Record Edit Modes

ObjectUI's default console shell (@object-ui/app-shell) supports two ways to render the create/edit form for a record:

• Modal (default) — the form opens in an overlay dialog above the current view. Best for short forms, quick edits, and contextual data entry.
• Page — the form takes over a full route. Best for long forms, multi-tab or wizard layouts, or anywhere you need a deep-linkable URL that survives a refresh and integrates with the browser back button.

Both modes use the same <ObjectForm> pipeline under the hood, so all field types, sections, validations, and visibility expressions work identically in either mode.

Choosing a mode

Set editMode on the object metadata:

// metadata/objects/account.json
{
  "name": "account",
  "label": "Account",
  "editMode": "page",       // "modal" (default) | "page"
  "fields": {
    "name":     { "type": "text",     "label": "Name", "required": true },
    "industry": { "type": "picklist", "label": "Industry" },
    "owner":    { "type": "lookup",   "label": "Owner", "reference_to": "user" }
  }
}

Omitting editMode (or setting it to "modal") keeps the existing behavior — clicking Create or Edit opens the global ModalForm overlay.

URL patterns

When editMode: "page" is set, the console renders the form on a dedicated route under the active app:

Examples (for an app sales and an object account):

• Create: https://your-console.example/apps/sales/account/new
• Edit: https://your-console.example/apps/sales/account/record/0015e000abcd/edit

These URLs are stable. Users can bookmark them, share them in chat, or refresh the page mid-edit (the form rehydrates from the URL :recordId).

Triggering the routes from JSON

In addition to the implicit "click create/edit on a list" entry point, two declarative actions let you open the page-mode routes from any <action:button> in metadata:

{
  "type": "action:button",
  "label": "New Account",
  "icon":  "plus",
  "action": {
    "action": "navigate_create",
    "params": { "objectName": "account" }
  }
}

{
  "type": "action:button",
  "label": "Edit",
  "icon":  "pencil",
  "action": {
    "action": "navigate_edit",
    "params": {
      "objectName": "account",
      "recordId":   "${record.id}"
    }
  }
}

When invoked from inside an ObjectView, the action context already carries the active objectName, so objectName may be omitted from the params:

{
  "type": "action:button",
  "label": "New",
  "action": { "action": "navigate_create" }
}

Behavior summary

Migrating an existing object

The change is additive — existing apps continue to work unchanged. To migrate a single object to page mode:

1. Add "editMode": "page" to the object metadata.
2. (Optional) Adjust the form layout — page mode pairs well with formType: "tabbed" or formType: "wizard" for long forms.
3. Reload the console. Existing Create / Edit entry points automatically route to the new pages; no UI code changes required.

See also

• @object-ui/app-shell README
• ObjectForm API
• Schema rendering