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### What?
### Why?
### How?
Fixes #
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### What?
This PR introduces support for the `admin.group` property in block
configs. This property enables blocks to be grouped under a common,
potentially localized, label in the block drawer component. This makes
it easier to sort through large collections of blocks. Previously, all
blocks would be in one common layout.
This PR also encompasses documentation changes and e2e tests to check
for the rendering of group labels.
### Why?
To make it easier to organize many blocks in block fields.
### How?
By introducing a new `admin.group` property in block configs and
assembling them in the blocks drawer component.
Before:

After:

Demo:
[Editing---Block-Field---Payload-groups-demo.webm](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/2b351dc1-0d14-4a5b-ae71-bcd31fbb23df)
Addresses #5609
If you have multiple blocks that are used in multiple places, this can quickly blow up the size of your Payload Config. This will incur a performance hit, as more data is
1. sent to the client (=> bloated `ClientConfig` and large initial html) and
2. processed on the server (permissions are calculated every single time you navigate to a page - this iterates through all blocks you have defined, even if they're duplicative)
This can be optimized by defining your block **once** in your Payload Config, and just referencing the block slug whenever it's used, instead of passing the entire block config. To do this, the block can be defined in the `blocks` array of the Payload Config. The slug can then be passed to the `blockReferences` array in the Blocks Field - the `blocks` array has to be empty for compatibility reasons.
```ts
import { buildConfig } from 'payload'
import { lexicalEditor, BlocksFeature } from '@payloadcms/richtext-lexical'
// Payload Config
const config = buildConfig({
// Define the block once
blocks: [
{
slug: 'TextBlock',
fields: [
{
name: 'text',
type: 'text',
},
],
},
],
collections: [
{
slug: 'collection1',
fields: [
{
name: 'content',
type: 'blocks',
// Reference the block by slug
blockReferences: ['TextBlock'],
blocks: [], // Required to be empty, for compatibility reasons
},
],
},
{
slug: 'collection2',
fields: [
{
name: 'editor',
type: 'richText',
editor: lexicalEditor({
BlocksFeature({
// Same reference can be reused anywhere, even in the lexical editor, without incurred performance hit
blocks: ['TextBlock'],
})
})
},
],
},
],
})
```
## v4.0 Plans
In 4.0, we will remove the `blockReferences` property, and allow string block references to be passed directly to the blocks `property`. Essentially, we'd remove the `blocks` property and rename `blockReferences` to `blocks`.
The reason we opted to a new property in this PR is to avoid breaking changes. Allowing strings to be passed to the `blocks` property will prevent plugins that iterate through fields / blocks from compiling.
## PR Changes
- Testing: This PR introduces a plugin that automatically converts blocks to block references. This is done in the fields__blocks test suite, to run our existing test suite using block references.
- Block References support: Most changes are similar. Everywhere we iterate through blocks, we have to now do the following:
1. Check if `field.blockReferences` is provided. If so, only iterate through that.
2. Check if the block is an object (= actual block), or string
3. If it's a string, pull the actual block from the Payload Config or from `payload.blocks`.
The exception is config sanitization and block type generations. This PR optimizes them so that each block is only handled once, instead of every time the block is referenced.
## Benchmarks
60 Block fields, each block field having the same 600 Blocks.
### Before:
**Initial HTML:** 195 kB
**Generated types:** takes 11 minutes, 461,209 lines
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/11d49a4e-5414-4579-8050-e6346e552f56
### After:
**Initial HTML:** 73.6 kB
**Generated types:** takes 2 seconds, 35,810 lines
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3eab1a99-6c29-489d-add5-698df67780a3
### After Permissions Optimization (follow-up PR)
Initial HTML: 73.6 kB
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a909202e-45a8-4bf6-9a38-8c85813f1312
## Future Plans
1. This PR does not yet deduplicate block references during permissions calculation. We'll optimize that in a separate PR, as this one is already large enough
2. The same optimization can be done to deduplicate fields. One common use-case would be link field groups that may be referenced in multiple entities, outside of blocks. We might explore adding a new `fieldReferences` property, that allows you to reference those same `config.blocks`.
All payload css is now encapsulated inside CSS layers under `@layer
payload-default`
Any custom css will now have the highest possible specificity.
We have also provided a new layer `@layer payload` if you want to use
layers and ensure that your styles are applied after payload.
To override existing styles in a way that the existing rules of
specificity would be respected you can use the default layer like so
```css
@layer payload-default {
// my styles within the payload specificity
}
```
Now enforcing curly brackets on all if statements. Includes auto-fixer.
```ts
// ❌ Bad
if (foo) foo++;
// ✅ Good
if (foo) {
foo++;
}
```
Note: this did not lint the `drizzle` package or any `db-*` packages.
This will be done in the future.
This PR makes three major changes to the codebase:
1. [Component Paths](#component-paths)
Instead of importing custom components into your config directly, they
are now defined as file paths and rendered only when needed. That way
the Payload config will be significantly more lightweight, and ensures
that the Payload config is 100% server-only and Node-safe. Related
discussion: https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/discussions/6938
2. [Client Config](#client-config)
Deprecates the component map by merging its logic into the client
config. The main goal of this change is for performance and
simplification. There was no need to deeply iterate over the Payload
config twice, once for the component map, and another for the client
config. Instead, we can do everything in the client config one time.
This has also dramatically simplified the client side prop drilling
through the UI library. Now, all components can share the same client
config which matches the exact shape of their Payload config (with the
exception of non-serializable props and mapped custom components).
3. [Custom client component are no longer
server-rendered](#custom-client-components-are-no-longer-server-rendered)
Previously, custom components would be server-rendered, no matter if
they are server or client components. Now, only server components are
rendered on the server. Client components are automatically detected,
and simply get passed through as `MappedComponent` to be rendered fully
client-side.
## Component Paths
Instead of importing custom components into your config directly, they
are now defined as file paths and rendered only when needed. That way
the Payload config will be significantly more lightweight, and ensures
that the Payload config is 100% server-only and Node-safe. Related
discussion: https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/discussions/6938
In order to reference any custom components in the Payload config, you
now have to specify a string path to the component instead of importing
it.
Old:
```ts
import { MyComponent2} from './MyComponent2.js'
admin: {
components: {
Label: MyComponent2
},
},
```
New:
```ts
admin: {
components: {
Label: '/collections/Posts/MyComponent2.js#MyComponent2', // <= has to be a relative path based on a baseDir configured in the Payload config - NOT relative based on the importing file
},
},
```
### Local API within Next.js routes
Previously, if you used the Payload Local API within Next.js pages, all
the client-side modules are being added to the bundle for that specific
page, even if you only need server-side functionality.
This `/test` route, which uses the Payload local API, was previously 460
kb. It is now down to 91 kb and does not bundle the Payload client-side
admin panel anymore.
All tests done
[here](https://github.com/payloadcms/payload-3.0-demo/tree/feat/path-test)
with beta.67/PR, db-mongodb and default richtext-lexical:
**dev /admin before:**

**dev /admin after:**

---
**dev /test before:**

**dev /test after:**

---
**build before:**

**build after::**

### Usage of the Payload Local API / config outside of Next.js
This will make it a lot easier to use the Payload config / local API in
other, server-side contexts. Previously, you might encounter errors due
to client files (like .scss files) not being allowed to be imported.
## Client Config
Deprecates the component map by merging its logic into the client
config. The main goal of this change is for performance and
simplification. There was no need to deeply iterate over the Payload
config twice, once for the component map, and another for the client
config. Instead, we can do everything in the client config one time.
This has also dramatically simplified the client side prop drilling
through the UI library. Now, all components can share the same client
config which matches the exact shape of their Payload config (with the
exception of non-serializable props and mapped custom components).
This is breaking change. The `useComponentMap` hook no longer exists,
and most component props have changed (for the better):
```ts
const { componentMap } = useComponentMap() // old
const { config } = useConfig() // new
```
The `useConfig` hook has also changed in shape, `config` is now a
property _within_ the context obj:
```ts
const config = useConfig() // old
const { config } = useConfig() // new
```
## Custom Client Components are no longer server rendered
Previously, custom components would be server-rendered, no matter if
they are server or client components. Now, only server components are
rendered on the server. Client components are automatically detected,
and simply get passed through as `MappedComponent` to be rendered fully
client-side.
The benefit of this change:
Custom client components can now receive props. Previously, the only way
for them to receive dynamic props from a parent client component was to
use hooks, e.g. `useFieldProps()`. Now, we do have the option of passing
in props to the custom components directly, if they are client
components. This will be simpler than having to look for the correct
hook.
This makes rendering them on the client a little bit more complex, as
you now have to check if that component is a server component (=>
already has been rendered) or a client component (=> not rendered yet,
has to be rendered here). However, this added complexity has been
alleviated through the easy-to-use `<RenderMappedComponent />` helper.
This helper now also handles rendering arrays of custom components (e.g.
beforeList, beforeLogin ...), which actually makes rendering custom
components easier in some cases.
## Misc improvements
This PR includes misc, breaking changes. For example, we previously
allowed unions between components and config object for the same
property. E.g. for the custom view property, you were allowed to pass in
a custom component or an object with other properties, alongside a
custom component.
Those union types are now gone. You can now either pass an object, or a
component. The previous `{ View: MyViewComponent}` is now `{ View: {
Component: MyViewComponent} }` or `{ View: { Default: { Component:
MyViewComponent} } }`.
This dramatically simplifies the way we read & process those properties,
especially in buildComponentMap. We can now simply check for the
existence of one specific property, which always has to be a component,
instead of running cursed runtime checks on a shared union property
which could contain a component, but could also contain functions or
objects.


- [x] I have read and understand the
[CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md)
document in this repository.
---------
Co-authored-by: PatrikKozak <patrik@payloadcms.com>
Co-authored-by: Paul <paul@payloadcms.com>
Co-authored-by: Paul Popus <paul@nouance.io>
Co-authored-by: Jacob Fletcher <jacobsfletch@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: James <james@trbl.design>
## Description
- Updates admin UI with more condensed spacing throughout.
- Improves hover states and read-only states for various components.
- Removes the `Merriweather` font from `next/font` and replaces with
stack of system serif fonts and fallbacks (Georgia, etc). Closes#7257
## BREAKING CHANGES
- Custom components and styling that don't utilize Payload's CSS/SCSS
variables may need adjustments to match the updated styling.
- If you are using the `Merriweather` font, you will need to manually
configure `next/font` in your own project.
---------
Co-authored-by: Paul Popus <paul@nouance.io>
## Description
Currently, there is no way to read field props from within a custom
field component, i.e. `admin.components.Description`. For example, if
you set `maxLength: 100` on your field, your custom description
component cannot read it from `props.maxLength` or any other methods.
Because these components are rendered on the server, there is also no
way of using `admin.component.Field` to inject custom props yourself,
either. To support this, we can simply pass the base component props
into these components on the server, as expected. This has also led to
custom field component props becoming more strictly typed within the
config.
This change is considered breaking only because the types have changed.
This only affects you if you were previously importing the following
types into your own custom components. To migrate, simply change the
import paths for that type.
Old:
```ts
import type {
ArrayFieldProps,
ReducedBlock,
BlocksFieldProps,
CheckboxFieldProps,
CodeFieldProps,
CollapsibleFieldProps,
DateFieldProps,
EmailFieldProps,
GroupFieldProps,
HiddenFieldProps,
JSONFieldProps,
NumberFieldProps,
PointFieldProps,
RadioFieldProps,
RelationshipFieldProps,
RichTextComponentProps,
RowFieldProps,
SelectFieldProps,
TabsFieldProps,
TextFieldProps,
TextareaFieldProps,
UploadFieldProps,
ErrorProps,
FormFieldBase,
FieldComponentProps,
FieldMap,
MappedField,
MappedTab,
ReducedBlock,
} from '@payloadcms/ui'
```
New:
```ts
import type {
FormFieldBase,
// etc.
} from 'payload'
```
Custom field components are now much more strongly typed. To make this
happen, an explicit type for every custom component has been generated
for every field type. The convention is to append
`DescriptionComponent`, `LabelComponent`, and `ErrorComponent` onto the
end of the field name, i.e. `TextFieldDescriptionComponent`. Here's an
example:
```ts
import type { TextFieldDescriptionComponent } from 'payload'
import React from 'react'
export const CustomDescription: TextFieldDescriptionComponent = (props) => {
return (
<div id="custom-field-description">{`The max length of this field is: ${props?.maxLength}`}</div>
)
}
```
Here's the full list of all new types:
Label Components:
```ts
import type {
ArrayFieldLabelComponent,
BlocksFieldLabelComponent,
CheckboxFieldLabelComponent,
CodeFieldLabelComponent,
CollapsibleFieldLabelComponent,
DateFieldLabelComponent,
EmailFieldLabelComponent,
GroupFieldLabelComponent,
HiddenFieldLabelComponent,
JSONFieldLabelComponent,
NumberFieldLabelComponent,
PointFieldLabelComponent,
RadioFieldLabelComponent,
RelationshipFieldLabelComponent,
RichTextFieldLabelComponent,
RowFieldLabelComponent,
SelectFieldLabelComponent,
TabsFieldLabelComponent,
TextFieldLabelComponent,
TextareaFieldLabelComponent,
UploadFieldLabelComponent
} from 'payload'
```
Error Components:
```tsx
import type {
ArrayFieldErrorComponent,
BlocksFieldErrorComponent,
CheckboxFieldErrorComponent,
CodeFieldErrorComponent,
CollapsibleFieldErrorComponent,
DateFieldErrorComponent,
EmailFieldErrorComponent,
GroupFieldErrorComponent,
HiddenFieldErrorComponent,
JSONFieldErrorComponent,
NumberFieldErrorComponent,
PointFieldErrorComponent,
RadioFieldErrorComponent,
RelationshipFieldErrorComponent,
RichTextFieldErrorComponent,
RowFieldErrorComponent,
SelectFieldErrorComponent,
TabsFieldErrorComponent,
TextFieldErrorComponent,
TextareaFieldErrorComponent,
UploadFieldErrorComponent
} from 'payload'
```
Description Components:
```tsx
import type {
ArrayFieldDescriptionComponent,
BlocksFieldDescriptionComponent,
CheckboxFieldDescriptionComponent,
CodeFieldDescriptionComponent,
CollapsibleFieldDescriptionComponent,
DateFieldDescriptionComponent,
EmailFieldDescriptionComponent,
GroupFieldDescriptionComponent,
HiddenFieldDescriptionComponent,
JSONFieldDescriptionComponent,
NumberFieldDescriptionComponent,
PointFieldDescriptionComponent,
RadioFieldDescriptionComponent,
RelationshipFieldDescriptionComponent,
RichTextFieldDescriptionComponent,
RowFieldDescriptionComponent,
SelectFieldDescriptionComponent,
TabsFieldDescriptionComponent,
TextFieldDescriptionComponent,
TextareaFieldDescriptionComponent,
UploadFieldDescriptionComponent
} from 'payload'
```
This PR also:
- Standardizes the `FieldBase['label']` type with a new `LabelStatic`
type. This makes type usage much more consistent across components.
- Simplifies some of the typings in the field component map, removes
unneeded `<Omit>`, etc.
- Fixes misc. linting issues around voiding promises
- [x] I have read and understand the
[CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md)
document in this repository.
## Type of change
- [x] New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
## Checklist:
- [x] I have added tests that prove my fix is effective or that my
feature works
- [x] Existing test suite passes locally with my changes
- [x] I have made corresponding changes to the documentation
# Breaking Changes
### New file import locations
Exports from the `payload` package have been _significantly_ cleaned up.
Now, just about everything is able to be imported from `payload`
directly, rather than an assortment of subpath exports. This means that
things like `import { buildConfig } from 'payload/config'` are now just
imported via `import { buildConfig } from 'payload'`. The mental model
is significantly simpler for developers, but you might need to update
some of your imports.
Payload now exposes only three exports:
1. `payload` - all types and server-only Payload code
2. `payload/shared` - utilities that can be used in either the browser
or in Node environments
3. `payload/node` - heavy utilities that should only be imported in Node
scripts and never be imported into bundled code like Next.js
### UI library pre-bundling
With this release, we've dramatically sped up the compile time for
Payload by pre-bundling our entire UI package for use inside of the
Payload admin itself. There are new exports that should be used within
Payload custom components:
1. `@payloadcms/ui/client` - all client components
2. `@payloadcms/ui/server` - all server components
For all of your custom Payload admin UI components, you should be
importing from one of these two pre-compiled barrel files rather than
importing from the more deeply nested exports directly. That will keep
compile times nice and speedy, and will also make sure that the bundled
JS for your admin UI is kept small.
For example, whereas before, if you imported the Payload `Button`, you
would have imported it like this:
```ts
import { Button } from '@payloadcms/ui/elements/Button'
```
Now, you would import it like this:
```ts
import { Button } from '@payloadcms/ui/client'
```
This is a significant DX / performance optimization that we're pretty
pumped about.
However, if you are importing or re-using Payload UI components
_outside_ of the Payload admin UI, for example in your own frontend
apps, you can import from the individual component exports which will
make sure that the bundled JS is kept to a minimum in your frontend
apps. So in your own frontend, you can continue to import directly to
the components that you want to consume rather than importing from the
pre-compiled barrel files.
Individual component exports will now come with their corresponding CSS
and everything will work perfectly as-expected.
### Specific exports have changed
- `'@payloadcms/ui/templates/Default'` and
`'@payloadcms/ui/templates/Minimal`' are now exported from
`'@payloadcms/next/templates'`
- Old: `import { LogOut } from '@payloadcms/ui/icons/LogOut'` new:
`import { LogOutIcon } from '@payloadcms/ui/icons/LogOut'`
## Background info
In effort to make local dev as fast as possible, we need to import as
few files as possible so that the compiler has less to process. One way
we've achieved this in the Admin Panel was to _remove_ all .scss imports
from all components in the `@payloadcms/ui` module using a build
process. This stripped all `import './index.scss'` statements out of
each component before injecting them into `dist`. Instead, it bundles
all of the CSS into a single `main.css` file, and we import _that_ at
the root of the app.
While this concept is _still_ the right solution to the problem, this
particular approach is not viable when using these components outside
the Admin Panel, where not only does this root stylesheet not exist, but
where it would also bloat your app with unused styles. Instead, we need
to _keep_ these .scss imports in place so they are imported directly
alongside your components, as expected. Then, we need create a _new_
build step that _separately_ compiles the components _without_ their
stylesheets—this way your app can consume either as needed from the new
`client` and `server` barrel files within `@payloadcms/ui`, i.e. from
within `@payloadcms/next` and all other admin-specific packages and
plugins.
This way, all other applications will simply import using the direct
file paths, just as they did before. Except now they come with
stylesheets.
And we've gotten a pretty awesome initial compilation performance boost.
---------
Co-authored-by: James <james@trbl.design>
Co-authored-by: Alessio Gravili <alessio@gravili.de>