A blank DataForm panel summary can be expected when a field has no value and its renderer returns nothing. In versions that include showPlaceholderIfEmpty, enable that option on the panel layout and provide a field placeholder. The hint belongs in the display, not in the saved record.
The upstream implementation and tests define empty as undefined, null or an empty string. The option defaults to false. A numeric zero, false or an empty array does not automatically follow the same placeholder branch. This distinction matters for prices, switches and multi-value fields.
Verify the Data Before Repairing the Display
Read the selected field's getValue result for the current item in a local test. Do not rely only on how the row looks. A custom renderer may return an empty string for a valid value, or a data adapter may return a nested object when the summary expects text.
Also confirm that the panel summary points to the intended field. If a combined group displays its first child instead of the value you expected, first use the combined-field and summary mapping guide. A placeholder does not correct the wrong summary target.
Opt In at the Panel Layout
The relevant configuration has two parts:
const fields = [
{
id: 'title',
label: 'Title',
type: 'text',
placeholder: 'Add a title',
},
];
const form = {
layout: { type: 'panel', showPlaceholderIfEmpty: true },
fields: [ 'title' ],
};
Pass these into your existing DataForm with its normal data and onChange handling. Check that the installed package supports the option before adopting the example. Copying a new configuration into an older bundle does not update the runtime implementation.
The field placeholder must be present and nonempty. If it is missing, the reviewed implementation falls back to the field's renderer even when the option is enabled. If your custom renderer already says No title yet, decide which presentation should own the empty state rather than expecting both to appear.
With showPlaceholderIfEmpty enabled and a nonempty placeholder, undefined, null and an empty string use the hint. Zero, false, arrays and whitespace use the normal renderer unless getValue deliberately normalizes them.
Test Values That Look Empty but Are Not
| getValue result |
Placeholder branch when enabled and supplied? |
| undefined |
Yes |
| null |
Yes |
| Empty string |
Yes |
| 0 |
No |
| false |
No |
| Empty array |
No |
| Whitespace-only string |
No |
Use this table as a contract test for your adapter. Do not replace the check with a broad falsy test: that would treat legitimate zero and false values as missing. If your domain uses zero as an unset relationship identifier, normalize that deliberately in getValue and test the implications for validation. Do not apply that convention to a field where zero is a meaningful amount.
Avoid writing the placeholder into the data to make the summary visible. A saved Add a title value can appear in exports, search, required-field validation or the public page. The visual hint should disappear when the user supplies real content without requiring cleanup of a fake default.
Verify Editing, Saving and Accessibility
Start with an empty title and the option enabled. Confirm the hint appears, then open the panel through its edit affordance. Enter a real title, save through the host screen and reload the same item. The summary should now render the real value.
Clear the title again and verify the hint returns. Disable the option in the fixture to confirm the old rendering path still works. Repeat with keyboard-only operation and check that the field has a useful accessible label even when its value is empty. Placeholder text is not a substitute for a label.
If saving fails, inspect validation and persistence separately. This option changes the summary display; it does not make a required value optional or bypass server validation. For an editor panel that leaves users unable to complete a business workflow, get help with the DataForm integration and bring the field definition, layout object and redacted value shape.
References reviewed October 21, 2026. Diagrams and test fixtures are explanatory, not customer results.