fix(table-core): clear row value caches when column defs are replaced

[ahmadelsayed97]

🎯 Changes

Fixes #5363. Supersedes #5582, whose diagnosis this builds on; @takoshi credited there.

• Clear _valuesCache and _uniqueValuesCache on every built row from table_setOptions when options.columns identity changes, so a replaced accessorFn is read again.
• Empty both caches in place rather than replacing them. Sorted and grouped row clones copy these objects by reference via copyInstancePropertiesWithoutMemos, so they are invalidated alongside their source rows.
• Guard the walk on table._rowModels.coreRowModel so it never forces the core row model to build.
• Add regression coverage for a replaced accessorFn through row_getValue and row_getUniqueValues, and for the replacement accessor running exactly once per read cycle.

Rows are only rebuilt when options.data identity changes (createCoreRowModel memo deps are [table.options.data]), and both caches are keyed by column id, so rows outlive a column-definition swap holding values the previous accessor produced.

Performance impact: row_getValue and row_getUniqueValues are untouched, so the per-cell read path is unchanged. Comparing accessor identity on read, as #5582 did, puts a getColumn dispatch on the cache-hit path; at 20k rows x 10 columns with every value warm that measured ~56ms per pass against ~6.5ms on main. Interleaved runs of this change against main show no measurable difference: 6.7 / 7.4 / 7.9ms on main, 6.0 / 6.7 / 5.8ms here. The clear is O(rows) and runs only when column definitions are replaced. createGroupedRowModel's separate _valuesCache path needs no change; options.columns is already in its memo deps, so those rows are rebuilt and the stale values reaching them came from the leaf rows.

Validation:

• pnpm --filter @tanstack/table-core test:lib — 1333 passed, and the three new tests confirmed failing on main
• pnpm --filter @tanstack/react-table test:lib — 34 passed
• pnpm --filter @tanstack/table-core test:types
• ESLint and Prettier

✅ Checklist

• I have followed the steps in the Contributing guide.
• I have tested code changes locally with pnpm test and pnpm test:e2e, or these tests do not apply to this pull request.
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🚀 Release Impact

• This change affects published code, and I have generated a changeset.
• This change is docs/CI/dev-only (no release).

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Bug Fixes
  • Fixed stale row values after replacing column definitions or accessor logic.
  • Row values and unique values now correctly reflect updated accessors.
  • Preserved row instances while ensuring updated values are returned consistently.

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• packages/table-core/src/core/table/coreTablesFeature.utils.ts
• packages/table-core/tests/unit/core/rows/coreRowsFeature.utils.test.ts

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

The change clears cached row values when column definitions change. Tests verify updated accessorFn results, preserved row instances, single re-evaluation, and refreshed unique values. A patch changeset documents the fix.

Changes

Accessor cache invalidation

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Column change cache invalidation packages/table-core/src/core/table/coreTablesFeature.utils.ts	Adds cache clearing for row values and unique values when merged column definitions change.
Accessor replacement regression coverage packages/table-core/tests/unit/core/rows/coreRowsFeature.utils.test.ts, .changeset/stale-accessor-values.md	Tests refreshed accessor results, row identity preservation, single re-evaluation, and unique-value cache invalidation. Adds a patch changeset for @tanstack/table-core.

Estimated code review effort: 2 (Simple) | ~10 minutes

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to 73908

The change refreshes row values when column accessors are replaced without altering the normal read path or deployment behavior. No actionable merge-blocking risk remains after normal checks and review.

Suggested reviewers: kevinvandy, riccardoperra

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 60.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 5 functions across 2 files.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly summarizes the primary change: clearing row value caches when column definitions are replaced.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description follows the required template. It explains the change, records validation, completes the checklist, and documents release impact with a changeset.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	The changes address issue #5363 by invalidating row value caches when column definitions change, while preserving column IDs and associated sort state. The regression tests cover the affected read pat…
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	The changeset, cache invalidation helper, and regression tests are directly related to the linked issue and pull request objectives. No unrelated code changes are identified.

Full details: Linked Issues check

Explanation

The changes address issue #5363 by invalidating row value caches when column definitions change, while preserving column IDs and associated sort state. The regression tests cover the affected read paths.

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Actionable comments posted: 1

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Inline comments:
In `@packages/table-core/src/core/table/coreTablesFeature.utils.ts`:
- Line 247: In the options update flow surrounding optionsStore.set, call
table_clearRowValueCaches before publishing mergedOptions so synchronous
subscribers cannot observe stale row values; preserve the existing mergedOptions
assignment and notification behavior.

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📥 Commits

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📒 Files selected for processing (3)

• .changeset/stale-accessor-values.md
• packages/table-core/src/core/table/coreTablesFeature.utils.ts
• packages/table-core/tests/unit/core/rows/coreRowsFeature.utils.test.ts

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