Blocks

Working with pre-built components in the Design Section

Blocks in the Budibase are pre-built components comprised of multiple Components themselves. They perform a common functionality and take away the complexity of having to repeat yourself.

Blocks especially shine if, on a single page, you only add one way of displaying data from a Data Provider.

At the time of writing, there are seven types of blocks available.


Adding a Block

To add a block to your application, head over to the Design section, then press Add component. The blocks can be found under the Blocks category.

List of available blocks

List of available blocks

Once you choose one of the blocks you want to have, it will appear in the design window.


Configuring Blocks

Configuration of blocks is done by clicking the block you just added to open the Settings Panel.

Table block

Table block

The most important selection you will have to make first is picking which data table you want to use. Click the Data dropdown to see the list of available Datasources.

Other settings are composed of the different Components that were encapsulated within the block. To learn about which components are used for each block, look at the respective section below.

Empty text

Most blocks support a custom message when no data is found. This is most likely to occur when filtering returns no results. For example:

Custom no rows found text

Empty text setting

You can also use Bindings in your message. First Eject the block so that we have access to the search field binding.

Next reference the form field binding in your Table Empty text setting, e.g. '{{ Form.Fields.First Name }}' not found


Types of blocks

NameDescription
Grid blockThe Grid block provides your users with a convenient spreadsheet like data interface.
Table blockThe Table block is an alternative way to display table data, with further options for row actions.
Cards blockThe Cards Block merges three different components into one. In order, it uses Data Provider, Repeater and Card components.

All the configuration options relevant to all three components are available in the sidebar. Additionally, you can easily add search fields to allow users to filter your card blocks.
Repeater blockThe Repeater Block is a quick way to have both the Data Provider and the Repeater component into one.
Form blockThe Form Block is a comprehensive component that makes building different types of forms much more convenient.
Chart blockThe Chart Block combines a Data Provider with a nested Chart that matches the type chosen from the Chart Type dropdown menu.
Row explorer blockAllows you to view data in an alternative way. It combines a searchable and scrollable list of cards on the left hand side, whilst displaying a detail form on the right for the selected card.

Ejecting blocks

As mentioned, blocks combine various components for convenience. Whilst there are many settings, sometimes blocks wont provide the full flexibility you are after. In this case, you can eject the block.

An ejected block will split a single block component into its constituent components. To eject a block, you can press the Eject block button in the settings panel, or select the option from the component tree.

Eject block button in the settings panel

Eject block button in the settings panel


Eject block from component tree

Eject block from component tree


Ejected content

Ejected content


What’s Next

Learn more about the individual components mentioned in this guide