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Glossary

Schema​

The declarative definition of a form: fields, layout structure, behavior rules, and data sources. Built with buildForm() and passed to createFormRuntime(). Contains no runtime or React code.

Runtime​

The evaluation engine (createFormRuntime). Takes a schema and current field values, runs all behavior rules, and returns derived state: which fields are visible, disabled, required; what values should be set. Synchronous and pure.

Derived state​

The computed output of runtime.evaluate(values). Contains fieldState (per-field visibility/disabled/required/readonly) and layoutState (per-layout-node visibility). React components subscribe to this via FormRuntimeProvider.

Plugin​

An extension module that adds new behavior to the engine. Six kinds: field, layout, operator, effect, validator, datasource. Built-in plugins ship in formwright/plugins; custom plugins are plain objects implementing the plugin interface.

Operator​

A plugin that evaluates a rule condition expression. Examples: eq, gt, in, exists. Registered via the plugin array and matched by operatorType.

Effect​

A plugin that applies a mutation when a rule condition is true. Examples: show, hide, require, setValue. Matched by effectType.

Datasource​

A plugin that loads options for a select field. Can be static (inline) or remote (async HTTP). Registered via the plugin array and matched by sourceType.

Field slot​

A replaceable part of the default field composition shell. Available slots: Shell, Label, Description, Control, Error, Help. Passed via fieldSlots on FormRuntimeRoot.

Renderer map​

A Record<string, RendererComponent> that maps a semantic key to a React component. Used by fieldRendererMap, arrayFieldRendererMap, and layoutRendererMap on FormRuntimeRoot.

Renderer key​

The string key that maps a field or layout node to a renderer. Defaults to the field type (e.g., "text", "select", "date"). Override with renderer in field options or implement getRendererKey in a field plugin.

Field path​

Dot-notation string that identifies a field in the form value tree. Examples: "email", "address.city", "lineItems.0.name". Used in rules, hooks, and RHF registration.

FormDefinition​

The compiled schema object produced by buildForm(). Consumed by createFormRuntime(). Not meant to be constructed manually — use the schema builder helpers instead.

FormRuntime​

The engine instance returned by createFormRuntime(). Holds the plugin registry, resolved field models, and evaluation logic. Passed to FormRuntimeProvider.

RuntimeContext​

Arbitrary context passed to createFormRuntime({ context }). Available in rules via contextRef() and in all plugin inputs as input.context. Typed shape:

{
  mode?: "create" | "edit" | "view";
  userRole?: string;
  locale?: string;
  baseUrl?: string;
  featureFlags?: Record<string, boolean | string | number>;
  meta?: Record<string, unknown>;
}