Version

Edit Column

You can modify existing columns in your DataTables response using the editColumn API. Unlike addColumn, edited columns remain part of the database and support search/sort functionality.

Method 1: Blade String Syntax

Use Blade-style string interpolation:

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    $model = User::query();
 
    return DataTables::eloquent($model)
        ->editColumn('name', 'Modified: {{$name}}')
        ->toJson();
});

Method 2: Closure

Use a closure for dynamic values:

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    $model = User::query();
 
    return DataTables::eloquent($model)
        ->editColumn('name', function(User $user) {
            return strtoupper($user->name);
        })
        ->toJson();
});

Method 3: Blade View

Render the column using a Blade view:

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    $model = User::query();
 
    return DataTables::eloquent($model)
        ->editColumn('name', 'users.datatables.name')
        ->toJson();
});

Create your view at resources/views/users/datatables/name.blade.php:

<strong>{{ $name }}</strong>

Common Use Cases

Format Dates

use Illuminate\Support\Str;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    return DataTables::eloquent(User::query())
        ->editColumn('created_at', function (User $user) {
            return $user->created_at->format('M d, Y');
        })
        ->toJson();
});

Money Formatting

For money values, use Column::make() with exportFormat() for exports:

// Use Column::make() for decimal/float columns
Column::make('price', 'orders.price')

Truncate Text

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
use Illuminate\Support\Str;
 
Route::get('product-data', function() {
    return DataTables::eloquent(Product::query())
        ->editColumn('description', function (Product $product) {
            return Str::limit($product->description, 50);
        })
        ->toJson();
});

Status Badges

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    return DataTables::eloquent(User::query())
        ->editColumn('status', function (User $user) {
            $color = $user->is_active ? 'success' : 'secondary';
            return '<span class="badge bg-'.$color.'">'.$user->status.'</span>';
        })
        ->rawColumns(['status']) // Allow HTML rendering
        ->toJson();
});

Multiple Column Edits

Chain multiple edits:

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    return DataTables::eloquent(User::query())
        ->editColumn('name', function (User $user) {
            return $user->full_name;
        })
        ->editColumn('email', function (User $user) {
            return '<a href="mailto:'.$user->email.'">'.$user->email.'</a>';
        })
        ->editColumn('created_at', function (User $user) {
            return $user->created_at->diffForHumans();
        })
        ->rawColumns(['email']) // Allow HTML in email column
        ->toJson();
});

Comparison: editColumn vs addColumn

Feature	`editColumn`	`addColumn`
Search	✅ Enabled	❌ Disabled
Sort	✅ Enabled	❌ Disabled
Database Column	✅ Required	❌ Not required
Use Case	Modify existing	Add new computed

Laravel DataTables