NetBox employs the [`django-tables2`](https://django-tables2.readthedocs.io/) library for rendering dynamic object tables. These tables display lists of objects, and can be sorted and filtered by various parameters.
## NetBoxTable
To provide additional functionality beyond what is supported by the stock `Table` class in `django-tables2`, NetBox provides the `NetBoxTable` class. This custom table class includes support for:
The NetBoxTable class features dynamic configuration to allow users to change their column display and ordering preferences. To configure a table for a specific request, simply call its `configure()` method and pass the current HTTPRequest object. For example:
This will automatically apply any user-specific preferences for the table. (If using a generic view provided by NetBox, table configuration is handled automatically.)
Plugins can register their own custom columns on core tables using the `register_table_column()` utility function. This allows a plugin to attach additional information, such as relationships to its own models, to built-in object lists.
```python
import django_tables2
from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _
from dcim.tables import SiteTable
from utilities.tables import register_table_column
mycol = django_tables2.Column(
verbose_name=_('My Column'),
accessor=django_tables2.A('description')
)
register_table_column(mycol, 'foo', SiteTable)
```
You'll typically want to define an accessor identifying the desired model field or relationship when defining a custom column. See the [django-tables2 documentation](https://django-tables2.readthedocs.io/) for more information on creating custom columns.
