kx-formbuilder

KX FormBuilder Component

Also read kx-dashboard-core for: envelope, screen/widget wrapper, data sources, ViewState, binding patterns, actions, notifications, and the pre-flight checklist.

This skill uses progressive disclosure: the workflow, hazards, and output rules are here; the bulky JSON schema, field/validator/style tables, and examples live in reference/. Read only the reference file relevant to your current step.

Reference Files

When to Use This Skill

• User wants a form widget that collects values from dashboard users
• User wants to bind form field values to ViewStates and re-execute queries on submit
• User wants a dynamic form whose schema is driven by a live kdb+ query (FormDefinition)
• User wants to trigger actions (map, navigate, re-execute query) on Submit, Cancel, or Change events
• User wants to write form values back to a ViewState via StateOutput

⚠️ FormBuilder-Specific Hazards

1. Element id must be unique across all Elements including nested groups. Duplicate ids silently overwrite each other in the output values object.
2. type._Type is the kdb type string — symbol, int, float, date, list, group, etc. Never set type to a plain string; it must always be an object with _Type.
3. list is the dropdown type, not a kdb list. To present a dropdown to the user, set type._Type to "list". The output value type is recorded as "symbol".
4. password only applies to symbol fields. Setting password: true on any other type has no effect.
5. group fields carry their child fields in a nested Elements array, not under type. The group's own type._Type is "group" with an optional layout sub-property.
6. Actions Trigger values are "Submit", "Cancel", "Change" — not "Click". Using "Click" will silently do nothing.
7. StateOutput Trigger fires a map action that writes the entire form's current values to the target ViewState. Current is auto-populated; only set Target.
8. FormDefinition binding overrides Elements. When Basics.FormDefinition is bound to a ViewState, the properties panel hides the Elements editor and the form schema comes entirely from kdb.
9. FormValues is a two-way binding. It can pre-populate fields on load (if the ViewState has values) and receives the latest form values after every change.
10. ignoreOnChange excludes a field from the Change trigger output but not from Submit or Cancel. Use it for UI-only controls that shouldn't re-trigger queries on every keystroke.