# Headless engine

@pretable/core is the framework-agnostic state + row-model engine beneath <Pretable>. Bring your own rendering.


`@pretable/core` is the engine that sits beneath `<Pretable>`. It owns filtering, sorting, selection, focus, column layout, and data transactions, and exposes them as a `useSyncExternalStore`-ready store: `subscribe` for change notifications, `getSnapshot` for the current state. It is framework-agnostic — no React peer dependency, no DOM, no styling.

<Callout type="warning">
  The engine owns **state and the row model** — it does not render, measure, or
  virtualize. `getSnapshot().visibleRows` is the rows passing the current
  filter, in sort order: the full logical set, **not** a viewport window.
  Windowing, virtualization, and the DOM are what `@pretable/react` adds on top.
</Callout>

## When to reach for it

Use `@pretable/core` directly when you're building something the React surface can't express:

- A custom or non-table layout (cards, a board, a tree) driven by grid state.
- A renderer that isn't React.
- Grid logic embedded inside your own component system.

If you just want a table in a React app, use [`<Pretable>`](/docs/grid/pretable-component) or [`<PretableSurface>`](/docs/grid/pretable-surface) — they wire the engine to a virtualized renderer for you.

## Install

```bash
npm i @pretable/core
```

## Next

<Card title="First headless grid" href="/docs/headless/getting-started">
  `createGrid` + `useSyncExternalStore`, rendering your own table from the
  engine's snapshot.
</Card>