# Field group

Field group renders fields as a... well... group. Visually it is the same as adding them separately. See a more detailed [description](#description) if the benefits are not clear.

## Example configuration

```php
...
array(
    'id' => 'field-group-option',
    'tab' => 'main',
    'type' => 'field-group',
    'fields' => array(
        array(
            'title' => 'My text field title',
            'desc' => 'Short description for the field',
            'id' => 'title',
            'type' => 'text',
        ),
        array(
            'title' => 'My editor field title',
            'desc' => 'Short description for the field',
            'id' => 'content',
            'type' => 'editor',
        ),
    ),
),
...
```

This will produce the following

![](https://2720448264-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-LKMTiOPVR7pXWhebz7q%2Fsync%2Fb5526ce99000be7ccf1f508d27f6666a8d0c713c.png?generation=1602624632616533\&alt=media)

## Description

A Field Group is useful when you'd like to group related fields and retrieve them as one complex value. The `fields` array contains regular fields configurations.

The `id` field for the fields in a group should not necessarily be unique, in fact, it's much nicer when it is simple. See the [configuration example](#example-configuration) where the fields have such IDs as `title` and `content`. If there's another `field-group` on the page, it's OK to reuse `title` and `content` as IDs in its `fields` array too. One just needs to make sure that the ID of the `field-group` itself is unique.

The fields IDs will be the keys of the associative array that is [returned](#return-value) when the value is requested.

Since the [Sections](https://docs.alchemy-options.com/v0.9/fields/sections) field is primarily for aesthetic grouping, it cannot be used within the Fields Group.

## Params

| Name     | Type   | Description                                                                                                                                                                                |
| -------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `type`   | string | `field-group` **(required)**                                                                                                                                                               |
| `id`     | string | Unique ID that will be used to retrieve the value **(required)**                                                                                                                           |
| `fields` | array  | Array of fields usual configurations. Ignores the [Sections](https://docs.alchemy-options.com/v0.9/fields/sections) field. See a more detailed [description](#description). **(required)** |
| `tab`    | string | Specifies in which tab this option will be rendered                                                                                                                                        |

## Return value

The Field Group returns an associative array, where array keys are the IDs of the `fields` array items. E.g. the [configuration example](#example-configuration) above may return

```php
array(
    'title' => 'Lorem ipsum',
    'content' => 'Dolor sit',
),
```

The `default` parameter of the `alch_get_option()` will be returned if **all** of the fields in the group return a default value, otherwise the value array will contain only those fields that have values. In the example above it will be possible for the return value to be

```php
array(
    'content' => 'Dolor sit',
),
```

if a user hasn't filled in the `title` field.


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