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Bind Data to Widgets

This page shows how you can dynamically update widget properties using queries, JavaScript functions, and setter methods. There are several ways to bind data to widgets:

Using query​

This method allows you to update widget data based on the query response.

Example: suppose you have data that you want to display in a Table widget; you can do so by binding the response to the widget's properties using mustache syntax {{QUERY_NAME.data}}.

  • For instance, you have a query called fetchData that retrieves data from a datasource, like:
SELECT * FROM public."users" LIMIT 10;
  • To display the data, bind the query response. For the Table widget, add the following code to the Table data property:
{{fetchData.data}}

Using JS Objects​

This method allows you to dynamically connect your data using JavaScript Objects. You can achieve this by binding the results returned in variables or functions to different widget properties.

  • For synchronous functions, use {{JS_OBJECT_NAME.FUNCTION_NAME()}}.
  • For asynchronous ones, access the data using {{JS_OBJECT_NAME.FUNCTION_NAME.data}}.
  • For variables, access their values using {{JS_OBJECT_NAME.VARIABLE_NAME}}.

Example: suppose you want to display data using a JavaScript object, such as the current date and time, within a Text widget.

  • To display the current date and time, add the following code in the JS object:
export default {
  currentDateTime: new Date().toLocaleString(),
}

Additionally, you can also bind data from queries directly into JavaScript objects for dynamic data integration.

  • Add the following code to the Text property of the Text widget to bind the properties of the JS objects:
// Accessing the current date and time stored in the variable.
{{JSObject1.currentDateTime}}

By following similar steps, you can create a JavaScript object, define variables and functions within it, and bind their values to widgets.

See How to display data from functions.

Using widgets​

When working with widgets in Appsmith, you may need to update values in the widget properties dynamically. Appsmith follows the reactive programming paradigm. Instead of updating widget properties and states through direct variable assignment (x = 5), widgets are connected and share data. When a value is updated, any widgets that depend on that changed value also update automatically.

Example: suppose you have a Table widget connected to a query. Whenever a user selects a row in the Table, you want to display specific data in a Text widget based on user selections.

Add the following code to the Text widget's Text property:

//To display the email field when the user selects a row in the Table widget, use:
{{Table1.selectedRow.email}}

//To display the email field when the user selects an item in the List widget, use:
{{List1.selectedItem.email}}

Similarly, you can connect values from other widgets using the mustache syntax {{}} and reference properties.

Using storeValue()​

This method uses the Appsmith framework function storeValue() to bind data to widgets. storeValue() stores data as key-value pairs in the browser's local storage for universal accessibility within the application.

Example: suppose you want to save the text of an Input widget, you can do so by using storeValue().

  1. In the onTextChanged event of the Input widget, enable JS and add the following code:
{{storeValue('inputData', Input1.text);}}
  1. Drag the Text widget and add the following code to the Text property to display the saved text:
{{appsmith.store.inputData}}

Similarly, you can use different functions to perform actions like page navigation, displaying alerts, managing modals, and storing data in local storage.

You can also use {{appsmith.user.email}} to display the email address of the current user.

Using setters methods​

Widget property setters enable you to modify the values of widget properties at runtime, eliminating the need to manually update properties in the editor.

These methods are asynchronous and return a Promise. You can use the .then() block to ensure the execution and sequencing of subsequent lines of code in Appsmith.

Example: suppose you want to display a Form widget only when a user selects a specific option from a Select widget, such as Yes and No.

  • Write a function in the JS object that sets the values for the widgets. For instance, use the setVisibility method to change the visibility of a Form widget to true:
export default {
	myFun1 () {
	
    if (Select1.selectedOptionValue === 'yes') {
      Form1.setVisibility(true);
    } else {
      Form1.setVisibility(false);
    }
 }
}
  • Set the Select widget's onOptionChange event to execute the JS function.

Similarly, you can use setter methods to programmatically update data, color, visibility, and other properties.

Accessing object attributes​

When dealing with object attributes that contain spaces in their names, you need to use a specific syntax to access their values. Instead of the conventional dot notation (obj.attributeName), you should use square brackets and quotes (obj["attribute Name"]).

Example: Suppose you have an object with an attribute named income tax, and you want to access its value. To achieve this, use the following syntax:

return { label: obj["income tax"], value: obj["income tax"]};