Conditional field values based on another document type in Sanity

8 repliesLast updated: Nov 29, 2025

Question about configuring the schemas in the Studio:
I have a document type called

position

to represent a political position of a public figure. The position document has the fields

issue

(the name of the issue, i.e. abortion, gun control, etc), and

stance

, i.e. pro-choice, pro-life, pro-gun control, pro-2nd amendment, etc.
What I would like to do is have the value of

issue

and the value of

stance

to be restricted based on another document type called

positionDefinition

. So,

positionDefinition

would have the fields

issueName

(string) and

stances

(an array of strings). To create a

position

the editor has to first create a

positionDefinition

. Then they can create a

position

document where the

issue

field is one from a

positionDefinition

and the

stance

is one of the stances that were defined for that issue in

positionDefinition

.
Does that make sense, is it possible to do?

AI Update

Yes, this makes perfect sense and is absolutely possible! What you're describing is a dependent field pattern where the available options in one field are determined by the value of another field, and both are constrained by a separate definition document. This is a great use case for custom input components.

Here's how to implement it:

Schema Setup

First, define your schemas:

// positionDefinition.ts
export default {
  name: 'positionDefinition',
  title: 'Position Definition',
  type: 'document',
  fields: [
    {
      name: 'issueName',
      title: 'Issue Name',
      type: 'string',
      validation: Rule => Rule.required()
    },
    {
      name: 'stances',
      title: 'Stances',
      type: 'array',
      of: [{type: 'string'}],
      validation: Rule => Rule.required().min(1)
    }
  ]
}

// position.ts
import { IssueInput } from './components/IssueInput'
import { StanceInput } from './components/StanceInput'

export default {
  name: 'position',
  title: 'Position',
  type: 'document',
  fields: [
    {
      name: 'issue',
      title: 'Issue',
      type: 'string',
      components: {
        input: IssueInput
      }
    },
    {
      name: 'stance',
      title: 'Stance',
      type: 'string',
      components: {
        input: StanceInput
      }
    }
  ]
}

Custom Input Components

Now create the custom components using useFormValue and useClient:

// components/IssueInput.tsx
import { StringInputProps, useClient } from 'sanity'
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
import { Select } from '@sanity/ui'

export function IssueInput(props: StringInputProps) {
  const { value, onChange } = props
  const client = useClient({ apiVersion: '2024-01-01' })
  const [issues, setIssues] = useState<Array<{ _id: string; issueName: string }>>([])

  useEffect(() => {
    client
      .fetch('*[_type == "positionDefinition"]{ _id, issueName }')
      .then(setIssues)
  }, [client])

  return (
    <Select
      value={value || ''}
      onChange={(event) => onChange(event.currentTarget.value)}
    >
      <option value="">Select an issue...</option>
      {issues.map((issue) => (
        <option key={issue._id} value={issue.issueName}>
          {issue.issueName}
        </option>
      ))}
    </Select>
  )
}

// components/StanceInput.tsx
import { StringInputProps, useClient, useFormValue } from 'sanity'
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
import { Select, Stack, Text } from '@sanity/ui'

export function StanceInput(props: StringInputProps) {
  const { value, onChange } = props
  const client = useClient({ apiVersion: '2024-01-01' })
  
  // Access the current document's issue field using useFormValue
  const selectedIssue = useFormValue(['issue']) as string | undefined
  
  const [stances, setStances] = useState<string[]>([])

  useEffect(() => {
    if (!selectedIssue) {
      setStances([])
      return
    }

    client
      .fetch(
        '*[_type == "positionDefinition" && issueName == $issue][0].stances',
        { issue: selectedIssue }
      )
      .then((result) => setStances(result || []))
  }, [client, selectedIssue])

  if (!selectedIssue) {
    return (
      <Stack space={3}>
        <Text size={1} muted>
          Please select an issue first
        </Text>
      </Stack>
    )
  }

  return (
    <Select
      value={value || ''}
      onChange={(event) => onChange(event.currentTarget.value)}
    >
      <option value="">Select a stance...</option>
      {stances.map((stance) => (
        <option key={stance} value={stance}>
          {stance}
        </option>
      ))}
    </Select>
  )
}

How It Works

IssueInput: Fetches all positionDefinition documents using useClient and displays their issueName values as dropdown options
StanceInput: Uses useFormValue(['issue']) to access the currently selected issue value from the document, then fetches the corresponding stances from the matching positionDefinition
The stance field automatically updates when the issue changes, showing only the relevant stances for that issue

The key here is the useFormValue hook, which replaced the older withDocument HOC in Studio v3. It allows you to access any field value in the current document, enabling the dependent field behavior you need.

Alternative: Using References for Better Data Integrity

Instead of storing the issue as a string, you could use a reference field for even better data integrity:

{
  name: 'issueRef',
  title: 'Issue',
  type: 'reference',
  to: [{type: 'positionDefinition'}]
}

Then in your StanceInput, you'd dereference it:

const issueRef = useFormValue(['issueRef']) as { _ref: string } | undefined

useEffect(() => {
  if (!issueRef?._ref) {
    setStances([])
    return
  }
  
  client
    .fetch('*[_id == $id][0].stances', { id: issueRef._ref })
    .then((result) => setStances(result || []))
}, [client, issueRef])

This approach ensures that if you rename an issue in positionDefinition, all existing position documents automatically reflect the change, and you maintain referential integrity.

Important Notes

Make sure to include the dependency array in useEffect to avoid excessive API requests
The useClient hook must be called within a React function component, not at the top level
If you want to make the stance field conditionally required, check out the conditional fields documentation for validation patterns

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