Schema Fields

Schema fields are the parts of SchemaForm that use $field.

These are the nodes that bind to form values, render actual field UI, and participate in validation and error handling.

What makes something a schema field

A schema field usually does three things:

1. Reads its current value from the form engine.
2. Writes changes back to the form engine.
3. Renders field UI such as a label, instructions, control, and errors.

For example:

{
  "$field": "text",
  "name": "title",
  "label": "Title"
}

That tells SchemaForm to find the registered text field component and bind it to the title path.

Built-in schema fields

SchemaForm includes built-in fields for common UI patterns, such as:

• TextField
• TextareaField
• NumberField
• RadioGroupField
• SelectField
• LightswitchField
• DateTimeField
• ListField
• EditableTableField
• GroupField
• RichTextField
• CheckboxSelectField
• ColorField
• ComboboxField
• ElementSelectField
• HandleField
• StaticTableField
• VariablePickerField
• CalculationsField

Each built-in field page in this section explains the specific schema shape and behavior for that field type.

If you want to create your own, continue to Custom Schema Fields.

Field anatomy

Most schema fields follow the same basic anatomy:

• value binding through the form engine
• field UI such as label, instructions, and errors
• the actual input component
• optional validation and grouped error behavior

That shared shape is why different field types still feel consistent in the UI.

Anatomy props

Built-in schema fields pass their common presentation props through FieldLayout.

Prop	What it controls
label	The field label.
required	Adds the required indicator beside the label.
instructions	Supporting help text below the label. Supports inline Markdown, including code.
errors	Field-level validation messages below the control. Supports inline Markdown, including code.
warning	Non-blocking warning text below errors. Supports inline Markdown, including code.

Use plain text for most labels and messages. Use inline Markdown when the copy needs a link, emphasis, or a code-style token such as gmail.com.

Labels

Labels come from the schema field’s label property. Set required to show the required indicator.

Instructions

Instructions come from instructions and appear below the label. They support inline Markdown and code.

Errors

Errors come from the form engine’s error map and appear below the control. They support inline Markdown and code.

Warnings

Warnings come from warning and appear below errors as non-blocking guidance. They support inline Markdown and code.

When to create a custom schema field

Create a custom schema field when your plugin needs a new input type that should behave like a first-class field inside SchemaForm.

That usually means:

• it stores a value
• it should receive field-level errors
• it should be usable directly from PHP schema with its own $field key

If you need structure or layout rather than a value-bound input, you probably want a schema component instead.

Next steps

• Read Custom Schema Fields to create and register your own field types.
• Browse the built-in schema field pages in this section for the packaged field types.
• Read Conditions for validation and conditional behavior that often sits alongside field definitions.