Name the column of any table, and keep Column checked

table/src/-private/-type-tests/any-column.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import { headlessTable } from '../../index.ts';
+
+import type { AnyColumn, AnyTable, CellContext } from '../../index.ts';
+import type { ComponentLike } from '@glint/template';
+
+interface Person {
+  name: string;
+}
+declare const people: Person[];
+interface MenuMeta {
+  hidingDisabled?: boolean;
+}
+
+declare const GroupedCell: ComponentLike<
+  CellContext<Person> & { groupBy: 'day' | 'week' }
+>;
+
+const table = headlessTable(
+  {},
+  {
+    columns: () => [
+      { key: 'name', Cell: GroupedCell, meta: { hidingDisabled: true } },
+    ],
+    data: () => people,
+  },
+);
+
+// Code that reads a column, whatever its Cells ask for, and names no args.
+function isLocked(column: AnyColumn<Person, MenuMeta>) {
+  return column.meta?.hidingDisabled ?? false;
+}
+function columnCount(table: AnyTable<Person, MenuMeta>) {
+  return table.columns.length;
+}
+
+isLocked(table.columns[0]!);
+columnCount(table);

table/src/-private/any.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import type { Column } from './column.ts';
+import type { Table } from './table.ts';
+
+/**
+ * A column of any table, for code that reads a column without rendering its Cell.
+ *
+ * The args of a `Cell` are the args of a function, so a column that carries them
+ * is not a column that carries none. Code that only reads `key`, `name` or `meta`
+ * would have to name those args and then ignore them. This says "any args" instead.
+ *
+ * ```ts
+ * function widthOf(column: AnyColumn<Person, ExportMeta>) {
+ *   return column.meta?.width;
+ * }
+ * ```
+ */
+export type AnyColumn<T = unknown, ColumnMeta = unknown> = Column<
+  T,
+  ColumnMeta,
+  any,
+  any
+>;
+
+/**
+ * A table of any shape, the counterpart of `AnyColumn`.
+ */
+export type AnyTable<T = unknown, ColumnMeta = unknown> = Table<
+  T,
+  ColumnMeta,
+  any,
+  any
+>;

table/src/index.ts

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ export { deserializeSorts, serializeSorts } from './utils.ts';
  * Public Types
  *******************************/
 export type { Column } from './-private/column.ts';
+export type { AnyColumn, AnyTable } from './-private/any.ts';
 export type {
   CellContext,
   ColumnConfig,