Code Editor
A code editor with syntax highlighting, for storing source, markup or configuration.
Where to find it
Architect Panel → Data:
- Datastores — the datastore, then Table Designer to add or edit a field
What it stores
Plain text, exactly as typed, with the editor providing highlighting, indentation and a monospaced font. Nothing is interpreted or reformatted on save — what you typed is what is stored.
When to use it
- Templates and snippets that are edited by technical users.
- Configuration in a structured format.
- Any field where whitespace and exact characters matter.
Not a formatting field
People sometimes reach for this to store rich content because it accepts markup. If the content is prose that needs formatting, the WYSIWYG editor is the right type — it produces markup without asking the author to write any.
Asking a non-technical colleague to maintain content in a code editor is how content stops being maintained.
Exact characters matter
Unlike a text area, this field is used where a stray space or a smart quote breaks something. The editor's monospaced font and highlighting exist to make those visible — which is most of why the type exists at all.
Think about who edits it
Content stored here is usually consumed by something — rendered, executed, parsed. That makes an editing mistake a functional failure rather than a cosmetic one.
Restrict the field to the people who should be changing it, using field security. A code field that anybody with edit access can change is a fragile arrangement.
Consider what happens to bad input
The field stores whatever it is given; it does not validate that the content is correct for its purpose. Malformed markup or a syntax error is discovered wherever the value is used, which may be far from where it was entered.
Where that matters, test after editing rather than assuming a successful save means a working value.
Audit is your safety net
Because the audit trail records before-and-after, a change that broke something can be seen and reversed. That is worth knowing before somebody edits a template in production — the previous version is recoverable.
Worked example
A document template is held in a code editor field, restricted by field security to two administrators. When an edit breaks the rendering, the audit trail shows exactly what changed, and the previous content is restored from it in under a minute.
Recommendations
- Use WYSIWYG for prose, this for code.
- Restrict who can edit it with field security.
- Test after editing — a save is not a validation.
- Rely on the audit trail to recover a bad change.