Lightning Datatable That Is Nested Inside A RecordEditForm Call OnSubmit() On Every Inline Edit

Introduction: The Curious Case of the Lightning Datatable and RecordEditForm

In the realm of Salesforce Lightning Web Components (LWC), developers often encounter intriguing scenarios when combining different components. One such scenario arises when a Lightning Datatable is nested within a recordEditForm. While this combination can be powerful for displaying and editing related data, it can also lead to unexpected behavior. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the intricacies of this issue, exploring why the onSubmit() event of the recordEditForm gets triggered on every inline edit within the Lightning Datatable, and how to effectively address this challenge. The main keyword here is Lightning Datatable inside recordEditForm.

When working with Salesforce Lightning Web Components (LWCs), you might find yourself in a situation where you need to display and edit data related to a record. A common approach is to use the <lightning-record-edit-form> component, which simplifies the process of creating forms for editing Salesforce records. However, what happens when you need to display and edit a list of related records within the same form? This is where the <lightning-datatable> component comes in handy. The Lightning Datatable is a versatile component for displaying tabular data and allows users to edit records inline. However, combining these two components can lead to unexpected behavior, specifically, the onSubmit() event of the <lightning-record-edit-form> being triggered on every inline edit within the <lightning-datatable>. This can cause performance issues and unexpected data updates. Therefore, understanding why this happens and how to prevent it is crucial for building efficient and user-friendly Lightning Web Components. We will explore the root cause of this behavior and provide practical solutions to ensure your components function as expected.

When you embed a Lightning Datatable inside a recordEditForm, you're essentially creating a nested form structure. The recordEditForm is designed to handle the submission of the main record data, while the Lightning Datatable is intended for inline editing of the related records. However, due to the way events propagate in the DOM (Document Object Model) and the event handling mechanism of the recordEditForm, each inline edit within the Lightning Datatable can inadvertently trigger the onSubmit() event of the parent recordEditForm. This happens because the inline edit events within the Lightning Datatable bubble up the DOM tree, and the recordEditForm is listening for any submit-related events. This unintended triggering of the onSubmit() event can lead to several issues. First, it can cause unnecessary server-side processing, as the recordEditForm attempts to save the main record even when only the related records in the Lightning Datatable have been modified. Second, it can result in a poor user experience, as the form may appear to be submitting multiple times, leading to confusion and frustration. To address this, we need to understand how events propagate in the DOM and how we can prevent this unwanted behavior. In the following sections, we will explore different strategies to handle this scenario effectively, ensuring that the onSubmit() event is only triggered when the user intends to submit the entire form, and not on every inline edit.

Understanding the Problem: Why onSubmit() is Called on Every Inline Edit

To fully grasp the issue, it's essential to understand how events propagate in the DOM and how the recordEditForm component handles form submissions. The core problem lies in the event bubbling mechanism. When an event occurs on an element, it first triggers any event listeners attached to that element. Then, the event