UI Libraries

Usage of TanStack Form with UI Libraries

TanStack Form is a headless library, offering you complete flexibility to style it as you see fit. It's compatible with a wide range of UI libraries, including Tailwind, Material UI, Mantine, or even plain CSS.

This guide focuses on Material UI and Mantine, but the concepts are applicable to any UI library of your choice.

Prerequisites

Before integrating TanStack Form with a UI library, ensure the necessary dependencies are installed in your project:

Note: While you can mix and match libraries, it's generally advisable to stick with one to maintain consistency and minimize bloat.

Example with Mantine

Here's an example demonstrating the integration of TanStack Form with Mantine components:

tsx
import { TextInput, Checkbox } from '@mantine/core'
import { useForm } from '@tanstack/react-form'
export default function App() {
const { Field, handleSubmit, state } = useForm({
defaultValues: {
firstName: '',
lastName: '',
isChecked: false,
},
onSubmit: async ({ value }) => {
// Handle form submission
console.log(value)
},
})
return (
<>
<form
onSubmit={(e) => {
e.preventDefault()
handleSubmit()
}}
>
<Field
name="firstName"
children={({ state, handleChange, handleBlur }) => (
<TextInput
defaultValue={state.value}
onChange={(e) => handleChange(e.target.value)}
onBlur={handleBlur}
placeholder="Enter your name"
/>
)}
/>
<Field
name="isChecked"
children={({ state, handleChange, handleBlur }) => (
<Checkbox
onChange={(e) => handleChange(e.target.checked)}
onBlur={handleBlur}
checked={state.value}
/>
)}
/>
</form>
<div>
<pre>{JSON.stringify(state.values, null, 2)}</pre>
</div>
</>
)
}
  • Initially, we utilize the useForm hook from TanStack and destructure the necessary properties. This step is optional; alternatively, you could use const form = useForm() if preferred. TypeScript's type inference ensures a smooth experience regardless of the approach.
  • The Field component, derived from useForm, accepts several properties, such as validators. For this demonstration, we focus on two primary properties: name and children.
    • The name property identifies each Field, for instance, firstName in our example.
    • The children property leverages the concept of render props, allowing us to integrate components without unnecessary abstractions.
  • TanStack's design relies heavily on render props, providing access to children within the Field component. This approach is entirely type-safe. When integrating with Mantine components, such as TextInput, we selectively destructure properties like state.value, handleChange, and handleBlur. This selective approach is due to the slight differences in types between TextInput and the field we get in the children.
  • By following these steps, you can seamlessly integrate Mantine components with TanStack Form.
  • This methodology is equally applicable to other components, such as Checkbox, ensuring consistent integration across different UI elements.

Usage with Material UI

The process for integrating Material UI components is similar. Here's an example using TextField and Checkbox from Material UI:

tsx
<Field
name="lastName"
children={({ state, handleChange, handleBlur }) => {
return (
<TextField
id="filled-basic"
label="Filled"
variant="filled"
defaultValue={state.value}
onChange={(e) => handleChange(e.target.value)}
onBlur={handleBlur}
placeholder="Enter your last name"
/>
);
}}
/>
<Field
name="isMuiCheckBox"
children={({ state, handleChange, handleBlur }) => {
return (
<MuiCheckbox
onChange={(e) => handleChange(e.target.checked)}
onBlur={handleBlur}
checked={state.value}
/>
);
}}
/>
  • The integration approach is the same as with Mantine.
  • The primary difference lies in the specific Material UI component properties and styling options.
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