Definition Reference

Complete reference for resource definitions.

Overview

Definitions control how resources render - which fields appear in forms, how tables display data, what actions are available.

class PostDefinition < Plutonium::Resource::Definition
  # Field configuration
  field :title
  field :body, as: :markdown

  # Form-specific
  input :title, placeholder: "Enter title"

  # Display-specific
  display :body, as: :markdown

  # Table columns
  column :title

  # Custom actions
  action :publish, interaction: PublishPost

  # Search
  search do |scope, query|
    scope.where("title ILIKE ?", "%#{query}%")
  end

  # Sorting
  sort :title
  sort :created_at
  default_sort :created_at, :desc
end

Definition Files

Location

app/definitions/post_definition.rb
packages/blogging/app/definitions/blogging/post_definition.rb

Naming Convention

Model	Definition
Post	PostDefinition
Blogging::Post	Blogging::PostDefinition

Portal-Specific

Override for specific portals:

# packages/admin_portal/app/definitions/admin_portal/post_definition.rb
module AdminPortal
  class PostDefinition < ::PostDefinition
    # Admin-specific customizations
    field :internal_notes
  end
end

Auto-Detection

By default, Plutonium auto-detects fields from the model:

class PostDefinition < Plutonium::Resource::Definition
  # Empty definition = all fields auto-detected
end

Override selectively:

class PostDefinition < Plutonium::Resource::Definition
  # Override just body field
  field :body, as: :markdown

  # Other fields still auto-detected
end

Core Methods

Field Declaration

Method	Purpose
field	Universal type/options for forms, displays, tables
input	Form-specific configuration
display	Show page configuration
column	Table configuration

Query Configuration

Method	Purpose
search	Full-text search block
filter	Sidebar filter inputs
scope	Quick filter buttons
sort / sorts	Sortable columns
default_sort	Default sort order

Actions

Method	Purpose
action	Define custom actions
nested_input	Nested forms for associations

Page Configuration

Configure page titles and descriptions:

class PostDefinition < Plutonium::Resource::Definition
  index_page_title "All Posts"
  index_page_description "Manage your blog posts"

  new_page_title "Create Post"
  new_page_description "Add a new blog post"

  show_page_title { |record| record.title }
  show_page_description "View post details"

  edit_page_title { |record| "Edit: #{record.title}" }
  edit_page_description "Update post content"
end

Breadcrumbs

Control breadcrumb display:

class PostDefinition < Plutonium::Resource::Definition
  # Disable breadcrumbs globally
  breadcrumbs false

  # Or per-page
  index_page_breadcrumbs true
  new_page_breadcrumbs true
  show_page_breadcrumbs true
  edit_page_breadcrumbs true
  interactive_action_page_breadcrumbs true
end

Custom Page Classes

Override default page components:

class PostDefinition < Plutonium::Resource::Definition
  # Custom page classes
  class IndexPage < Plutonium::UI::Page::Index
    def render_header
      # Custom header
    end
  end

  class Form < Plutonium::UI::Form::Resource
    # Custom form behavior
  end

  class Table < Plutonium::UI::Table::Resource
    # Custom table behavior
  end

  class Display < Plutonium::UI::Display::Resource
    # Custom display behavior
  end
end

Inheritance

Definitions inherit from each other:

# Base definition
class PostDefinition < Plutonium::Resource::Definition
  field :title
  field :body
end

# Extended definition
class AdminPortal::PostDefinition < ::PostDefinition
  field :internal_notes
  field :moderation_status
end

Customization Hooks

Override customization methods for dynamic configuration:

class PostDefinition < Plutonium::Resource::Definition
  def customize_fields
    field :dynamic_field if some_condition?
  end

  def customize_inputs
    input :special_input, as: :text
  end

  def customize_displays
    display :computed_value
  end

  def customize_columns
    column :extra_column
  end

  def customize_filters
    filter :status, with: Plutonium::Query::Filters::Text, predicate: :eq
  end

  def customize_scopes
    scope :active
  end

  def customize_sorts
    sort :custom_field
  end

  def customize_actions
    action :dynamic_action, interaction: SomeInteraction
  end
end

Sections

• Fields - Form and display field configuration
• Actions - Custom actions and buttons
• Query - Search, filters, scopes, and sorting

Related

• Fields - Field configuration
• Actions - Custom actions
• Query - Search, filters, scopes
• Views Reference