Tanstack Angular Table Table State

This skill builds on @tanstack/table-core#core and getting-started. Read them first for state ownership and Angular construction.

State Mental Model

TanStack Table is primarily a state coordinator. Keep state internal unless another system must read, persist, or drive it. Without initialState, atoms, state, or on[State]Change, the table owns all registered slices.

• table.baseAtoms are internal writable atoms initialized from resolved initial state.
• table.atoms are readonly derived atoms for the active owner of each registered slice.
• table.store combines those atoms into one readonly flat store.

The Angular adapter backs atoms with Angular signals. Reads participate in tracking inside templates, computed, and effect; signal reads inside the injectTable initializer also rerun that initializer and call setOptions. State is feature-based: missing pagination state or APIs indicate a missing rowPaginationFeature. Hoist stable features and columns outside the initializer, and return signal-backed data without mapping or slicing inline.

Setup

import { computed, signal } from '@angular/core'
import {
  injectTable,
  rowPaginationFeature,
  tableFeatures,
} from '@tanstack/angular-table'

const features = tableFeatures({ rowPaginationFeature })
const columns = [{ accessorKey: 'name' }]

export class TableComponent {
  readonly data = signal([{ name: 'Ada' }])
  readonly table = injectTable(() => ({ features, columns, data: this.data() }))
  readonly pageIndex = computed(
    () => this.table.atoms.pagination.get().pageIndex,
  )
}

Angular-backed table atom reads are signal reads. Templates, computed, and effect track them directly.

Core Patterns

Prefer external atoms for cross-system state

import { createAtom } from '@tanstack/angular-store'
import type { PaginationState } from '@tanstack/angular-table'

readonly paginationAtom = createAtom<PaginationState>({ pageIndex: 0, pageSize: 20 })
readonly table = injectTable(() => ({
  features, columns, data: this.data(), atoms: { pagination: this.paginationAtom },
}))

The atom can feed Query without making every state write rerun the Table initializer.

Resolve controlled signal updaters

readonly pagination = signal({ pageIndex: 0, pageSize: 20 })
readonly table = injectTable(() => ({
  features, columns, data: this.data(), state: { pagination: this.pagination() },
  onPaginationChange: next => typeof next === 'function' ? this.pagination.update(next) : this.pagination.set(next),
}))

Choose State Ownership

Use one owner for each slice:

• Prefer internal state and feature APIs for local interaction.
• Use initialState for starting/reset values; later changes do not reset current state.
• Prefer a stable atom from @tanstack/angular-store in atoms for Query or other cross-system state. Table APIs update it without a change callback.
• Use an Angular signal read in state.<slice> plus the matching callback for simple controlled state. Handle raw values and updater functions.

External atoms win over controlled state, which syncs into the internal base atom. Do not give a slice two owners. The global v8 onStateChange option is gone; subscribe to table.store when all state changes must be observed.

Initialize, Update, and Reset

Prefer feature methods such as setSorting, nextPage, toggleVisibility, and toggleSelected. Direct base-atom writes are a rare escape hatch for internal state; write the external atom when it owns a slice.

this.table.resetSorting()
this.table.resetPagination()
this.table.resetPagination(true)

Feature resets use table.initialState unless true requests the feature default, and can update external owners. Core table.reset() resets internal base atoms only. Use feature-specific types such as PaginationState; use TableState<typeof features> when the complete registered state type is needed.

Common Mistakes

MEDIUM Wrapping atoms redundantly

Wrong:

readonly pagination = computed(() => computed(() => this.table.atoms.pagination.get())())

Correct:

readonly pagination = computed(() => this.table.atoms.pagination.get())

Table atoms already bridge to Angular signals; one tracked read is sufficient.

Source: docs/framework/angular/guide/table-state.md

HIGH Ignoring initializer reruns

Wrong:

injectTable(() => ({
  features: tableFeatures({ rowPaginationFeature }),
  columns: makeColumns(),
  state: { pagination: this.pagination() },
  data,
}))

Correct:

injectTable(() => ({
  features,
  columns,
  state: { pagination: this.pagination() },
  data,
}))

Controlled signal writes rerun the initializer, so static work must remain outside it.

Source: packages/angular-table/src/injectTable.ts

HIGH Storing updater functions

Wrong:

onPaginationChange: (next) => this.pagination.set(next)

Correct:

onPaginationChange: (next) =>
  typeof next === 'function'
    ? this.pagination.update(next)
    : this.pagination.set(next)

Callbacks receive a value or updater; assigning the function corrupts owned state.

Source: examples/angular/basic-external-state/src/app/app.ts

MEDIUM Giving one slice multiple owners

Wrong:

{ initialState: { pagination: start }, atoms: { pagination: this.paginationAtom } }

Correct:

{
  atoms: {
    pagination: this.paginationAtom
  }
}

External atoms/state override initial state; choose one owner for each slice.

Source: docs/framework/angular/guide/table-state.md

API Discovery

Inspect node_modules/@tanstack/angular-table/dist/types/ and reactivity.d.ts; inspect @tanstack/angular-store/dist/ for external atoms and installed core feature source for state APIs.