Array Resource

An Array Resource is a resource backed by in-memory data instead of a database table. Use it to let Avo display and manage structured data that doesn't come from a model. The records method can return an array of hashes, an array of Active Record objects, an ActiveRecord::Relation, or an array of StoreModel instances.

Generate one with the --array flag:

bin/rails generate avo:resource Movie --array

The generated class extends Avo::Resources::ArrayResource. Return the data from the records method and describe it with fields, like any other resource:

# app/avo/resources/movie.rb
class Avo::Resources::Movie < Avo::Resources::ArrayResource
  def records
    [
      {
        id: 1,
        name: "The Shawshank Redemption",
        release_date: "1994-09-23"
      },
      {
        id: 2,
        name: "The Godfather",
        release_date: "1972-03-24",
        fun_fact: "The iconic cat in the opening scene was a stray found by director Francis Ford Coppola on the studio lot."
      },
      {
        id: 3,
        name: "Pulp Fiction",
        release_date: "1994-10-14"
      }
    ]
  end

  def fields
    main_panel do
      field :id, as: :id
      field :name, as: :text
      field :release_date, as: :date
      field :fun_fact, only_on: :index, visible: -> { resource.record.fun_fact.present? } do
        record.fun_fact.truncate_words(10)
      end

      sidebar do
        field :fun_fact do
          record.fun_fact || "There is no register of a fun fact for #{record.name}"
        end
      end
    end
  end
end

Each hash becomes a record, so field :name reads the name: key and computed fields can call record.fun_fact directly. If you return Active Record objects or a relation instead, Avo uses their real model class and fields behave as they do on a regular resource. Pagination works out of the box.

Render it inside another resource

The Array Resource pairs with the Array field to display array data on another resource — field :attendees, as: :array on a Course, for example. When rendered through the field, records is the last fallback in the data-fetching hierarchy; the field's block and the model's method take precedence. See the Array field documentation for the full hierarchy.

Limitations

• Sorting is not supported.
• Large datasets can be slow — the array is rebuilt on every request. If that becomes a bottleneck, cache the data inside records.

Heavier workloads

If your data comes from an external API or the array approach starts to feel limiting, consider an HTTP Resource instead — it's backed by an endpoint and built for that kind of work.