Requires EditingPlugin.

When true:

Text/number editors: clearing all content commits null.
Select editors: a “(Blank)” option is automatically prepended that commits null. The label defaults to "(Blank)" and can be overridden via SelectEditorParams.emptyLabel.
Date editors: clearing the date commits null.

When false:

Text editors: clearing commits "" (empty string).
Number editors: clearing commits editorParams.min if set, otherwise 0.
Select editors: no blank option is shown, forcing a selection.
Date editors: clearing commits editorParams.default if set, otherwise today’s date. The fallback preserves the original type (string → "YYYY-MM-DD", Date → new Date()).

When omitted (default), behaviour matches false for text/number columns and no special handling is applied.

Custom editors can read column.nullable from the ColumnEditorContext to implement their own nullable behaviour.

Default: false

columns: [
  { field: 'nickname', editable: true, nullable: true },
  { field: 'department', type: 'select', editable: true, nullable: true,
    options: [{ label: 'Engineering', value: 'eng' }, { label: 'Sales', value: 'sales' }] },
  { field: 'price', type: 'number', editable: true, nullable: false,
    editorParams: { min: 0 } }, // clears to 0
  { field: 'startDate', type: 'date', editable: true, nullable: false,
    editorParams: { default: '2024-01-01' } }, // clears to Jan 1 2024
]

filterable

Default: true

filterValue

Custom value extractor for filtering. Use this when the cell value is a complex type (e.g., an array of objects) and the filter should operate on derived primitive values instead.

The function receives the raw cell value and the full row, and should return either a single filterable value or an array of filterable values. When an array is returned, each element becomes an individual entry in the filter panel’s unique values list. During filtering:

notIn (set filter): row is hidden if ANY extracted value is in the excluded set
in (set filter): row passes if ANY extracted value is in the included set

// Array-of-objects column: extract individual names for filtering
{
  field: 'sellers',
  filterValue: (value) =>
    (value as { companyName: string }[])?.map(s => s.companyName) ?? [],
  format: (value) => (value as { companyName: string }[])?.map(s => s.companyName).join(', ') ?? '',
}

filterType

Override the filter panel UI type independently of the column’s type.

By default the built-in filter panel is chosen based on column.type (e.g. 'number' → range slider, 'date' → date pickers). Set filterType when you want a different panel — for example a numeric column that should show a set (checkbox list) filter instead of a range slider.

// Volume is stored as a number but users want a value-picker
{ field: 'volume', type: 'number', filterType: 'set', filterable: true }

lockPinning

Default: false

lockPosition

Prevent this column from being reordered by the user. When true, the column cannot be dragged in the header row or rearranged via the visibility panel. Programmatic reordering (e.g. setColumnOrder()) is not affected.

Requires ReorderPlugin (or VisibilityPlugin for the panel-drag case).

Default: false

cellTooltip

Cell tooltip configuration. Requires TooltipPlugin.

false — disable cell tooltips for this column
string — static tooltip text for all cells in this column
(ctx) => string | null — dynamic tooltip from row data; return null to suppress

When omitted, the plugin uses the cell’s textContent on overflow (if cell is enabled).

// Static tooltip
{ field: 'status', cellTooltip: 'Current status of the record' }

// Dynamic tooltip from row data
{ field: 'name', cellTooltip: (ctx) => `${ctx.row.firstName} ${ctx.row.lastName}\nDept: ${ctx.row.department}` }

// Disable for this column
{ field: 'actions', cellTooltip: false }

headerTooltip

Header tooltip configuration. Requires TooltipPlugin.

false — disable header tooltip for this column
string — static tooltip text
(ctx) => string | null — dynamic tooltip; return null to suppress

When omitted, the plugin uses the column header text on overflow (if header is enabled).

// Custom header tooltip with description
{ field: 'revenue', headerTooltip: 'Total revenue in USD (before tax)' }

// Disable for this column
{ field: 'id', headerTooltip: false }

BaseColumnConfig

Example

Properties

Property Details

type

valueAccessor

format

utility

meta

editable

editorParams

nullable

filterable

filterValue

filterType

lockPinning

lockPosition

cellTooltip

headerTooltip

See Also