Payload CMS Release: 3.34.0

TL;DR

Payload CMS v3.34.0 brings significant improvements to querying capabilities, UI enhancements, and performance optimizations. Key features include support for querying by join fields and configurable time formats for scheduled publishing. The release also fixes numerous UI issues, particularly in the rich text editor and form handling, while improving documentation and test coverage.

Highlight of the Release

• Support for where querying by join fields, crucial for bi-directional relationships
• Configurable time format (12/24 hour) and intervals for scheduled publishing
• Significant performance improvements in the rich text editor with debounced onChange handler
• Fixed form state race conditions for more reliable data handling
• Improved filtering with multi-select inputs for text and number fields in the where builder

Migration Guide

No breaking changes are included in this release, so migration should be straightforward. Simply update your Payload CMS version:

npm install [email protected]
# or
yarn add [email protected]
# or
pnpm add [email protected]

If you're using the rich text editor extensively and have implemented custom onChange handlers, you may want to review the changes in the debounced handler implementation to ensure compatibility with your custom code.

Upgrade Recommendations

This release is recommended for all users, especially those who:

1. Use rich text editors extensively and have experienced performance issues
2. Need to query by join fields for bi-directional relationships
3. Have encountered issues with form state race conditions
4. Use PostgreSQL with long field names
5. Need more flexible time format options for scheduled publishing

The upgrade is low-risk as it contains no breaking changes, and the performance improvements for the rich text editor alone make it worthwhile for most users.

Bug Fixes

UI Improvements

• Fixed image previews getting stuck when paginating in list views
• Added multi-select inputs for text and number fields when using in & not_in operators in filters
• Fixed array minimum row validation incorrectly showing for non-required fields with no rows
• Fixed value not resetting in where builder when operator changes
• Improved handling of upload edits for bulk uploads
• Fixed orderable table rendering issues
• Now properly preferring adminThumbnail even for non-image files

Form State and Data Handling

• Fixed race conditions in form state that could cause local changes to be overridden
• Ensured file field is only serialized at top-level for upload-enabled collections
• Fixed querying by polymorphic join field relationTo with overrideAccess: false

Database and Field Handling

• Fixed long array field table aliases causing errors in PostgreSQL even when dbName is used
• Fixed issue where join fields couldn't be defined when the target relationship is nested in a second or higher tab
• Fixed CSS for rich text diff component not being included in CSS bundle

New Features

Support for where Querying by Join Fields

Now you can query collections based on join field values, which is especially useful for bi-directional relationships. For example:

const categories = await payload.find({
  collection: 'categories',
  where: { 'relatedPosts.title': { equals: 'my-title' } },
})

This feature enables more powerful querying capabilities and can be used for access control.

Configurable Time Format for Scheduled Publishing

You can now customize the time format and intervals for scheduled publishing with new configuration options:

versions: {
  drafts: {
    schedulePublish: {
      timeFormat: 'HH:mm', // 24-hour format (default is 12-hour)
      timeIntervals: 5, // Time slot intervals in minutes
    },
  },
},

This allows for better adaptation to different regional preferences and workflow needs.

Security Updates

The release includes a security update by bumping the image-size package to version 2.0.2, which contains a fix for a potential DDOS vulnerability. The updated package also brings performance benefits as it now has no dependencies and improved overall performance.

Performance Improvements

Rich Text Editor Performance

The rich text editor has been significantly optimized by debouncing the onChange handler using requestIdleCallback. This addresses a critical performance issue where typing in the editor could be laggy on devices without high-end CPUs.

Before this change, the editor state serialization was executed on every keystroke, causing UI stuttering and high CPU utilization. The optimization reduces Input Delay from several seconds to around 200-350ms, making the typing experience much smoother.

This improvement is particularly noticeable when:

• Working on larger documents
• Using devices with limited processing power
• Working with complex rich text content

The implementation carefully preserves all editor functionality while ensuring the UI remains responsive during typing.

Impact Summary

Payload CMS v3.34.0 delivers significant improvements across several areas, with the most notable being enhanced querying capabilities and performance optimizations.

The addition of support for where querying by join fields unlocks more powerful data relationships, especially for bi-directional relationships. This enables developers to build more sophisticated content models and access control patterns.

Performance improvements to the rich text editor address a critical usability issue, making the typing experience much smoother, especially on less powerful devices. This change alone significantly improves the content editing experience.

The UI enhancements, particularly around filtering with multi-select inputs and improved form state handling, make the admin interface more intuitive and reliable. The fixes for image previews and upload handling also contribute to a more polished user experience.

For administrators, the new time format configuration options for scheduled publishing provide more flexibility to adapt to regional preferences and workflow needs.

Overall, this release represents a solid improvement to both developer and content editor experiences without introducing breaking changes.

Full Release Notes