improvement(tables): empty-state filter/sort builders + upsert conflict-column selection

Author: TheodoreSpeaks

apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/w/[workflowId]/components/panel/components/editor/components/sub-block/components/filter-builder/filter-builder.tsx

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 'use client'
 
 import { useCallback, useMemo } from 'react'
-import { generateId } from '@sim/utils/id'
-import type { ComboboxOption } from '@/components/emcn'
+import { Plus } from 'lucide-react'
+import { Button } from '@/components/emcn'
 import { useTableColumns } from '@/lib/table/hooks'
 import type { FilterRule } from '@/lib/table/query-builder/constants'
 import { useFilterBuilder } from '@/lib/table/query-builder/use-query-builder'
@@ -22,15 +22,6 @@ interface FilterBuilderProps {
   tableIdSubBlockId?: string
 }
 
-const createDefaultRule = (columns: ComboboxOption[]): FilterRule => ({
-  id: generateId(),
-  logicalOperator: 'and',
-  column: columns[0]?.value || '',
-  operator: 'eq',
-  value: '',
-  collapsed: false,
-})
-
 /** Visual builder for table filter rules in workflow blocks. */
 export function FilterBuilder({
   blockId,
@@ -52,8 +43,7 @@ export function FilterBuilder({
   }, [propColumns, dynamicColumns])
 
   const value = isPreview ? previewValue : storeValue
-  const rules: FilterRule[] =
-    Array.isArray(value) && value.length > 0 ? value : [createDefaultRule(columns)]
+  const rules: FilterRule[] = Array.isArray(value) ? value : []
   const isReadOnly = isPreview || disabled
 
   const { comparisonOptions, logicalOptions, addRule, removeRule, updateRule } = useFilterBuilder({
@@ -86,15 +76,25 @@ export function FilterBuilder({
   const handleRemoveRule = useCallback(
     (id: string) => {
       if (isReadOnly) return
-      if (rules.length === 1) {
-        setStoreValue([createDefaultRule(columns)])
-      } else {
-        removeRule(id)
-      }
+      removeRule(id)
     },
-    [isReadOnly, rules, columns, setStoreValue, removeRule]
+    [isReadOnly, removeRule]
   )
 
+  if (rules.length === 0) {
+    if (isReadOnly) return null
+    return (
+      <Button
+        variant='ghost'
+        onClick={addRule}
+        className='h-7 w-full justify-start gap-1.5 border border-[var(--border-1)] border-dashed text-[var(--text-muted)] text-small'
+      >
+        <Plus className='size-[14px]' />
+        Add filter condition
+      </Button>
+    )
+  }
+
   return (
     <div className='space-y-2'>
       {rules.map((rule, index) => {

apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/w/[workflowId]/components/panel/components/editor/components/sub-block/components/sort-builder/sort-builder.tsx

@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 
 import { useCallback, useMemo } from 'react'
 import { generateId } from '@sim/utils/id'
-import type { ComboboxOption } from '@/components/emcn'
+import { Plus } from 'lucide-react'
+import { Button, type ComboboxOption } from '@/components/emcn'
 import { useTableColumns } from '@/lib/table/hooks'
 import { SORT_DIRECTIONS, type SortRule } from '@/lib/table/query-builder/constants'
 import { useCanonicalSubBlockValue } from '@/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/w/[workflowId]/components/panel/components/editor/components/sub-block/hooks/use-canonical-sub-block-value'
@@ -51,8 +52,7 @@ export function SortBuilder({
   )
 
   const value = isPreview ? previewValue : storeValue
-  const rules: SortRule[] =
-    Array.isArray(value) && value.length > 0 ? value : [createDefaultRule(columns)]
+  const rules: SortRule[] = Array.isArray(value) ? value : []
   const isReadOnly = isPreview || disabled
 
   const addRule = useCallback(() => {
@@ -63,13 +63,9 @@ export function SortBuilder({
   const removeRule = useCallback(
     (id: string) => {
       if (isReadOnly) return
-      if (rules.length === 1) {
-        setStoreValue([createDefaultRule(columns)])
-      } else {
-        setStoreValue(rules.filter((r) => r.id !== id))
-      }
+      setStoreValue(rules.filter((r) => r.id !== id))
     },
-    [isReadOnly, rules, columns, setStoreValue]
+    [isReadOnly, rules, setStoreValue]
   )
 
   const updateRule = useCallback(
@@ -88,6 +84,20 @@ export function SortBuilder({
     [isReadOnly, rules, setStoreValue]
   )
 
+  if (rules.length === 0) {
+    if (isReadOnly) return null
+    return (
+      <Button
+        variant='ghost'
+        onClick={addRule}
+        className='h-7 w-full justify-start gap-1.5 border border-[var(--border-1)] border-dashed text-[var(--text-muted)] text-small'
+      >
+        <Plus className='size-[14px]' />
+        Add sort
+      </Button>
+    )
+  }
+
   return (
     <div className='space-y-2'>
       {rules.map((rule, index) => (

apps/sim/blocks/blocks/table.ts

@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ interface TableBlockParams {
   sortBuilder?: unknown
   bulkFilterMode?: string
   bulkFilterBuilder?: unknown
+  conflictColumn?: string
 }
 
 /** Normalized params after parsing, ready for tool request body */
@@ -70,6 +71,7 @@ interface ParsedParams {
   sort?: unknown
   limit?: number
   offset?: number
+  conflictTarget?: string
 }
 
 /** Transforms raw block params into tool request params for each operation */
@@ -82,6 +84,7 @@ const paramTransformers: Record<string, (params: TableBlockParams) => ParsedPara
   upsert_row: (params) => ({
     tableId: params.tableId,
     data: parseJSON(params.data, 'Row Data'),
+    conflictTarget: params.conflictColumn || undefined,
   }),
 
   batch_insert_rows: (params) => ({
@@ -275,6 +278,16 @@ Return ONLY the data JSON:`,
       },
     },
 
+    // Upsert - which unique column to match on (defaults to the first unique column)
+    {
+      id: 'conflictColumn',
+      title: 'Conflict Column',
+      type: 'short-input',
+      placeholder: 'Unique column to match on (defaults to the first unique column)',
+      dependsOn: ['tableId'],
+      condition: { field: 'operation', value: 'upsert_row' },
+    },
+
     // Batch Insert - multiple rows
     {
       id: 'rows',
@@ -631,6 +644,10 @@ Return ONLY the sort JSON:`,
     sortBuilder: { type: 'json', description: 'Visual sort builder conditions' },
     sort: { type: 'json', description: 'Sort order (JSON)' },
     offset: { type: 'number', description: 'Query result offset' },
+    conflictColumn: {
+      type: 'string',
+      description: 'Unique column to match on for upsert (defaults to the first unique column)',
+    },
   },
 
   outputs: {

apps/sim/lib/table/query-builder/converters.ts

@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ export function filterRulesToFilter(rules: FilterRule[]): Filter | null {
   let currentGroup: Filter = {}
 
   for (const rule of rules) {
+    // Skip incomplete rows (no column selected) so a blank builder row never
+    // serializes to a `{ '': ... }` predicate.
+    if (!rule.column) continue
+
     const isOr = rule.logicalOperator === 'or'
     const ruleValue = toRuleValue(rule.operator, rule.value)
 

apps/sim/lib/table/rows/service.ts

@@ -492,12 +492,9 @@ export async function upsertRow(
       )
     }
     targetColumnKey = getColumnId(col)
-  } else if (uniqueColumns.length === 1) {
-    targetColumnKey = getColumnId(uniqueColumns[0])
   } else {
-    throw new Error(
-      `Table has multiple unique columns (${uniqueColumns.map((c) => c.name).join(', ')}). Specify conflictTarget to indicate which column to match on.`
-    )
+    // No conflict target specified — default to the first unique column.
+    targetColumnKey = getColumnId(uniqueColumns[0])
   }
 
   // Validate row data

apps/sim/tools/table/types.ts

@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ export interface TableListParams {
 export interface TableRowInsertParams {
   tableId: string
   data: RowData
+  /** Unique column to match on for upsert; ignored by plain insert */
+  conflictTarget?: string
   _context?: WorkflowToolExecutionContext
 }
 

apps/sim/tools/table/upsert_row.ts

@@ -28,6 +28,13 @@ export const tableUpsertRowTool: ToolConfig<TableRowInsertParams, TableUpsertRes
       description: 'Row data to insert or update',
       visibility: 'user-or-llm',
     },
+    conflictTarget: {
+      type: 'string',
+      required: false,
+      description:
+        'Unique column to match on. Required only when the table has more than one unique column.',
+      visibility: 'user-only',
+    },
   },
 
   request: {
@@ -45,6 +52,7 @@ export const tableUpsertRowTool: ToolConfig<TableRowInsertParams, TableUpsertRes
       return {
         data: params.data,
         workspaceId,
+        ...(params.conflictTarget ? { conflictTarget: params.conflictTarget } : {}),
       }
     },
   },