Composable Tables (createTableHook) Guide

createTableHook creates an app-specific table factory. Use it to define shared features, row models, and default table options once, then create each Vue table with the columns and data that are unique to that table.

The same API can also register reusable table, cell, and header components, but component registration is optional. Start with shared options and features first; add reusable components only when your app needs standardized table UI pieces.

Examples

Basic useAppTable - Minimal createTableHook setup.
Composable Tables - Richer Users and Products tables sharing src/hooks/table.ts and reusable components.

Start With Shared Features and Options

Create one app table hook and put the feature set, row models, and shared defaults there. This example makes sorting available to every table created by useAppTable.

import {
  createSortedRowModel,
  createTableHook,
  rowSortingFeature,
  sortFns,
  tableFeatures,
} from '@tanstack/vue-table'

const features = tableFeatures({
  rowSortingFeature,
  sortedRowModel: createSortedRowModel(),
  sortFns,
})

const { useAppTable, createAppColumnHelper } = createTableHook({
  features,
  debugTable: true,
  enableSortingRemoval: false,
})

Options passed to createTableHook become defaults for every table created by useAppTable. The features option is also bound to the returned column helper, so column definitions know that sorting APIs are available.

Create App Columns

Create one column helper per row type. The helper is already bound to your app's feature set, so each table does not need to thread typeof features through its column definitions.

type Person = {
  firstName: string
  lastName: string
  age: number
  visits: number
}

const columnHelper = createAppColumnHelper<Person>()

const columns = columnHelper.columns([
  columnHelper.accessor('firstName', {
    cell: (info) => info.getValue(),
  }),
  columnHelper.accessor((row) => row.lastName, {
    id: 'lastName',
    header: 'Last Name',
    cell: (info) => info.getValue(),
  }),
  columnHelper.accessor('age', {
    header: 'Age',
  }),
  columnHelper.accessor('visits', {
    header: 'Visits',
  }),
])

Create A Table

Create each table with useAppTable. The call site provides table-specific inputs such as columns and reactive data; shared features and defaults come from the hook.

const data = ref<Array<Person>>([])

const table = useAppTable({
  key: 'users-table',
  columns,
  data,
})

Render With The Normal Table APIs

You can render the table with the same table instance APIs used by a standalone useTable table. This simple path does not require AppTable, AppCell, AppHeader, or registered components.

vue

<template>
  <table>
    <thead>
      <tr v-for="headerGroup in table.getHeaderGroups()" :key="headerGroup.id">
        <th
          v-for="header in headerGroup.headers"
          :key="header.id"
          @click="header.column.getToggleSortingHandler()?.($event)"
        >
          <FlexRender v-if="!header.isPlaceholder" :header="header" />
        </th>
      </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
      <tr v-for="row in table.getRowModel().rows" :key="row.id">
        <td v-for="cell in row.getAllCells()" :key="cell.id">
          <FlexRender :cell="cell" />
        </td>
      </tr>
    </tbody>
  </table>
</template>

Override Shared Defaults Per Table

Options passed to useAppTable override defaults from createTableHook. Use this for the few tables that need different behavior without creating a separate app hook.

const table = useAppTable({
  key: 'sortable-users-table',
  columns,
  data,
  enableSortingRemoval: true,
})

Optional: Reusable Components

The richer composable-tables example also uses createTableHook as a component registry. Use this when several tables should share the same toolbar controls, cell renderers, header renderers, or footer renderers.

Component Registry Setup

The composable tables example keeps the shared configuration in src/hooks/table.ts.

import {
  columnFilteringFeature,
  createFilteredRowModel,
  createPaginatedRowModel,
  createSortedRowModel,
  createTableHook,
  filterFns,
  globalFilteringFeature,
  rowPaginationFeature,
  rowSortingFeature,
  sortFns,
  tableFeatures,
} from '@tanstack/vue-table'

import {
  CategoryCell,
  NumberCell,
  PriceCell,
  ProgressCell,
  RowActionsCell,
  StatusCell,
  TextCell,
} from '../components/cell-components'
import {
  ColumnFilter,
  FooterColumnId,
  FooterSum,
  SortIndicator,
} from '../components/header-components'
import {
  PaginationControls,
  RowCount,
  TableToolbar,
} from '../components/table-components'
import type {
  Cell,
  CellData,
  Header,
  RowData,
  VueTable,
} from '@tanstack/vue-table'

const features = tableFeatures({
  columnFilteringFeature,
  globalFilteringFeature,
  rowPaginationFeature,
  rowSortingFeature,
  filteredRowModel: createFilteredRowModel(),
  paginatedRowModel: createPaginatedRowModel(),
  sortedRowModel: createSortedRowModel(),
  filterFns,
  sortFns,
})

const _hook = createTableHook({
  features,
  getRowId: (row) => row.id,
  tableComponents: {
    PaginationControls,
    RowCount,
    TableToolbar,
  },
  cellComponents: {
    TextCell,
    NumberCell,
    StatusCell,
    ProgressCell,
    RowActionsCell,
    PriceCell,
    CategoryCell,
  },
  headerComponents: {
    SortIndicator,
    ColumnFilter,
    FooterColumnId,
    FooterSum,
  },
})

export const createAppColumnHelper = _hook.createAppColumnHelper
export const useAppTable = _hook.useAppTable

The example also exports explicit type annotations for useTableContext, useCellContext, and useHeaderContext. Those annotations break the circular inference chain caused by component files importing context helpers from this file while this file imports those components.

export const useTableContext: <TData extends RowData = RowData>() => VueTable<
  typeof features,
  TData
> = _hook.useTableContext

export const useCellContext: <TValue extends CellData = CellData>() => Cell<
  typeof features,
  any,
  TValue
> = _hook.useCellContext

export const useHeaderContext: <TValue extends CellData = CellData>() => Header<
  typeof features,
  any,
  TValue
> = _hook.useHeaderContext

Returned Helpers

Helper	Purpose
useAppTable	Creates a Vue table with shared features, row models, defaults, and registered components.
createAppColumnHelper	Creates column helpers with TFeatures and registered component types already bound.
useTableContext	Reads the current table inside registered table components.
useCellContext	Reads the current cell inside registered cell components.
useHeaderContext	Reads the current header/footer inside registered header components.

Component Columns

Create one column helper per row type. Vue registered components are returned from column definitions and then rendered through dynamic <component> usage.

vue

<script setup lang="ts">
import { ref } from 'vue'
import { createAppColumnHelper, useAppTable } from '../hooks/table'
import { makeData } from '../makeData'
import type { Person } from '../makeData'

const columnHelper = createAppColumnHelper<Person>()
const data = ref(makeData(1_000))

const columns = columnHelper.columns([
  columnHelper.accessor('firstName', {
    header: 'First Name',
    footer: (props) => props.column.id,
    cell: ({ cell }) => cell.TextCell,
  }),
  columnHelper.accessor('age', {
    header: 'Age',
    footer: (props) => props.column.id,
    cell: ({ cell }) => cell.NumberCell,
  }),
])
</script>

Component Table Rendering

Create each table with useAppTable. Pass table-specific options like key, columns, reactive data, and any per-table state.

const table = useAppTable({
  key: 'users-table',
  debugTable: true,
  columns,
  data,
  initialState: {
    pagination: {
      pageIndex: 0,
      pageSize: 10,
    },
  },
})

The returned table includes Vue components for AppTable, AppHeader, AppCell, and AppFooter. The example renders them with dynamic components and slot props.

vue

<template>
  <component :is="table.AppTable" :selector="tableSelector" v-slot="{ state }">
    <section class="table-container">
      <component :is="table.TableToolbar" title="Users Table" />

      <table>
        <thead>
          <tr
            v-for="headerGroup in table.getHeaderGroups()"
            :key="headerGroup.id"
          >
            <component
              :is="table.AppHeader"
              v-for="header in headerGroup.headers"
              :key="header.id"
              :header="header"
              v-slot="{ header: appHeader }"
            >
              <th @click="appHeader.column.getToggleSortingHandler()?.($event)">
                <component :is="appHeader.FlexRender" />
                <component :is="appHeader.SortIndicator" />
                <component :is="appHeader.ColumnFilter" />
              </th>
            </component>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr v-for="row in table.getRowModel().rows" :key="row.id">
            <component
              :is="table.AppCell"
              v-for="cell in row.getAllCells()"
              :key="cell.id"
              :cell="cell"
              v-slot="{ cell: appCell }"
            >
              <td>
                <component :is="appCell.FlexRender" />
              </td>
            </component>
          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

      <component :is="table.PaginationControls" />
      <component :is="table.RowCount" />
    </section>
  </component>
</template>

Reusing The Component Registry

The Users and Products Vue components import the same createAppColumnHelper and useAppTable from src/hooks/table.ts. Each component owns its refs and columns, while the shared hook owns features, row models, row IDs, table components, cell components, and header/footer components.

When To Use This Pattern

Use createTableHook when multiple tables should share features, row models, default options, or conventions. Use the standalone useTable API for a one-off table. Add the component registry only when the app wants standardized reusable table UI pieces.