---
title: Field Hooks
label: Fields
order: 30
desc: Hooks can be added to any fields, and optionally modify the return value of the field before the operation continues.
keywords: hooks, fields, config, configuration, documentation, Content Management System, cms, headless, javascript, node, react, express
---

Field-level hooks offer incredible potential for encapsulating your logic. They help to isolate concerns and package up
functionalities to be easily reusable across your projects.

**Example use cases include:**

- Automatically add an `owner` relationship to a Document based on the `req.user.id`
- Encrypt / decrypt a sensitive field using `beforeValidate` and `afterRead` hooks
- Auto-generate field data using a `beforeValidate` hook
- Format incoming data such as kebab-casing a document `slug` with `beforeValidate`
- Restrict updating a document to only once every X hours using the `beforeChange` hook

**All field types provide the following hooks:**

- [beforeValidate](#beforevalidate)
- [beforeChange](#beforechange)
- [afterChange](#afterchange)
- [afterRead](#afterread)

## Config

Example field configuration:

```ts
import { Field } from 'payload/types';

const ExampleField: Field = {
  name: 'name',
  type: 'text',
  // highlight-start
  hooks: {
    beforeValidate: [(args) => {...}],
    beforeChange: [(args) => {...}],
    afterChange: [(args) => {...}],
    afterRead: [(args) => {...}],
  }
  // highlight-end
}
```

## Arguments and return values

All field-level hooks are formatted to accept the same arguments, although some arguments may be `undefined` based on
which field hook you are utilizing.

<Banner type="success">
  <strong>Tip:</strong>
  <br />
  It's a good idea to conditionally scope your logic based on which operation is executing. For
  example, if you are writing a <strong>beforeChange</strong> hook, you may want to perform
  different logic based on if the current <strong>operation</strong> is <strong>create</strong> or{' '}
  <strong>update</strong>.
</Banner>

#### Arguments

Field Hooks receive one `args` argument that contains the following properties:

| Option                   | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **`data`**               | The data passed to update the document within `create` and `update` operations, and the full document itself in the `afterRead` hook.                                                                                 |
| **`siblingData`**        | The sibling data passed to a field that the hook is running against.                                                                                                                                                  |
| **`findMany`**           | Boolean to denote if this hook is running against finding one, or finding many within the `afterRead` hook.                                                                                                           |
| **`operation`**          | A string relating to which operation the field type is currently executing within. Useful within `beforeValidate`, `beforeChange`, and `afterChange` hooks to differentiate between `create` and `update` operations. |
| **`originalDoc`**        | The full original document in `update` operations. In the `afterChange` hook, this is the resulting document of the operation.                                                                                        |
| **`previousDoc`**        | The document before changes were applied, only in `afterChange` hooks.                                                                                                                                                |
| **`previousSiblingDoc`** | The sibling data of the document before changes being applied, only in `beforeChange` and `afterChange` hook.                                                                                                         |
| **`req`**                | The Express `request` object. It is mocked for Local API operations.                                                                                                                                                  |
| **`value`**              | The value of the field.                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| **`previousValue`**      | The previous value of the field, before changes, only in `beforeChange` and `afterChange` hooks.                                                                                                                      |
| **`context`**            | Context passed to this hook. More info can be found under [Context](/docs/hooks/context)                                                                                                                              |
| **`field`**              | The field which the hook is running against.                                                                                                                                                                          |
| **`collection`**         | The collection which the field belongs to. If the field belongs to a global, this will be null.                                                                                                                       |
| **`global`**             | The global which the field belongs to. If the field belongs to a collection, this will be null.                                                                                                                       |

#### Return value

All field hooks can optionally modify the return value of the field before the operation continues. Field Hooks may
optionally return the value that should be used within the field.

<Banner type="warning">
  <strong>Important</strong>
  <br />
  Due to GraphQL's typed nature, you should never change the type of data that you return from a
  field, otherwise GraphQL will produce errors. If you need to change the shape or type of data,
  reconsider Field Hooks and instead evaluate if Collection / Global hooks might suit you better.
</Banner>

## Examples of Field Hooks

To better illustrate how field-level hooks can be applied, here are some specific examples. These demonstrate the
flexibility and potential of field hooks in different contexts. Remember, these examples are just a starting point - the
true potential of field-level hooks lies in their adaptability to a wide array of use cases.

### beforeValidate

Runs before the `update` operation. This hook allows you to pre-process or format field data before it undergoes
validation.

```ts
import { Field } from 'payload/types'

const usernameField: Field = {
  name: 'username',
  type: 'text',
  hooks: {
    beforeValidate: [
      ({ value }) => {
        // Trim whitespace and convert to lowercase
        return value.trim().toLowerCase()
      },
    ],
  },
}
```

In this example, the `beforeValidate` hook is used to process the `username` field. The hook takes the incoming value of
the field and transforms it by trimming whitespace and converting it to lowercase. This ensures that the username is
stored in a consistent format in the database.

### beforeChange

Immediately following validation, `beforeChange` hooks will run within `create` and `update` operations. At this stage,
you can be confident that the field data that will be saved to the document is valid in accordance to your field
validations.

```ts
import { Field } from 'payload/types'

const emailField: Field = {
  name: 'email',
  type: 'email',
  hooks: {
    beforeChange: [
      ({ value, operation }) => {
        if (operation === 'create') {
          // Perform additional validation or transformation for 'create' operation
        }
        return value
      },
    ],
  },
}
```

In the `emailField`, the `beforeChange` hook checks the `operation` type. If the operation is `create`, it performs
additional validation or transformation on the email field value. This allows for operation-specific logic to be applied
to the field.

### afterChange

The `afterChange` hook is executed after a field's value has been changed and saved in the database. This hook is useful
for post-processing or triggering side effects based on the new value of the field.

```ts
import { Field } from 'payload/types'

const membershipStatusField: Field = {
  name: 'membershipStatus',
  type: 'select',
  options: [
    { label: 'Standard', value: 'standard' },
    { label: 'Premium', value: 'premium' },
    { label: 'VIP', value: 'vip' },
  ],
  hooks: {
    afterChange: [
      ({ value, previousValue, req }) => {
        if (value !== previousValue) {
          // Log or perform an action when the membership status changes
          console.log(
            `User ID ${req.user.id} changed their membership status from ${previousValue} to ${value}.`,
          )
          // Here, you can implement actions that could track conversions from one tier to another
        }
      },
    ],
  },
}
```

In this example, the `afterChange` hook is used with a `membershipStatusField`, which allows users to select their
membership level (Standard, Premium, VIP). The hook monitors changes in the membership status. When a change occurs, it
logs the update and can be used to trigger further actions, such as tracking conversion from one tier to another or
notifying them about changes in their membership benefits.

### afterRead

The `afterRead` hook is invoked after a field value is read from the database. This is ideal for formatting or
transforming the field data for output.

```ts
import { Field } from 'payload/types'

const dateField: Field = {
  name: 'createdAt',
  type: 'date',
  hooks: {
    afterRead: [
      ({ value }) => {
        // Format date for display
        return new Date(value).toLocaleDateString()
      },
    ],
  },
}
```

Here, the `afterRead` hook for the `dateField` is used to format the date into a more readable format
using `toLocaleDateString()`. This hook modifies the way the date is presented to the user, making it more
user-friendly.

## TypeScript

Payload exports a type for field hooks which can be accessed and used as follows:

```ts
import type { FieldHook } from 'payload/types'

// Field hook type is a generic that takes three arguments:
// 1: The document type
// 2: The value type
// 3: The sibling data type

type ExampleFieldHook = FieldHook<ExampleDocumentType, string, SiblingDataType>

const exampleFieldHook: ExampleFieldHook = (args) => {
  const {
    value, // Typed as `string` as shown above
    data, // Typed as a Partial of your ExampleDocumentType
    siblingData, // Typed as a Partial of SiblingDataType
    originalDoc, // Typed as ExampleDocumentType
    operation,
    req,
  } = args

  // Do something here...

  return value // should return a string as typed above, undefined, or null
}
```