\Aksara\Laboratory\Core->setField()

The documentation and cheat sheet of our framework

setField() changes how fields are rendered.

Purpose

setField() changes how fields are rendered. It lets a controller customize Aksara Core behavior while keeping the request inside the built-in CRUD, rendering, permission, validation, and response pipeline.

When to Use

Use it when the generated table, form, or read view is mostly correct but one or more fields need custom behavior.

Reference

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`$field`	`string\|array`	No	`[]`	Field name, field list, or associative field configuration.
`$type`	`string\|array\|null`	No	`null`	Field renderer type or mock field type.
`$parameter`	`array\|string\|null`	No	`null`	Route or query parameters passed to the action.
`$alpha`	`mixed`	No	`null`	Extra field parameter consumed by specific field renderers.
`$beta`	`mixed`	No	`null`	Extra field parameter consumed by specific field renderers.
`$charlie`	`mixed`	No	`null`	Extra field parameter consumed by specific field renderers.
`$delta`	`?string`	No	`null`	Extra field parameter consumed by specific field renderers.

Return Value

static

Returns the current controller instance so it can be chained with other Core methods.

Behavior

setField() updates field metadata used by the renderer. The generated output changes when the table, read, or form view is rendered.

Basic Usage

$this->setField('description', 'textarea');

return $this->render('orders');

Advanced Usage

$this->setAlias(['created_at' => phrase('Created'), 'updated_at' => phrase('Updated')])
    ->setValidation(['title' => 'required|max_length[160]', 'status' => 'required'])
    ->fieldOrder('title, slug, status, created_at');

Complete Example

namespace Modules\Orders\Controllers;

use Aksara\Laboratory\Core;

class Orders extends Core
{
    public function index()
    {
        $this->setTitle(phrase('Orders'))
            ->setField('description', 'textarea');

        return $this->render('orders');
    }
}

Result

The generated table, form, or read view uses the configured field behavior when the response is prepared.

Notes

This method is chainable and returns the current controller instance.
Field names must match table columns, selected aliases, relation aliases, or mock fields.
Most field configuration methods accept a single field/value pair or an associative array for bulk configuration.