Material React Table

Display columns are used to display non-data elements in a table. They only require an id and header in the column definition. They do not need an accessorKey or accessorFn, as they are not meant to connect to your data at all.

Display columns do not have any processing features, such as sorting, filtering, grouping, etc. enabled on them by default.

Partial<MRT_DisplayColumnDef<TData>>

{ [key: string]: MRT_DisplayColumnDef<TData> }

Material React Table has a few built-in display columns that are created automatically when certain features are enabled.

• mrt-row-pin - created when enableRowPinning prop is true with certain rowPinningDisplayMode values

• mrt-row-drag - created when enableRowDragging or enableRowOrdering prop are true

• mrt-row-actions - created when enableRowActions (or sometimes when enableEditing) props are true

• mrt-row-expand - created when enableExpanding, enableGrouping, or renderDetailPanel props are true

• mrt-row-select - created when enableRowSelection prop is true

• mrt-row-numbers - created when enableRowNumbers prop is true

• mrt-row-spacer - created when layoutMode is "grid-no-grow" (column resizing)

Display columns are, for the most part, the same as a data column, except they do not have an accessor to access data. When a display column is created internally by Material React Table, the following options are all set to false by default:

const defaultDisplayColumnDefOptions = {
  columnDefType: 'display',
  enableClickToCopy: false,
  enableColumnActions: false,
  enableColumnDragging: false,
  enableColumnFilter: false,
  enableColumnOrdering: false,
  enableEditing: false,
  enableGlobalFilter: false,
  enableGrouping: false,
  enableHiding: false,
  enableResizing: false,
  enableSorting: false,
} as Partial<MRT_ColumnDef>;

All of these values are able to be overridden if needed, and you'll learn about that in the next section down below.

It is possible to change and override the default behavior of built-in display columns. Whether you want to change the default column width, add some styles, or enable some features, such as column actions or column drag and drop, you can do it with the displayColumnDefOptions prop.

First of all, if you want to enable or disable some feature for all display columns, you can just use the defaultDisplayColumn prop. This will apply to all display columns, including any custom display columns you create.

const table = useMaterialReactTable({
  columns,
  data,
  defaultDisplayColumn: {
    enableColumnOrdering: true,
    enableColumnResizing: true,
    minSize: 100,
  },
});

Let's say you need to adjust the width of the Actions column to be wide enough to fit all of your action buttons. You could do that as follows:

const table = useMaterialReactTable({
  columns,
  data,
  displayColumnDefOptions: { 'mrt-row-actions': { size: 300 } }, //change width of actions column to 300px
  enableRowActions: true,
  renderRowActions: ({ row }) => (
    <Box>
      <Button>Action 1</Button>
      <Button>Action 2</Button>
      <Button>Action 3</Button>
    </Box>
  ),
});

return <MaterialReactTable table={table} />;

Or maybe you want to enable a feature that is off by default for display columns, such as column ordering or pinning.

const table = useMaterialReactTable({
  columns,
  data,
  displayColumnDefOptions: {
    'mrt-row-numbers': {
      enableOrdering: true,
      enablePinning: true,
      enableColumnActions: true,
    },
  },
  enableRowNumbers: true,
});

return <MaterialReactTable table={table} />;

Here is a full example and demo for customizing display columns.

1import { useMemo } from 'react';
2import { Box, Button } from '@mui/material';
3import {
4  MaterialReactTable,
5  useMaterialReactTable,
6  type MRT_ColumnDef,
7} from 'material-react-table';
8import { data, type Person } from './makeData';
9
10const Example = () => {
11  const columns = useMemo<MRT_ColumnDef<Person>[]>(
12    //column definitions...
13    () => [
14      {
15        accessorKey: 'firstName',
16        header: 'First Name',
17      },
18      {
19        accessorKey: 'lastName',
20        header: 'Last Name',
21      },
22      {
23        accessorKey: 'address',
24        header: 'Address',
25      },
26      {
27        accessorKey: 'city',
28        header: 'City',
29      },
30      {
31        accessorKey: 'state',
32        header: 'State',
33      },
34    ],
35    [],
36    
37  );
38
39  const table = useMaterialReactTable({
40    columns,
41    data,
42    defaultDisplayColumn: {
43      enableResizing: true, //turn on some features that are usually off for all display columns
44    },
45    displayColumnDefOptions: {
46      'mrt-row-actions': {
47        size: 350, //set custom width
48        muiTableHeadCellProps: {
49          align: 'center', //change head cell props
50        },
51      },
52      'mrt-row-numbers': {
53        enableColumnOrdering: true, //turn on some features that are usually off
54        enableResizing: true,
55        muiTableHeadCellProps: {
56          sx: {
57            fontSize: '1.2rem',
58          },
59        },
60      },
61      'mrt-row-select': {
62        enableColumnActions: true,
63        enableHiding: true,
64        size: 100,
65      },
66    },
67    enableColumnResizing: true,
68    enableColumnOrdering: true,
69    enableRowNumbers: true,
70    enableRowSelection: true,
71    enableRowActions: true,
72    renderRowActions: ({ row }) => (
73      <Box sx={{ display: 'flex', gap: '1rem' }}>
74        <Button>Button 1</Button>
75        <Button>Button 2</Button>
76        <Button>Button 3</Button>
77      </Box>
78    ),
79  });
80
81  return <MaterialReactTable table={table} />;
82};
83
84export default Example;
85

You do not have to use the built in Row Actions feature. You can just create your own display columns instead. It is as easy as creating a normal column, only specifying the columnDefType as display.

const columns = [
  {
    id: 'sendEmail',
    header: 'Send Email',
    columnDefType: 'display', //turns off data column features like sorting, filtering, etc.
    enableColumnOrdering: true, //but you can turn back any of those features on if you want like this
    Cell: ({ row }) => (
      <Button onClick={() => sendEmail(row.original.userId)}>Send Email</Button>
    ),
  },
  {
    id: 'name',
    header: 'Name',
    accessorKey: 'name',
  },
];