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Table Action Column Pattern

Put row actions in one predictable place and reveal them the same way everywhere.

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What it adds

A single convention for where row-level actions sit in a table, which ones are always visible, and which collapse into an overflow menu.

What your agent is told to do

5
  1. 1

    Inventory every table in the app and list the row-level actions each one offers today. Group them into a small shared set — the one or two the user reaches for constantly, and the long tail that belongs behind an overflow control.

  2. 2

    Fix the action column to one edge of the row and keep it there in every table, at a fixed width that does not change with the contents of the row. A column that drifts by a few pixels between tables costs the user a re-scan on every screen.

  3. 3

    Make the actions reachable by keyboard: the row's controls must be in tab order in visual order, the overflow menu must open on Enter or Space, and arrow keys must move within the menu without leaving the table.

  4. 4

    Reserve the space for actions the current user cannot perform rather than removing the cell, so rows stay aligned when permissions differ between records in the same table.

  5. 5

    Do not reveal actions only on hover. Hover-only controls are invisible on touch, invisible to keyboard users until focus lands, and invisible to anyone scanning a screenshot; hover may emphasise, but it must not be the only way to find them.

Edge cases it handles

7
  • The one or two actions people use most must be visible without opening anything. Burying edit or delete under an overflow menu turns a one-click task into three.
  • Touch has no hover and no focus ring, so the pattern must be usable by tapping alone, with hit areas that do not overlap the row's own tap target.
  • An overflow menu opening near the bottom or right edge of a scroll container will be clipped by the container's overflow, so the menu must escape its ancestor or flip to the opposite side.
  • When some rows allow an action and others do not, the columns must still line up. Disabled with an explanation is usually better than absent.
  • Tapping or clicking an action must not also trigger the row's own click behaviour, such as opening the record.
  • Destructive actions in the row need the same confirmation as they have elsewhere, and must not sit adjacent to a harmless action in the visible set.
  • The action column must survive horizontal scrolling on narrow screens — either pinned to the edge or moved somewhere deliberate, never left floating off-screen.

Definition of done

8
  • Every table places row actions in the same position, at the same width.
  • The primary actions are visible without hover, focus, or a menu.
  • All row actions are reachable and operable by keyboard alone, in visual order.
  • An open overflow menu is fully visible regardless of the row's position in a scrolling container.
  • Rows the user cannot act on keep the column's alignment.
  • Triggering a row action never also activates the row's navigation.
  • The feature matches the existing design system.
  • No existing functionality is broken.

Related features

How it works

  1. 1

    Copy the link

    Grab the Markdown instruction URL for this feature.

  2. 2

    Give it to your AI

    Paste it into Claude Code, Cursor, v0, Lovable — whatever you build with.

  3. 3

    It inspects, then implements

    Your agent reads your existing app first, then adds the feature to fit it.

Works with your stack

These instructions are written to adapt. They tell the agent to detect your framework, match your existing design system, and reuse what you already have — rather than assuming a particular stack.

Need it tighter than that? Customize the feature and tell it exactly what you're running.