> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.nextedy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sheet Configuration Reference

> The Nextedy POWERSHEET sheet configuration is a YAML file that defines how data model data is displayed and interacted with in the sheet.

export const LastReviewed = ({date}) => {
  if (!date) return null;
  const formatted = new Date(`${date}T00:00:00Z`).toLocaleDateString("en-US", {
    year: "numeric",
    month: "long",
    day: "numeric",
    timeZone: "UTC"
  });
  return <p className="mt-10 text-sm text-gray-400 dark:text-zinc-500 not-prose">
      Last reviewed on {formatted}
    </p>;
};

## Column Layout

**[Columns](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/columns)** -- Column definitions mapping property paths to display settings including title, width, formatters, focus, visibility, and edit behavior.

**[Column Groups](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/column-groups)** -- Visual grouping of related columns under shared headers with color styling and collapse behavior.

**[Binding Syntax](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/binding-syntax)** -- Dot-separated path syntax for mapping columns to data model properties and navigation paths across entity relationships.

**[Multi-Item Columns](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/multi-item-columns)** -- Configuration for columns displaying many-to-many relationships using the `multiItem` property.

## Display and Rendering

**[Display Property](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/display-property)** -- Controls which property of a referenced entity appears in a column on the client side (e.g., showing `title` instead of `id`).

**[Render Property](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/render-property)** -- Controls server-side rendering of column content via Velocity templates, complementing the client-side `display` property for cases requiring custom HTML output.

## Styling and Formatting

**[Styles](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/styles)** -- Named style definitions (CSS classes and colors) that can be referenced by formatters or column headers.

**[Formatters](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/formatters)** -- Named formatter definitions with conditional rules that apply styles based on data values or expressions. Formatters also control read-only behavior and cell appearance. For expression syntax details used within formatter conditions, see [Dynamic Value Expressions Reference](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/dynamic-expressions).

## Data and Queries

**[Sources](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/sources)** -- Data source definitions specifying the root entity type to query, filtering criteria, and expansion paths for loading related entities across the data model hierarchy.

**[Sort By](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/sortby)** -- Default sort order configuration specifying column and direction (`asc`/`desc`) for initial row ordering.

## View Management

**[Views](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/views)** -- Named view presets that override default column visibility and widths, letting users switch between different perspectives on the same data.

## Expressions

**[Dynamic Value Expressions Reference](/powersheet/reference/sheet-config/dynamic-expressions)** -- Reference for `$context` expressions, computed values, and dynamic defaults used in sources, formatters, and entity factories.

<Tip title="Getting started with sheet configuration">
  Start with a minimal single-source configuration and extend incrementally. For a step-by-step introduction, see the [Sheet Configuration Guides](/powersheet/guides/sheet-configuration/index). Common first-time mistakes include mismatching the `sources.model` property with the data model name and forgetting `multiItem: true` when a parent entity links to multiple child entity types.
</Tip>

## Configuration Structure Overview

A sheet configuration YAML file contains these top-level sections:

```yaml theme={null}
# Top-level structure of a sheet configuration file
columnGroups:    # Visual column grouping with shared headers
sortBy:          # Default sort order (column + direction)
columns:         # Column definitions (required)
views:           # Named view presets
formatters:      # Conditional formatting rules
styles:          # Custom style definitions
sources:         # Data source queries and expansion paths
```

Each section is documented in detail on its dedicated reference page above.

```
+---------------------------+
|  Sheet Configuration      |
|  (YAML file)              |
+---------------------------+
         |
    +---------+---------+----------+---------+
    |         |         |          |         |
    v         v         v          v         v
 sources   columns   views   formatters  styles
    |         |                    |         |
    |    +---------+               |         |
    |    |         |               +---------+
    |    v         v                   |
    | binding   display/              v
    | syntax    render         conditional
    |                          formatting
    v
 expansion
 paths (data model)
```

***

**Related pages:** [Reference](/powersheet/reference/index) | [Data Model Reference](/powersheet/reference/data-model/index) | [Query API Reference](/powersheet/reference/query-api/index) | [Server Rendering Reference](/powersheet/reference/server-rendering/index)

<LastReviewed date="2026-06-08" />