Tables & arrays

Both a Table and a DynamicArray can be used if the user must be able to make a dynamic number of objects sharing the same properties. The similarities and differences between the two are discussed below.

Table (top) and DynamicArray (bottom)

Table

Set up a Table and add fields using the dot-notation as follows:

import viktor as vkt


class Parametrization(vkt.Parametrization):
    table = vkt.Table('Table')
    table.col_1 = vkt.TextField('TextField as table column')

Let's assume a user has entered two rows of data in the table as shown in the figure below.

The data entered in the table is available as a list of dictionaries in your app code and can be accessed using params.table. The resulting data has the following format: [{"col_1": "entry1"}, {"col_1": "entry2"}].

DynamicArray

Set up a DynamicArray and add fields using the dot-notation as follows:

import viktor as vkt


class Parametrization(vkt.Parametrization):
    array = vkt.DynamicArray('Array')
    array.col_1 = vkt.TextField('TextField as array field')

Let's consider the same example as above, but now the user has entered the data in the array.

Again, the data entered in the table is available as a list of dictionaries in your app code and can be accessed using params.array. The resulting data has the following format: [{"col_1": "entry1"}, {"col_1": "entry2"}].

Differences Table vs. DynamicArray

In addition to visual difference, there are more practical differences between the input fields which may determine the best solution for your use-case. The following comparison can be made:

Table	DynamicArray
Compact	Less compact
Rectangular	Not necessarily rectangular
Defaults when adding a new row is not supported	Defaults when adding a new row is supported
Options in OptionField cannot make use of a label	Options in OptionField can make use of a label
Supports copy-paste of complete table content	Supports copy-paste per input field only
User can create rows	User can create rows
User cannot create columns	User cannot create fields, but may use dynamic visibility

Furthermore, not all regular fields can be used in both of these multi-row fields. The table below shows which fields are supported in the Table and DynamicArray

Field	Table	DynamicArray
Text	×	×
TextField	✓	✓
TextAreaField	×	✓
NumberField	✓	✓
IntegerField	✓	✓
BooleanField	✓	✓
DateField	×	✓
OutputField	×	×
HiddenField	×	×
LineBreak	×	✓
OptionField	✓	✓
MultiSelectField	×	✓
AutocompleteField	✓	✓
EntityOptionField	×	✓
ChildEntityOptionField	×	✓
SiblingEntityOptionField	×	✓
EntityMultiSelectField	×	✓
ChildEntityMultiSelectField	×	✓
SiblingEntityMultiSelectField	×	✓
FileField	×	✓
MultiFileField	×	✓
GeoPointField	×	✓
GeoPolylineField	×	✓
GeoPolygonField	×	✓
ColorField	×	✓ (>= v14.0.0)
ActionButton	×	×
DownloadButton	×	×
OptimizationButton	×	×
SetParamsButton	×	×

In the comparison, rectangular means that each row in the Table contains the same columns visually as well as in the parameter set. Rows in a DynamicArray on the other hand could contain different input fields, by hiding certain fields when, for example, the user triggers a toggle.

import viktor as vkt


class Parametrization(vkt.Parametrization):
    field = vkt.TextField('This is an example field')

    # table
    table = vkt.Table('Table')
    table.col_1 = vkt.TextField('TextField as table column')
    table.col_2 = vkt.BooleanField('BooleanField')
    table.col_3 = vkt.NumberField('NumberField')  # visible not supported

    # dynamic array
    array = vkt.DynamicArray('Array')
    array.col_1 = vkt.TextField('TextField as array field')
    array.col_2 = vkt.BooleanField('BooleanField')
    array.col_3 = vkt.NumberField('NumberField', visible=vkt.RowLookup('col_2'))

In this example, a DynamicArray row in which the toggle (col_2) is active will also show the NumberField (col_3). In a Table col_3 is always visible.

Visibility of columns/fields