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useForm

useForm is used to manage forms. It returns the necessary properties and methods to control the Antd Form. It has been developed by using useForm imported from the @refinedev/core package.

Good to know:

All the data related hooks (useTable, useForm, useList etc.) of Refine can be given some common properties like resource, meta etc.

For more information, refer to the General Concepts documentation.

Usage

We will show the basic usage of useForm by adding an editing form.

pages/posts/edit.tsx
import { Edit, useForm } from "@refinedev/antd";
import { Form, Input, Select } from "antd";

export const PostEdit: React.FC = () => {
const { formProps, saveButtonProps } = useForm<IPost>();

return (
<Edit saveButtonProps={saveButtonProps}>
<Form {...formProps} layout="vertical">
<Form.Item label="Title" name="title">
<Input />
</Form.Item>
<Form.Item label="Status" name="status">
<Select
options={[
{
label: "Published",
value: "published",
},
{
label: "Draft",
value: "draft",
},
{
label: "Rejected",
value: "rejected",
},
]}
/>
</Form.Item>
</Form>
</Edit>
);
};

interface IPost {
id: number;
title: string;
status: "published" | "draft" | "rejected";
}

formProps includes all necessary values to manage Ant Design Form components.

In the example if you navigate to /posts/edit/1234 it will manage the data of the post with id of 1234 in an editing context. See the action section below on how useForm determines this is an editing context.

Since this is an edit form it will fill the form with the data of the post with the id of 1234 and then the form will be ready to edit further and submit the changes.

Submit functionality is provided by saveButtonProps which includes all of the necessary props for a button to submit a form including the automatically updating loading states.

useForm accepts type parameters for the record in use and for the response type of the mutation. IPost in the example represents the record to edit. It is also used as the default type for mutation response.

If you want to show a form in a modal or drawer where necessary route params might not be there you can use the useModalForm or the useDrawerForm hook.

For more detailed usage examples, refer to the Ant Design Form documentation.

Properties

action

useForm can handle edit, create and clone actions.

By default, it determines the action from route. The action is inferred by matching the resource's action path with the current route.

It can be overridden by passing the action prop where it isn't possible to determine the action from the route (e.g. when using form in a modal or using a custom route).

action: "create" is used for creating new records. useForm uses useCreate under the hood for mutations on create mode.

In the following example, we will show how to use useForm with action: "create":

localhost:3000/posts/create
import React from "react";

import { Create, useForm } from "@refinedev/antd";
import { Form, Input } from "antd";

interface IPost {
id: number;
title: string;
content: string;
}

const PostCreatePage: React.FC = () => {
const { formProps, saveButtonProps } = useForm<IPost>();

return (
<Create saveButtonProps={saveButtonProps}>
<Form {...formProps} layout="vertical">
<Form.Item
label="Title"
name="title"
rules={[
{
required: true,
},
]}
>
<Input />
</Form.Item>
<Form.Item
label="Content"
name="content"
rules={[
{
required: true,
},
]}
>
<Input.TextArea />
</Form.Item>
</Form>
</Create>
);
};

resource

resource will be passed to the dataProvider's method as a params. This parameter is usually used to as a API endpoint path but it all depends on how to handle the resource in your dataProvider. By default it uses the inferred resource name from the route.

For more information on how resource is handled, refer to the creating a data provider section

useForm({
resource: "categories",
});

If the resource is passed, the id from the current URL will be ignored because it may belong to a different resource. To retrieve the id value from the current URL, use the useParsed hook and pass the id value to the useForm hook.

import { useForm } from "@refinedev/antd";
import { useParsed } from "@refinedev/core";

const { id } = useParsed();

useForm({
resource: "custom-resource",
id,
});

Or you can use the setId function to set the id value.

import { useForm } from "@refinedev/antd";

const { setId } = useForm({
resource: "custom-resource",
});

setId("123");

If you have multiple resources with the same name, you can pass the identifier instead of the name of the resource. It will only be used as the main matching key for the resource, data provider methods will still work with the name of the resource defined in the <Refine/> component.

For more information, refer to the identifier section of the <Refine/> component documentation

id

id is used for determining the record to edit or clone. By default the id is determinted from the route. It can be changed with the setId function or the id property. Keep in mind that id is required for action: "edit" and action: "clone".

It is useful when you want to edit or clone a resource from a different page.

useForm({
action: "edit", // or clone
resource: "categories",
id: 1, // <BASE_URL_FROM_DATA_PROVIDER>/categories/1
});

redirect

redirect is used for determining the page to redirect after the form is submitted. By default, it uses the list. It can be changed with the redirect property.

It can be set to "show" | "edit" | "list" | "create" or false to prevent the page from redirecting to the list page after the form is submitted.

useForm({
redirect: false,
});

onMutationSuccess

onMutationSuccess is a callback function that will be called after a successful mutation.

It receives the following parameters:

  • data: Returned value from useCreate or useUpdate depending on the action.
  • variables: The variables passed to the mutation.
  • context: react-query context.
  • isAutoSave: It's a boolean value that indicates whether the mutation is triggered by the autoSave feature or not.
useForm({
onMutationSuccess: (data, variables, context, isAutoSave) => {
console.log({ data, variables, context, isAutoSave });
},
});

onMutationError

It's a callback function that will be called after a mutation fails.

It receives the following parameters:

  • data: Returned value from useCreate or useUpdate depending on the action.
  • variables: The variables passed to the mutation.
  • context: react-query context.
  • isAutoSave: It's a boolean value that indicates whether the mutation is triggered by the autoSave feature or not.
useForm({
onMutationError: (data, variables, context, isAutoSave) => {
console.log({ data, variables, context, isAutoSave });
},
});

invalidates

You can use invalidates to manage the invalidations that will occur at the end of the mutation.

By default it's invalidates following queries from the current resource:

  • on create or clone mode: "list" and "many"
  • on edit mode: "list", "many" and "detail"
useForm({
invalidates: ["list", "many", "detail"],
});

dataProviderName

If there is more than one dataProvider, you should pass the name of the dataProvider you are going to use to dataProviderName.

If you want to use a different dataProvider on all resource pages, you can use the dataProvider prop of the <Refine> component.

useForm({
dataProviderName: "second-data-provider",
});

mutationMode

Mutation mode determines which mode the mutation runs with. Mutations can run under three different modes: pessimistic, optimistic and undoable. Default mode is pessimistic. Each mode corresponds to a different type of user experience.

useForm({
mutationMode: "undoable", // "pessimistic" | "optimistic" | "undoable",
});

For more information about mutation modes, refer to the Mutation Mode documentation

successNotification

NotificationProvider is required for this prop to work.

successNotification allows you to customize the success notification that pops up after the form is submitted, and useForm calls the open function from NotificationProvider:

useForm({
successNotification: (data, values, resource) => {
return {
message: `Post Successfully created with ${data.title}`,
description: "Success with no errors",
type: "success",
};
},
});

errorNotification

NotificationProvider is required for this prop to work.

errorNotification allows you to customize the error notification that pops up after the form submission fails, and useForm calls the open function from NotificationProvider:

useForm({
action: "create",
resource: "post",
errorNotification: (data, values, resource) => {
return {
message: `Something went wrong when deleting ${data.id}`,
description: "Error",
type: "error",
};
},
});
Default values
{
"message": "Error when updating <resource-name> (status code: ${err.statusCode})" or "Error when creating <resource-name> (status code: ${err.statusCode})",
"description": "Error",
"type": "error",
}

meta

meta is a special property that can be used to pass additional information to data provider methods for the following purposes:

  • Customizing the data provider methods for specific use cases.
  • Generating GraphQL queries using plain JavaScript Objects (JSON).
  • Providing additional parameters to the redirection path after the form is submitted.

For more information, refer to the meta section of the General Concepts documentation

In the following example, we pass the headers property in the meta object to the create method. With similar logic, you can pass any properties to specifically handle the data provider methods.

useForm({
meta: {
headers: { "x-meta-data": "true" },
},
});

const myDataProvider = {
//...
create: async ({ resource, variables, meta }) => {
const headers = meta?.headers ?? {};
const url = `${apiUrl}/${resource}`;

const { data } = await httpClient.post(url, variables, { headers });

return {
data,
};
},
//...
};

queryMeta

In addition to the meta property, you can also pass the queryMeta property to the useForm hook. This property is used to pass additional information to the useOne hook that is used to fetch the data in the edit and clone modes. This is useful when you have to apply different values to the useOne hook from the useCreate or useUpdate hook mutations.

useForm({
queryMeta: {
querySpecificValue: "someValue",
},
});

If you have overlapping properties in both meta and queryMeta, the queryMeta property will be used.

mutationMeta

In addition to the meta property, you can also pass the mutationMeta property to the useForm hook. This property is used to pass additional information to the useCreate or useUpdate hook mutations. This is useful when you have to apply different values to the useCreate or useUpdate hooks from the useOne hook query.

useForm({
mutationMeta: {
mutationSpecificValue: "someValue",
},
});

If you have overlapping properties in both meta and mutationMeta, the mutationMeta property will be used.

queryOptions

In the edit and clone modes, Refine uses useOne hook to fetch data. You can pass the queryOptions options by passing the queryOptions property. This property will only work in the edit and clone actions.

useForm({
queryOptions: {
retry: 3,
},
});

createMutationOptions

In the create and clone modes, Refine uses the useCreate hook to create data. You can pass mutationOptions by passing the createMutationOptions property. This property will only work in the create and clone actions.

useForm({
createMutationOptions: {
retry: 3,
},
});

updateMutationOptions

In the edit mode, Refine uses useUpdate hook to update data. You can pass mutationOptions by passing updateMutationOptions property. This property will only work in the edit action.

useForm({
updateMutationOptions: {
retry: 3,
},
});

warnWhenUnsavedChanges

When set to true, warnWhenUnsavedChanges shows a warning when the user tries to leave the page with unsaved changes. It is used to prevent the user from accidentally leaving the page. It is false by default

It can be set globally in Refine config.

useForm({
warnWhenUnsavedChanges: true,
});

submitOnEnter

When it's true, submitOnEnter will submit the form when the enter key is pressed. It can be used to prevent the user from accidentally leaving the page. It is false by default

useForm({
submitOnEnter: true,
});

liveMode

LiveProvider is required for this prop to work.

liveMode is where you can choose whether to update data automatically ("auto") or not ("manual") if a related live event is received. It can be used to update and show data in real time throughout your app.

useForm({
liveMode: "auto",
});

onLiveEvent

LiveProvider is required for this prop to work.

onLiveEvent is the callback function that is executed when new events from a subscription are arrived.

useForm({
onLiveEvent: (event) => {
console.log(event);
},
});

liveParams

LiveProvider is required for this prop to work.

Params to pass to liveProvider's subscribe method.

overtimeOptions

If you want loading overtime for the request, you can pass the overtimeOptions prop to the this hook. It is useful when you want to show a loading indicator when the request takes too long. interval is the time interval in milliseconds. onInterval is the function that will be called on each interval.

Return overtime object from this hook. elapsedTime is the elapsed time in milliseconds. It becomes undefined when the request is completed.

const { overtime } = useForm({
//...
overtimeOptions: {
interval: 1000,
onInterval(elapsedInterval) {
console.log(elapsedInterval);
},
},
});

console.log(overtime.elapsedTime); // undefined, 1000, 2000, 3000 4000, ...

// You can use it like this:
{
elapsedTime >= 4000 && <div>this takes a bit longer than expected</div>;
}

autoSave

If you want to save the form automatically after some delay when user edits the form, you can pass true to autoSave.enabled prop.

By default the autoSave feature does not invalidate queries. However, you can use the invalidateOnUnmount prop to invalidate queries upon unmount.

It also supports onMutationSuccess and onMutationError callback functions. You can use isAutoSave parameter to determine whether the mutation is triggered by autoSave or not.

autoSave feature operates exclusively in edit mode. Users can take advantage of this feature while editing data, as changes are automatically saved in editing mode. However, when creating new data, manual saving is still required.

onMutationSuccess and onMutationError callbacks will be called after the mutation is successful or failed.

enabled

To enable the autoSave feature, set the enabled parameter to true. By default, it is false.

useForm({
autoSave: {
enabled: true,
},
});

debounce

Set the debounce time for the autoSave prop. By default, it is 1000 milliseconds.

useForm({
autoSave: {
enabled: true,
debounce: 2000,
},
});

onFinish

If you want to modify the data before sending it to the server, you can use onFinish callback function.

useForm({
autoSave: {
enabled: true,
onFinish: (values) => {
return {
foo: "bar",
...values,
};
},
},
});

invalidateOnUnmount

This prop is useful when you want to invalidate the list, many and detail queries from the current resource when the hook is unmounted. By default, it invalidates the list, many and detail queries associated with the current resource. Also, You can use the invalidates prop to select which queries to invalidate. By default, it is false.

useForm({
autoSave: {
enabled: true,
invalidateOnUnmount: true,
},
});

Return Values

All Refine Core's useForm return values also available in useForm.

form

It's a <Form> instance. You can refer to Antd <Form> documentation for more information.

formProps

It's required to manage <Form> state and actions.

onFinish

onFinish is called when the form is submitted. It will call the appropriate mutation based on the action property.

The only difference between onFinish and formProps.onFinish is that passing a value to formProps.onFinishis mandatory, whereas onFinish can automatically retrieve values from the form state.

onValuesChange

The warnWhenUnsavedChanges feature requires this function to work. If you want to override the form's onValuesChange, keep this in mind.

onKeyUp

onKeyUp is a function that will be called when a key is pressed. By default, it will call form.submit() function when the pressed key is Enter.

initialValues

When action is set to "edit" or "clone", initialValues will be set to the data returned from useOne hook.

saveButtonProps

It contains all the props needed by the "submit" button within the form (disabled,loading etc.). When saveButtonProps.onClick is called, it triggers form.submit(). You can manually pass these props to your custom button.

formLoading

formLoading is the loading state of a modal. It's true when useForm is currently being submitted or data is being fetched for the "edit" or "clone" mode.

queryResult

If the action is set to "edit" or "clone" or if a resource with an id is provided, useForm will call useOne and set the returned values as the queryResult property.

const { queryResult } = useForm();

const { data } = queryResult;

mutationResult

When in "create" or "clone" mode, useForm will call useCreate. When in "edit" mode, it will call useUpdate and set the resulting values as the mutationResult property.

const { mutationResult } = useForm();

const { data } = mutationResult;

setId

useForm determine the id from the router. If you want to change the id dynamically, you can use the setId function.

const { id, setId } = useForm();

const handleIdChange = (id: string) => {
setId(id);
};

return (
<div>
<input value={id} onChange={(e) => handleIdChange(e.target.value)} />
</div>
);

redirect

By default, after a successful mutation, useForm will redirect to the "list" page. To redirect to a different page, you can either use the redirect function to programmatically specify the destination, or set the redirect property in the hook's options.

In the following example, we redirect to the "show" page after a successful mutation:

const { onFinish, redirect } = useForm();

// --

const handleSubmit = async (e: React.FormEvent<HTMLFormElement>) => {
e.preventDefault();
const data = await onFinish(formValues);
redirect("show", data?.data?.id);
};

// --

onFinish

onFinish is a function that is called when the form is submitted. It will call the appropriate mutation based on the action property. You can override the default behavior by passing an onFinish function in the hook's options.

For example you can change values before sending to the API.

overtime

overtime object is returned from this hook. elapsedTime is the elapsed time in milliseconds. It becomes undefined when the request is completed.

const { overtime } = useForm();

console.log(overtime.elapsedTime); // undefined, 1000, 2000, 3000 4000, ...

autoSaveProps

If autoSave is enabled, this hook returns autoSaveProps object with data, error, and status properties from mutation.

FAQ

How can Invalidate other resources?

You can invalidate other resources with help of useInvalidate hook.

It is useful when you want to invalidate other resources don't have relation with the current resource.

import { useForm } from "@refinedev/antd";

const PostEdit = () => {
const invalidate = useInvalidate();

useForm({
onMutationSuccess: (data, variables, context) => {
invalidate({
resource: "users",
invalidates: ["resourceAll"],
});
},
});

// ---
};

How can I change the form data before submitting it to the API?

Here is an example where we modify the form data before submit:

We need to send the values we received from the user in two separate inputs, name and surname, to the API as fullName.

pages/user/create.tsx
import { Create, useForm } from "@refinedev/antd";
import { Form, Input } from "antd";
import React from "react";

export const UserCreate: React.FC = () => {
const { formProps, saveButtonProps, onFinish } = useForm();

const handleOnFinish = (values) => {
onFinish({
fullName: `${values.name} ${values.surname}`,
});
};

return (
<Create saveButtonProps={saveButtonProps}>
<Form {...formProps} onFinish={handleOnFinish} layout="vertical">
<Form.Item label="Name" name="name">
<Input />
</Form.Item>
<Form.Item label="Surname" name="surname">
<Input />
</Form.Item>
</Form>
</Create>
);
};

How to pass meta values only for the mutation or query?

You can use the meta property to pass common values to the mutation and the query. But in some cases, you may want to pass different values to the mutation and the query. To do this, you can use mutationMeta and queryMeta properties.

API Reference

Properties

*: These props have default values in RefineContext and can also be set on <Refine> component. useForm will use what is passed to <Refine> as default but a local value will override it.


Type Parameters

PropertyDescriptionTypeDefault
TQueryFnDataResult data returned by the query function. Extends BaseRecordBaseRecordBaseRecord
TErrorCustom error object that extends HttpErrorHttpErrorHttpError
TVariablesValues for params.{}
TDataResult data returned by the select function. Extends BaseRecord. If not specified, the value of TQueryFnData will be used as the default value.BaseRecordTQueryFnData
TResponseResult data returned by the mutation function. Extends BaseRecord. If not specified, the value of TData will be used as the default value.BaseRecordTData
TResponseErrorCustom error object that extends HttpError. If not specified, the value of TError will be used as the default value.HttpErrorTError

Return values

PropertyDescriptionType
onFinishTriggers the mutation(values?: TVariables) => Promise<CreateResponse<TData> | UpdateResponse<TData> | void>
formAnt Design form instanceFormInstance
formPropsAnt Design form propsFormProps
saveButtonPropsProps for a submit button{ disabled: boolean; onClick: () => void; loading?:boolean; }
redirectRedirect function for custom redirections(redirect: "list"|"edit"|"show"|"create"| false ,idFromFunction?: BaseKey|undefined) => data
queryResultResult of the query of a recordQueryObserverResult<T>
mutationResultResult of the mutation triggered by submitting the formUseMutationResult<T>
formLoadingLoading state of form requestboolean
idRecord id for clone and create actionBaseKey
setIdid setterDispatch<SetStateAction< string | number | undefined>>
overtimeOvertime loading props{ elapsedTime?: number }
autoSavePropsAuto save props{ data: UpdateResponse<TData> | undefined, error: HttpError | null, status: "loading" | "error" | "idle" | "success" }

Example

Run on your local
npm create refine-app@latest -- --example form-antd-use-form