Pagination Configuration

Pagination controls how many records are loaded at once when operators browse a collection. Getting it right balances user experience, showing enough records to be useful, with query performance on large tables.

Default Behavior

When an operator opens a collection, Forest loads records in pages. Two requests are sent to your back-end for each page load:

A query to fetch the records for the current page
A query to count the total number of records (used to display page numbers and totals)

By default, collections show 15 records per page.

Changing the Page Size

The page size is part of the collection’s layout, so the value you set applies to all operators, not just you. It is not a personal, per-operator preference. To change it:

Enter Layout Editor mode
Open the collection’s table view
Use the page-size selector at the bottom-right of the table and pick a value
The new page size is saved to the layout and applies to everyone

Page-size selector at the bottom-right of the table view

Increasing the page size on slow queries significantly impacts load time. Always test with realistic data volumes before changing the default for large tables.

Disabling the Record Count

The total record count query can be expensive on large tables, especially if the query involves complex filters, joins, or a database without good index coverage. If the total count isn’t needed, disable it per collection:

agent.customizeCollection('orders', collection => {
  collection.disableCount();
});

@create_agent.customize_collection('orders') do |collection|
  collection.disable_count
end

@create_agent.collection :orders do |collection|
  collection.disable_count
end

agent.customize_collection("orders").disable_count()

use ForestAdmin\AgentPHP\DatasourceCustomizer\CollectionCustomizer;

$forestAgent->customizeCollection(
  'Orders',
  function (CollectionCustomizer $builder) {
    $builder->disableCount();
  }
);

When count is disabled, the total number of records and page count are not displayed in the table view. Operators can still paginate forward and backward through records.

Disabling count is especially useful for collections backed by large analytical tables, external APIs, or data sources where a COUNT query is particularly slow.

Performance Recommendations

Scenario	Recommendation
Table has millions of rows	Disable count, use smaller page sizes (10–25)
Frequent segment or filter use	Add database indexes on filtered fields
Table view has relationship columns	Remove relationship columns from the table view, each row triggers an extra query
Smart Fields in table view	Hide Smart Fields not needed at a glance, they compute per row

For more optimization strategies, see Layout Maintenance.

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Project Settings

Default Behavior

Changing the Page Size

Disabling the Record Count

Performance Recommendations

​Default Behavior

​Changing the Page Size

​Disabling the Record Count

​Performance Recommendations

Default Behavior

Changing the Page Size

Disabling the Record Count

Performance Recommendations