elm-table

Comparison with elm-sortable-table

evancz/elm-sortable-table is the table package the Elm community already had. If you are choosing between the two, the honest summary is that they solve different problems and the smaller one is often the right answer.

elm-sortable-table sorts, and it renders. You give Table.config a list of column definitions that say how to produce the Html for a cell, keep a State that holds which column is sorted, and call Table.view to get the table back. The markup is written for you.

This package does not sort only, and it does not render at all. It produces a row model from a Config, a State, and your data, and you write every element yourself.

Side by side

elm-sortable-table elm-table
Features sorting sorting, filtering, global filtering, faceting, grouping, aggregation, expanding, pagination, row and cell selection, row and column pinning, column ordering, visibility, sizing, cell spanning
Rendering the package renders the table you render everything
Column definitions say how to draw a cell say how to read a value (Table.Value)
State which column is sorted a record with one slice per feature
Output Html msg a RowModel of rows, cells, and headers
Styling and markup follows the package's structure entirely yours
Ported from its own design TanStack Table core

When the smaller package is the better choice

Reach for elm-sortable-table when:

  • you want a sortable list of records and nothing else;
  • you would rather not write thead, tbody, and the click handlers;
  • the default markup suits the page you are putting it on;
  • you want the smallest amount of code between your data and something on screen.

That is a real and common case, and the extra surface here buys you nothing in it.

When this package is the better choice

Reach for elm-table when:

  • you need anything past sorting: filtering, grouping, pagination, selection, pinning, and the rest;
  • you have to own the markup, because of a design system, a virtualized body, a sticky header, or a layout that is not a plain table;
  • you are porting a TanStack Table app and want the same feature names, the same row-model stages, and the same behaviour;
  • you want each state transition to be a value you can test on its own.

The cost is that you write the view. A rendered table is roughly the same length as the one in Quick Start, and none of it is generated for you.

A practical note

Both packages expose a module named Table, so a single Elm project cannot depend on both. Pick one per project.