150 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
150 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
---
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title: Blocks Field
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label: Blocks
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order: 30
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desc: The Blocks field type is a great layout build and can be used to construct any flexible content model. Learn how to use Block fields, see examples and options.
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keywords: blocks, fields, config, configuration, documentation, Content Management System, cms, headless, javascript, node, react, nextjs
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---
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<Banner>
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The Blocks field type is <strong>incredibly powerful</strong> and can be used as a{' '}
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<em>layout builder</em> as well as to define any other flexible content model you can think of. It
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stores an array of objects, where each object must match the shape of one of your provided block
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configs.
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</Banner>
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<LightDarkImage
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srcLight="https://payloadcms.com/images/docs/fields/blocks.png"
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srcDark="https://payloadcms.com/images/docs/fields/blocks-dark.png"
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alt="Admin Panel screenshot of add Blocks drawer view"
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caption="Admin Panel screenshot of add Blocks drawer view"
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/>
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**Example uses:**
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- A layout builder tool that grants editors to design highly customizable page or post layouts. Blocks could include configs such as `Quote`, `CallToAction`, `Slider`, `Content`, `Gallery`, or others.
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- A form builder tool where available block configs might be `Text`, `Select`, or `Checkbox`.
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- Virtual event agenda "timeslots" where a timeslot could either be a `Break`, a `Presentation`, or a `BreakoutSession`.
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## Field config
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| Option | Description |
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| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| **`name`** \* | To be used as the property name when stored and retrieved from the database. [More](/docs/fields/overview#field-names) |
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| **`label`** | Text used as the heading in the Admin Panel or an object with keys for each language. Auto-generated from name if not defined. |
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| **`blocks`** \* | Array of [block configs](/docs/fields/blocks#block-configs) to be made available to this field. |
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| **`validate`** | Provide a custom validation function that will be executed on both the Admin Panel and the backend. [More](/docs/fields/overview#validation) |
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| **`minRows`** | A number for the fewest allowed items during validation when a value is present. |
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| **`maxRows`** | A number for the most allowed items during validation when a value is present. |
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| **`saveToJWT`** | If this field is top-level and nested in a config supporting [Authentication](/docs/authentication/overview), include its data in the user JWT. |
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| **`hooks`** | Provide Field Hooks to control logic for this field. [More details](../hooks/fields). |
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| **`access`** | Provide Field Access Control to denote what users can see and do with this field's data. [More details](../access-control/fields). |
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| **`hidden`** | Restrict this field's visibility from all APIs entirely. Will still be saved to the database, but will not appear in any API response or the Admin Panel. |
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| **`defaultValue`** | Provide an array of block data to be used for this field's default value. [More](/docs/fields/overview#default-values) |
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| **`localized`** | Enable localization for this field. Requires [localization to be enabled](/docs/configuration/localization) in the Base config. If enabled, a separate, localized set of all data within this field will be kept, so there is no need to specify each nested field as `localized`. |
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| **`unique`** | Enforce that each entry in the Collection has a unique value for this field. |
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| **`labels`** | Customize the block row labels appearing in the Admin dashboard. |
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| **`admin`** | Admin-specific configuration. See below for [more detail](#admin-config). |
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| **`custom`** | Extension point for adding custom data (e.g. for plugins) |
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| **`typescriptSchema`** | Override field type generation with providing a JSON schema |
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_\* An asterisk denotes that a property is required._
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## Admin Config
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In addition to the default [field admin config](/docs/fields/overview#admin-config), you can adjust the following properties:
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| Option | Description |
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| ------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
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| **`initCollapsed`** | Set the initial collapsed state |
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| **`isSortable`** | Disable order sorting by setting this value to `false` |
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## Block configs
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Blocks are defined as separate configs of their own.
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<Banner type="success">
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<strong>Tip:</strong>
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<br />
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Best practice is to define each block config in its own file, and then import them into your
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Blocks field as necessary. This way each block config can be easily shared between fields. For
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instance, using the "layout builder" example, you might want to feature a few of the same blocks
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in a Post collection as well as a Page collection. Abstracting into their own files trivializes
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their reusability.
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</Banner>
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| Option | Description |
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| -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| **`slug`** \* | Identifier for this block type. Will be saved on each block as the `blockType` property. |
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| **`fields`** \* | Array of fields to be stored in this block. |
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| **`labels`** | Customize the block labels that appear in the Admin dashboard. Auto-generated from slug if not defined. |
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| **`imageURL`** | Provide a custom image thumbnail to help editors identify this block in the Admin UI. |
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| **`imageAltText`** | Customize this block's image thumbnail alt text. |
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| **`interfaceName`** | Create a top level, reusable [Typescript interface](/docs/typescript/generating-types#custom-field-interfaces) & [GraphQL type](/docs/graphql/graphql-schema#custom-field-schemas). |
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| **`graphQL.singularName`** | Text to use for the GraphQL schema name. Auto-generated from slug if not defined. NOTE: this is set for deprecation, prefer `interfaceName`. |
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| **`dbName`** | Custom table name for this block type when using SQL Database Adapter ([Postgres](/docs/database/postgres)). Auto-generated from slug if not defined.
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| **`custom`** | Extension point for adding custom data (e.g. for plugins) |
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### Auto-generated data per block
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In addition to the field data that you define on each block, Payload will store two additional properties on each block:
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**`blockType`**
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The `blockType` is saved as the slug of the block that has been selected.
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**`blockName`**
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The Admin Panel provides each block with a `blockName` field which optionally allows editors to label their blocks for better editability and readability.
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## Example
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`collections/ExampleCollection.js`
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```ts
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import { Block, CollectionConfig } from 'payload'
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const QuoteBlock: Block = {
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slug: 'Quote', // required
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imageURL: 'https://google.com/path/to/image.jpg',
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imageAltText: 'A nice thumbnail image to show what this block looks like',
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interfaceName: 'QuoteBlock', // optional
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fields: [
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// required
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{
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name: 'quoteHeader',
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type: 'text',
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required: true,
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},
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{
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name: 'quoteText',
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type: 'text',
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},
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],
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}
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export const ExampleCollection: CollectionConfig = {
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slug: 'example-collection',
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fields: [
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{
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name: 'layout', // required
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type: 'blocks', // required
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minRows: 1,
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maxRows: 20,
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blocks: [
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// required
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QuoteBlock,
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],
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},
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],
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}
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```
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## TypeScript
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As you build your own Block configs, you might want to store them in separate files but retain typing accordingly. To do so, you can import and use Payload's `Block` type:
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```ts
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import type { Block } from 'payload'
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```
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