insertFragment will not removeEmpty

[tomdyqin]

Description

when i call editor.tf.insertFragment(tableNode) at empty p, it will insert tableNode after p

import { insertFragment } from 'slate';

editor.tf.insertFragment(tableNode); // it will insert tableNode after p
insertFragment(editor, tableNode); // it will remove empty p

Reproduction URL

No response

Reproduction steps

1. Go to editor
2. Create a new p
3. call `editor.tf.insertFragment(tableNode)`
4. See error

Plate version

49.1.5

Slate React version

0.117.1

Screenshots

Logs

Browsers

No response

[dosubot[bot]]

This difference happens because Plate's insertFragment (editor.tf.insertFragment) uses its own transform and normalization system, which enforces a "must have at least one block" rule. So when you insert a table at an empty paragraph, Plate inserts the table after the paragraph instead of replacing it, while Slate's insertFragment replaces the empty paragraph as you expect. This is a known difference in Plate's transform pipeline and normalization logic discussion.

If you want to remove the empty paragraph after inserting a table, you can add a custom normalizer or plugin to clean up empty paragraphs after fragment insertion. Plate's transform factory system allows you to hook into or override core transforms like insertFragment, so you can post-process the document and remove empty paragraphs as needed notes.

For inspiration, see how others add normalization logic in callbacks (like onSync) to handle unwanted empty paragraphs discussion. You can adapt this approach to your use case by writing a plugin or a custom normalization step that runs after table insertion.

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[tomdyqin]

i try set rules: {merge: { removeEmpty: true, }} but it not work

[dosubot[bot]]

This is expected—rules: {merge: { removeEmpty: true }} only applies in certain merge or normalization flows, not all fragment insertions. Plate’s editor.tf.insertFragment (especially for tables) uses custom logic that often bypasses these rules and runs inside a withoutNormalizing block, so the empty paragraph isn’t removed automatically. Slate’s insertFragment normalizes inline, which is why it works there.

To get the behavior you want, call editor.normalize() (or trigger a custom cleanup) right after editor.tf.insertFragment(tableNode). This will remove any empty paragraphs left behind. There isn’t a built-in way to guarantee this happens automatically for all plugin logic in Plate right now.
Reference

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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