---
title: Formisch
description: Build forms in React using Formisch and Valibot.
links:
  doc: https://formisch.dev
---

import { InfoIcon } from "lucide-react"

This guide covers building forms with [Formisch](https://formisch.dev), the lightweight, schema-first, and fully type-safe form library for React. We'll create forms with the `<Field />` component, validate them with Valibot schemas, handle errors, and ensure accessibility.

## Demo

We'll build the following form. It has a simple text input and a textarea. On submit, we'll validate the form data and display any errors.

<Callout icon={<InfoIcon />}>
  **Note:** For the purpose of this demo, we have intentionally disabled browser
  validation to show how schema validation and form errors work in Formisch. It
  is recommended to add basic browser validation in your production code.
</Callout>

<ComponentPreview
  styleName="new-york-v4"
  name="form-formisch-demo"
  className="sm:[&_.preview]:h-[700px]"
  chromeLessOnMobile
/>

## Approach

This form leverages Formisch for headless, schema-first form handling. We'll build our form using the `<Field />` component, which gives you **complete flexibility over the markup and styling**.

- Uses Formisch's `useForm` hook for form state management.
- `<Form />` component to wrap the native `<form>` element with submit handling.
- `<Field />` render-prop component for controlled inputs.
- Schema validation using [Valibot](https://valibot.dev).
- Type-safe field paths inferred from the schema.

## Form Methods

Formisch exposes form operations as **top-level functions** rather than methods on a form object. Import only what you need:

```ts
import { getInput, insert, reset, submit } from "@formisch/react"
```

Every method follows the same signature: the **first parameter is always the form store**, and the **second parameter (if necessary) is always a config object**.

```ts
// Read a field value
const email = getInput(form, { path: ["email"] })

// Reset the form with new initial values
reset(form, { initialInput: { email: "", password: "" } })

// Move an item in a field array
move(form, { path: ["items"], from: 0, to: 3 })
```

This design keeps the API flexible and consistent across all methods. You'll see the same `(form, config)` shape used throughout this guide for reading state (`getInput`, `getErrors`), writing state (`setInput`, `setErrors`), form control (`submit`, `validate`, `focus`), and array operations (`insert`, `remove`, `move`, `swap`, `replace`). See the [full methods reference](https://formisch.dev/react/guides/form-methods) for details.

## Anatomy

Here's a basic example of a form using the `<Field />` component from Formisch and the shadcn `<Field />` component.

```tsx showLineNumbers {3-21}
<Form of={form} onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
  <FieldGroup>
    <FormischField of={form} path={["title"]}>
      {(field) => (
        <Field data-invalid={field.errors !== null}>
          <FieldLabel htmlFor="form-title">Bug Title</FieldLabel>
          <Input
            {...field.props}
            id="form-title"
            value={field.input}
            aria-invalid={field.errors !== null}
            placeholder="Login button not working on mobile"
            autoComplete="off"
          />
          <FieldDescription>
            Provide a concise title for your bug report.
          </FieldDescription>
          {field.errors && (
            <FieldError errors={field.errors.map((message) => ({ message }))} />
          )}
        </Field>
      )}
    </FormischField>
  </FieldGroup>
</Form>
```

<Callout icon={<InfoIcon />}>
  **Note:** Formisch ships its own `Field` component. To avoid a name clash with
  the shadcn `Field`, the examples below import the Formisch one as
  `FormischField` and keep the shadcn `Field` under its original name. In your
  own code you can alias either side — just be consistent.
</Callout>

## Form

### Create a form schema

We'll start by defining the shape of our form using a Valibot schema. Formisch infers all input and output types directly from this schema.

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx"
import * as v from "valibot"

const FormSchema = v.object({
  title: v.pipe(
    v.string(),
    v.minLength(5, "Bug title must be at least 5 characters."),
    v.maxLength(32, "Bug title must be at most 32 characters.")
  ),
  description: v.pipe(
    v.string(),
    v.minLength(20, "Description must be at least 20 characters."),
    v.maxLength(100, "Description must be at most 100 characters.")
  ),
})
```

### Set up the form

Next, we'll use the `useForm` hook from Formisch to create our form instance. The schema is passed directly to `useForm` — there is no resolver step.

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx" {1-2,21-25}
import { Form, Field as FormischField, useForm } from "@formisch/react"
import type { SubmitHandler } from "@formisch/react"
import * as v from "valibot"

const FormSchema = v.object({
  title: v.pipe(
    v.string(),
    v.minLength(5, "Bug title must be at least 5 characters."),
    v.maxLength(32, "Bug title must be at most 32 characters.")
  ),
  description: v.pipe(
    v.string(),
    v.minLength(20, "Description must be at least 20 characters."),
    v.maxLength(100, "Description must be at most 100 characters.")
  ),
})

export function BugReportForm() {
  const form = useForm({
    schema: FormSchema,
    initialInput: {
      title: "",
      description: "",
    },
  })

  const handleSubmit: SubmitHandler<typeof FormSchema> = (output) => {
    // Do something with the validated form values.
    console.log(output)
  }

  return (
    <Form of={form} onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      {/* ... */}
      {/* Build the form here */}
      {/* ... */}
    </Form>
  )
}
```

The `<Form />` component wraps a native `<form>` element. It calls `event.preventDefault()`, runs validation, and only invokes `onSubmit` when the data is valid. The `output` you receive is fully typed from the schema.

### Build the form

We can now build the form using the `<Field />` component from Formisch and the shadcn `<Field />` component.

<ComponentSource
  src="/registry/new-york-v4/examples/form-formisch-demo.tsx"
  title="form.tsx"
/>

### Done

That's it. You now have a fully accessible form with client-side validation.

When you submit the form, the `handleSubmit` function will be called with the validated form data. If the form data is invalid, Formisch will populate `field.errors` for each invalid field and the UI will display them.

## Validation

### Client-side Validation

Formisch validates your form data using the Valibot schema you pass to `useForm`. There is no resolver — the schema is the single source of truth for both runtime validation and static types.

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx" {1,3-6,11}
import { useForm } from "@formisch/react"

const FormSchema = v.object({
  title: v.string(),
  description: v.optional(v.string()),
})

export function ExampleForm() {
  const form = useForm({
    schema: FormSchema,
    initialInput: {
      title: "",
      description: "",
    },
  })
}
```

### Validation Modes

Formisch separates the **first** validation from **subsequent** validations. You configure them with the `validate` and `revalidate` options on `useForm`.

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx" {3-4}
const form = useForm({
  schema: FormSchema,
  validate: "blur",
  revalidate: "input",
})
```

| Option       | Value       | Description                                                     |
| ------------ | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `validate`   | `"submit"`  | Validate on form submission (default).                          |
| `validate`   | `"blur"`    | Validate when a field loses focus.                              |
| `validate`   | `"input"`   | Validate on every input change.                                 |
| `validate`   | `"initial"` | Validate immediately on form creation.                          |
| `revalidate` | `"input"`   | Revalidate on every input change after the first run (default). |
| `revalidate` | `"blur"`    | Revalidate on blur after the first run.                         |
| `revalidate` | `"submit"`  | Revalidate only on form submission.                             |

## Displaying Errors

Display errors next to the field using `<FieldError />`. Formisch returns errors as an array of strings, so map them to the shape `<FieldError />` expects. For styling and accessibility:

- Add the `data-invalid` prop to the `<Field />` component.
- Add the `aria-invalid` prop to the form control such as `<Input />`, `<SelectTrigger />`, `<Checkbox />`, etc.

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx" {3,10,12-14}
<FormischField of={form} path={["email"]}>
  {(field) => (
    <Field data-invalid={field.errors !== null}>
      <FieldLabel htmlFor="form-email">Email</FieldLabel>
      <Input
        {...field.props}
        id="form-email"
        value={field.input}
        type="email"
        aria-invalid={field.errors !== null}
      />
      {field.errors && (
        <FieldError errors={field.errors.map((message) => ({ message }))} />
      )}
    </Field>
  )}
</FormischField>
```

## Working with Different Field Types

Formisch exposes two ways to bind a field to an element:

- **Native HTML elements** (like `<Input />` and `<Textarea />`) — spread `field.props` and provide `value={field.input}`. Formisch wires up `name`, `ref`, `onChange`, `onBlur`, and `onFocus` for you.
- **Component-library inputs** (like Radix-based `<Select />`, `<Checkbox />`, `<RadioGroup />`, `<Switch />`) — read the value from `field.input` and call `field.onChange(value)` to update it.

### Input

- For input fields, spread `field.props` and provide `value={field.input}`.
- To show errors, add the `aria-invalid` prop to the `<Input />` component and the `data-invalid` prop to the `<Field />` component.

<ComponentPreview
  styleName="new-york-v4"
  name="form-formisch-input"
  className="sm:[&_.preview]:h-[700px]"
  chromeLessOnMobile
/>

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx" {5-8}
<FormischField of={form} path={["username"]}>
  {(field) => (
    <Field data-invalid={field.errors !== null}>
      <FieldLabel htmlFor="form-username">Username</FieldLabel>
      <Input
        {...field.props}
        id="form-username"
        value={field.input}
        aria-invalid={field.errors !== null}
      />
      {field.errors && (
        <FieldError errors={field.errors.map((message) => ({ message }))} />
      )}
    </Field>
  )}
</FormischField>
```

### Textarea

- For textarea fields, spread `field.props` and provide `value={field.input}`.
- To show errors, add the `aria-invalid` prop to the `<Textarea />` component and the `data-invalid` prop to the `<Field />` component.

<ComponentPreview
  styleName="new-york-v4"
  name="form-formisch-textarea"
  className="sm:[&_.preview]:h-[700px]"
  chromeLessOnMobile
/>

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx" {7-10}
<FormischField of={form} path={["about"]}>
  {(field) => (
    <Field data-invalid={field.errors !== null}>
      <FieldLabel htmlFor="form-about">More about you</FieldLabel>
      <Textarea
        {...field.props}
        id="form-about"
        value={field.input}
        aria-invalid={field.errors !== null}
        placeholder="I'm a software engineer..."
        className="min-h-[120px]"
      />
      <FieldDescription>
        Tell us more about yourself. This will be used to help us personalize
        your experience.
      </FieldDescription>
      {field.errors && (
        <FieldError errors={field.errors.map((message) => ({ message }))} />
      )}
    </Field>
  )}
</FormischField>
```

### Select

- For select components, read `field.input` and call `field.onChange` from `<Select />`'s `onValueChange`.
- To show errors, add the `aria-invalid` prop to the `<SelectTrigger />` component and the `data-invalid` prop to the `<Field />` component.

<ComponentPreview
  styleName="new-york-v4"
  name="form-formisch-select"
  className="sm:[&_.preview]:h-[500px]"
  chromeLessOnMobile
/>

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx" {15-19}
<FormischField of={form} path={["language"]}>
  {(field) => (
    <Field orientation="responsive" data-invalid={field.errors !== null}>
      <FieldContent>
        <FieldLabel htmlFor="form-language">Spoken Language</FieldLabel>
        <FieldDescription>
          For best results, select the language you speak.
        </FieldDescription>
        {field.errors && (
          <FieldError errors={field.errors.map((message) => ({ message }))} />
        )}
      </FieldContent>
      <Select value={field.input} onValueChange={field.onChange}>
        <SelectTrigger
          id="form-language"
          aria-invalid={field.errors !== null}
          className="min-w-[120px]"
        >
          <SelectValue placeholder="Select" />
        </SelectTrigger>
        <SelectContent position="item-aligned">
          <SelectItem value="auto">Auto</SelectItem>
          <SelectItem value="en">English</SelectItem>
        </SelectContent>
      </Select>
    </Field>
  )}
</FormischField>
```

### Checkbox

- For checkbox arrays, read `field.input` and update it from `onCheckedChange` using `field.onChange`.
- To show errors, add the `aria-invalid` prop to the `<Checkbox />` component and the `data-invalid` prop to the `<Field />` component.
- Remember to add `data-slot="checkbox-group"` to the `<FieldGroup />` component for proper styling and spacing.

<ComponentPreview
  styleName="new-york-v4"
  name="form-formisch-checkbox"
  className="sm:[&_.preview]:h-[700px]"
  chromeLessOnMobile
/>

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx" {16,19-25}
<FormischField of={form} path={["tasks"]}>
  {(field) => (
    <FieldSet>
      <FieldLegend variant="label">Tasks</FieldLegend>
      <FieldDescription>
        Get notified when tasks you&apos;ve created have updates.
      </FieldDescription>
      <FieldGroup data-slot="checkbox-group">
        {tasks.map((task) => (
          <Field
            key={task.id}
            orientation="horizontal"
            data-invalid={field.errors !== null}
          >
            <Checkbox
              id={`form-checkbox-${task.id}`}
              aria-invalid={field.errors !== null}
              checked={field.input?.includes(task.id) ?? false}
              onCheckedChange={(checked) => {
                const current = field.input ?? []
                field.onChange(
                  checked === true
                    ? [...current, task.id]
                    : current.filter((value) => value !== task.id)
                )
              }}
            />
            <FieldLabel
              htmlFor={`form-checkbox-${task.id}`}
              className="font-normal"
            >
              {task.label}
            </FieldLabel>
          </Field>
        ))}
      </FieldGroup>
      {field.errors && (
        <FieldError errors={field.errors.map((message) => ({ message }))} />
      )}
    </FieldSet>
  )}
</FormischField>
```

### Radio Group

- For radio groups, read `field.input` and call `field.onChange` from `onValueChange`.
- To show errors, add the `aria-invalid` prop to the `<RadioGroupItem />` component and the `data-invalid` prop to the `<Field />` component.

<ComponentPreview
  styleName="new-york-v4"
  name="form-formisch-radiogroup"
  className="sm:[&_.preview]:h-[700px]"
  chromeLessOnMobile
/>

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx" {9-13,21}
<FormischField of={form} path={["plan"]}>
  {(field) => (
    <FieldSet>
      <FieldLegend>Plan</FieldLegend>
      <FieldDescription>
        You can upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time.
      </FieldDescription>
      <RadioGroup value={field.input} onValueChange={field.onChange}>
        {plans.map((plan) => (
          <FieldLabel key={plan.id} htmlFor={`form-radiogroup-${plan.id}`}>
            <Field
              orientation="horizontal"
              data-invalid={field.errors !== null}
            >
              <FieldContent>
                <FieldTitle>{plan.title}</FieldTitle>
                <FieldDescription>{plan.description}</FieldDescription>
              </FieldContent>
              <RadioGroupItem
                value={plan.id}
                id={`form-radiogroup-${plan.id}`}
                aria-invalid={field.errors !== null}
              />
            </Field>
          </FieldLabel>
        ))}
      </RadioGroup>
      {field.errors && (
        <FieldError errors={field.errors.map((message) => ({ message }))} />
      )}
    </FieldSet>
  )}
</FormischField>
```

### Switch

- For switches, read `field.input` and call `field.onChange` from `onCheckedChange`.
- To show errors, add the `aria-invalid` prop to the `<Switch />` component and the `data-invalid` prop to the `<Field />` component.

<ComponentPreview
  styleName="new-york-v4"
  name="form-formisch-switch"
  className="sm:[&_.preview]:h-[500px]"
  chromeLessOnMobile
/>

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx" {15-19}
<FormischField of={form} path={["twoFactor"]}>
  {(field) => (
    <Field orientation="horizontal" data-invalid={field.errors !== null}>
      <FieldContent>
        <FieldLabel htmlFor="form-twoFactor">
          Multi-factor authentication
        </FieldLabel>
        <FieldDescription>
          Enable multi-factor authentication to secure your account.
        </FieldDescription>
        {field.errors && (
          <FieldError errors={field.errors.map((message) => ({ message }))} />
        )}
      </FieldContent>
      <Switch
        id="form-twoFactor"
        checked={field.input ?? false}
        onCheckedChange={field.onChange}
        aria-invalid={field.errors !== null}
      />
    </Field>
  )}
</FormischField>
```

### Complex Forms

Here is an example of a more complex form with multiple fields and validation.

<ComponentPreview
  styleName="new-york-v4"
  name="form-formisch-complex"
  className="sm:[&_.preview]:h-[1300px]"
  chromeLessOnMobile
/>

## Resetting the Form

Formisch exposes a top-level `reset` function. Pass the form store to reset it to its initial input.

```tsx showLineNumbers
<Button type="button" variant="outline" onClick={() => reset(form)}>
  Reset
</Button>
```

You can also reset to new initial values, or reset while keeping the user's current input:

```tsx showLineNumbers
// Reset to a fresh set of initial values
reset(form, { initialInput: { title: "", description: "" } })

// Sync the baseline to new server data, but keep the user's edits
reset(form, { initialInput: serverData, keepInput: true })
```

## Array Fields

Formisch provides a `<FieldArray />` component and a set of helper functions for managing dynamic array fields. Use it whenever you need to add, remove, or reorder items.

<ComponentPreview
  styleName="new-york-v4"
  name="form-formisch-array"
  className="sm:[&_.preview]:h-[700px]"
  chromeLessOnMobile
/>

### Using FieldArray

`<FieldArray />` follows the same render-prop pattern as `<Field />`. Its `items` array contains a stable key per item that you should use as the React `key`.

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx" {1,7-22}
import {
  Field as FormischField,
  FieldArray,
  insert,
  remove,
} from "@formisch/react"

export function ExampleForm() {
  // ... form config

  return (
    <FieldArray of={form} path={["emails"]}>
      {(fieldArray) => (
        <FieldGroup className="gap-4">
          {fieldArray.items.map((item, index) => (
            <FormischField
              key={item}
              of={form}
              path={["emails", index, "address"]}
            >
              {(field) => /* ... */}
            </FormischField>
          ))}
        </FieldGroup>
      )}
    </FieldArray>
  )
}
```

### Array Field Structure

Wrap your array fields in a `<FieldSet />` with a `<FieldLegend />` and `<FieldDescription />`.

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx"
<FieldSet className="gap-4">
  <FieldLegend variant="label">Email Addresses</FieldLegend>
  <FieldDescription>
    Add up to 5 email addresses where we can contact you.
  </FieldDescription>
  <FieldGroup className="gap-4">{/* Array items go here */}</FieldGroup>
</FieldSet>
```

### Adding Items

Use the `insert` function to add new items to the array. By default new items are appended to the end. You can also pass an `at` index to insert at a specific position.

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx"
<Button
  type="button"
  variant="outline"
  size="sm"
  onClick={() =>
    insert(form, { path: ["emails"], initialInput: { address: "" } })
  }
  disabled={fieldArray.items.length >= 5}
>
  Add Email Address
</Button>
```

### Removing Items

Use the `remove` function with an `at` index to remove items from the array.

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx"
import { remove } from "@formisch/react"

{
  fieldArray.items.length > 1 && (
    <InputGroupAddon align="inline-end">
      <InputGroupButton
        type="button"
        variant="ghost"
        size="icon-xs"
        onClick={() => remove(form, { path: ["emails"], at: index })}
        aria-label={`Remove email ${index + 1}`}
      >
        <XIcon />
      </InputGroupButton>
    </InputGroupAddon>
  )
}
```

Formisch also exposes `move`, `swap`, and `replace` for reordering and replacing items. They follow the same `(form, config)` signature.

### Array Validation

Use Valibot's `array` and pipeline validators to constrain array fields.

```tsx showLineNumbers title="form.tsx"
const FormSchema = v.object({
  emails: v.pipe(
    v.array(
      v.object({
        address: v.pipe(
          v.string(),
          v.nonEmpty("Enter an email address."),
          v.email("Enter a valid email address.")
        ),
      })
    ),
    v.minLength(1, "Add at least one email address."),
    v.maxLength(5, "You can add up to 5 email addresses.")
  ),
})
```
