AdaptTable for Element Plus

Column groups in Element Plus

A parent with children is a column group: its caption spans its columns in a header row of its own. This table has three, open by default; collapse one to see how it folds.

Assignment is Team + Status with collapsedKey: "team", so it keeps Team. Delivery is Timeline + Budget with collapsedRender, so it draws the budget in one cell. Workload has neither, so it folds to a narrow stub.

collapsibleColumnGroups arms the toggles. The group headers use Element Plus buttons.

The code

<script setup lang="ts">
import type { ColumnInput } from "@adapttable/vue";
import { DataTable } from "@adapttable/element-plus";
import { collapsibleColumnGroups } from "@adapttable/element-plus/column-groups";

interface Member {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  team: string;
  status: string;
  budget: number;
}

defineProps<{ rows: readonly Member[] }>();

const columns: ColumnInput<Member>[] = [
  { key: "name", header: "Name" },
  {
    header: "Assignment",
    collapsedKey: "team",
    children: [
      { key: "team", header: "Team" },
      { key: "status", header: "Status" },
    ],
  },
  {
    header: "Budget",
    collapsedRender: (row) => `$${row.budget}`,
    children: [{ key: "budget", header: "Amount" }],
  },
];
const rowKey = (row: Member) => row.id;
const features = [collapsibleColumnGroups()];
</script>

<template>
  <DataTable
    :data="rows"
    :columns="columns"
    :row-key="rowKey"
    :features="features"
  />
</template>

Install

pnpm add @adapttable/element-plus @adapttable/vue @adapttable/core element-plus

The same feature in the other kits

• Column groups in Vue Unstyled — Native elements — your own CSS
• Column groups in Vuetify — Material Design, Vuetify blue
• Column groups in Naive UI — Clean, compact, green accent
• Column groups in Reka UI — Accessible primitives, neutral theme
• Column groups in shadcn-vue — Monochrome, ring focus
• Column groups in Nuxt UI — Tailwind-native, Nuxt green
• Column groups in Quasar — Material-flavoured, Quasar blue

More Element Plus features

• Filtering in Element Plus — Ranges, selects, an AND/OR tree and chips — all in the URL.
• Column management in Element Plus — Show, hide, reorder, pin and resize — from a menu you did not write.
• Row selection in Element Plus — A set of ids that survives paging, with bulk actions over it.
• Rows in Element Plus — Pin rows from a 3-dot menu, and merge a team that runs down the page.
• Row reordering in Element Plus — Drag or keyboard moves, announced — the host writes.
• Inline cell editing in Element Plus — Native editors in the cell; every write goes through your handler.
• Row grouping in Element Plus — Drag, select or keyboard grouping, with totals in the headers.
• Aggregation in Element Plus — Footer totals, pinned summaries, group aggregates — not data rows.
• Nested tables in Element Plus — A real table under a row — same engine, own columns, own keys.
• CSV export in Element Plus — One toolbar button, a CSV of the table as it stands.
• Row and column virtualization in Element Plus — 40,000 rows in a scroll box, only the visible ones rendered.
• Tree data in Element Plus — Nesting, chevrons, lazy children, and a tree on phones.
• Mobile cards in Element Plus — Every row becomes a card on phones. Automatically, with the same state.
• Pivot tables in Element Plus — Rows down the side, dimensions across the top, subtotals at every level.
• Saved views in Element Plus — Name an arrangement and restore it from the menu.
• Spreadsheet formulas in Element Plus — ROUND, POWER, SQRT, IF — computed columns, errors in the cell.
• Right-to-left Element Plus data table — Arabic strings, a flipped axis, and a popover that opens from the right edge.
• Live updates in Element Plus — Rows change while you read them. Sort and selection hold.
• Accessible Element Plus data table — Arrow-key focus, a visible ring, forced-colors, and live announcements.
• AI table assistant in Element Plus Vue — Local sort, questions and approved edits with real table outcomes.

Reference: column-groups, columns. More of this kit: AdaptTable for Element Plus, or the live demo.