🔧 Simplifying Form Validation: React Hook Form vs Traditional Methods

import React, { useState } from "react";

const SimpleForm = () => {

  const [formData, setFormData] = useState({
    firstName: "",
    lastName: "",
    email: "",
    password: "",
    // ... other fields
  });
  const [errors, setErrors] = useState({});
  const [isSubmitting, setIsSubmitting] = useState(false);

  const handleChange = (e) => {
    const { name, value } = e.target;
    setFormData({
      ...formData,
      [name]: value,
    });
  };

  const handleSubmit = (e) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    setIsSubmitting(true);
    const newErrors = {};

    // Validation logic
    if (!formData.firstName) newErrors.firstName = "First Name is Required";

    if (!formData.lastName) newErrors.lastName = "Last Name is Required";

    if (!formData.email.match(/^\S+@\S+$/i)) newErrors.email = "Invalid email address";

    if (!formData.password.match(/^(?=.*[a-z])(?=.*[A-Z])(?=.*\d)(?=.*[@$!%*?&])[A-Za-z\d@$!%*?&]{8,}$/)) newErrors.password = "Invalid password";

    // ... more validation rules

    if (Object.keys(newErrors).length > 0) {
      setErrors(newErrors);
      return;
    }

    // Submit form data
    try {
      const response = await simulateApiCall(formData);
      console.log("Success: ", response);
    } catch (error) {
      console.error(error);
      setError({ root: error.message });
    } finally {
      setIsSubmitting(false)
    }

  };

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      <input
        name="firstName"
        value={formData.firstName}
        onChange={handleChange}
      />
      {errors.firstName && <p>{errors.firstName}</p>}

      <input
        name="lastName"
        value={formData.lastName}
        onChange={handleChange}
      />
      {errors.lastName && <p>{errors.lastName}</p>}      

      <input
        name="email"
        value={formData.email}
        onChange={handleChange}
      />
      {errors.email && <p>{errors.email}</p>}


      <input
        type="password"
        name="password"
        value={formData.password}
        onChange={handleChange}
      />
      {errors.password && <p>{errors.password}</p>}

      {/* More form fields */}

      <button type="submit" disabled={isSubmitting}>
        {isSubmitting ? "Submitting..." : "Submit"}
      </button>
    </form>
  );
};

npm install react-hook-form

import React from "react";

// useForm is the hook which is given by react-hook-form
import { useForm } from "react-hook-form";

const ReactHookForm = () => {

  const {
    register,
    handleSubmit,
    setError,
    formState: { errors, isSubmitting },
  } = useForm();

  const onSubmit = (data) => {
    // Submit form data
    try {
      const response = await simulateApiCall(formData);
      console.log("Success: ", response);
    } catch (error) {
      console.error(error);
      setError({ root: error.message });
    }
  };

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit(onSubmit)}>
      <input
        {...register("firstName", { required: "First Name is required" 
        })}
      />

      {errors.firstName && <p>{errors.firstName.message}</p>}

      <input
        {...register("lastName", { required: "Last Name is required" 
        })}
      />

      {errors.lasttName && <p>{errors.lasttName.message}</p>}      

      <input
        {...register("email", {
          required: "Email is required",
          pattern: { value: /^\S+@\S+$/i, message: "Invalid email address" }
        })}
      />

      {errors.email && <p>{errors.email.message}</p>}

      <input
        {...register("password", { required: "First Name is required",
         pattern: { value: /^(?=.*[a-z])(?=.*[A-Z])(?=.*\d)(?=.*[@$!%*?&])[A-Za-z\d@$!%*?&]{8,}$/, message: "Invalid password"}
        })}
      />

      {errors.firstName && <p>{errors.firstName.message}</p>}      

      {/* More form fields */}

      <button type="submit" disabled={isSubmitting}>
        {isSubmitting ? "Submitting..." : "Submit"}
      </button>

    </form>
  );
};