Columns Overview

Each column in a DataTable is a PHP object that configures how a field is displayed, sorted, searched, and exported. All column classes extend AbstractColumn, which provides a common set of fluent methods.

Creating a Column

Use the static ::new() factory on the concrete column class:

use Pentiminax\UX\DataTables\Column\TextColumn;
use Pentiminax\UX\DataTables\Column\NumberColumn;
use Pentiminax\UX\DataTables\Column\DateColumn;

TextColumn::new('firstName', 'First Name');
NumberColumn::new('age', 'Age');
DateColumn::new('createdAt', 'Created');

The first argument is the data key (must match your mapRow() output), the second is the display header.

Choosing a Column Type

Inherited Methods (AbstractColumn)

All column types inherit these methods.

Display

$column
    ->setTitle('Full Name')           // Header label
    ->setClassName('text-primary')    // CSS class on each cell
    ->setWidth('200px')               // Column width
    ->setVisible(false)               // Hide the column
    ->setDefaultContent('N/A');       // Fallback for null values

Data

$column
    ->setData('user.name')            // Nested data path for inline rows
    ->setField('product.ref');        // Nested property path for entity rows

Sorting & Searching

$column
    ->setOrderable(false)             // Disable sorting
    ->setSearchable(false)            // Disable column search
    ->disableGlobalSearch();          // Exclude from global search

Cell Type

$column->setCellType('th');           // Use <th> instead of <td>

Custom JS Rendering

Define a DataTables render callback (executed client-side):

$column->setRender('function(data, type, row) {
    return "<strong>" + data + "</strong>";
}');

Export

$column->setExportable(false);        // Exclude from CSV/Excel exports

Non-exportable columns automatically receive the not-exportable CSS class.

Edit Form Control

$column->hideWhenUpdating();          // Exclude from inline edit modal

Custom Options

Pass arbitrary options to the frontend renderer:

$column->setCustomOption('myKey', 'myValue');

ColumnType Enum

The ColumnType enum controls DataTables.net’s internal sort and search algorithm for a column:

Translating Column Titles

Pass a Symfony translator key as the title and it will be resolved automatically when using AbstractDataTable:

yield TextColumn::new('name', 'datatable.columns.name');
yield TextColumn::new('email', 'datatable.columns.email');

Serialization

jsonSerialize() returns the DataTables.net configuration array for a column:

$config = $column->jsonSerialize();
// ['data' => 'name', 'title' => 'Full Name', 'orderable' => true, ...]