(Angular Reactive) Forms with Benefits 😉
How many times have you told yourself "I wish Angular Reactive Forms would support types", or "I really want an API to query the form reactively. It missed some methods."
Your wish is my command!
This library extends every Angular AbstractControl
, and provides features that don't exist in the original one. It adds types, reactive queries, and helper methods. The most important thing is that you can start using it today! In most cases, the only thing that you need to change is the import
path. So don't worry, no form refactoring required - we've got you covered;
Let's take a look at all the neat things we provide:
✅ Offers (almost) seamless FormControl
, FormGroup
, FormArray
Replacement
✅ Allows Typed Forms!
✅ Provides Reactive Queries
✅ Provides Helpful Methods
✅ Typed and DRY ControlValueAccessor
✅ Typed FormBuilder
✅ Persist the form's state to local storage
👉 npm install @ngneat/reactive-forms
- Control Type
- Control Queries
- Control Methods
- Control Operators
- ControlValueAccessor
- Form Builder
- Persist Form
- ESLint Rule
FormControl/FormArray
takes a generic that defines the type
of the control. This type
is then used to enhance every method exposed by Angular or this library.
Use it with a FormControl
:
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl<string>();
// Or auto infer it based on the initial value
const control = new FormControl('');
control.valueChanges.subscribe(value => {
// value is typed as string
});
Use it with a FormArray
:
import { FormArray, FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormArray<string>([new FormControl('')]);
control.value$.subscribe(value => {
// value is typed as string[]
});
If you use a FormGroup
, it'll automatically infer the type
based on the controls
you supply:
import { FormGroup, FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const profileForm = new FormGroup({
firstName: new FormControl(''),
lastName: new FormControl(''),
address: new FormGroup({
street: new FormControl(''),
city: new FormControl('')
})
});
profileForm.setValue(new Profile());
profileForm.patchValue({ firstName: 'Netanel' });
You can use the experimental ControlsOf
feature if you want to force a FormGroup
to implement an external type
:
import { FormGroup, FormControl, ControlsOf } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
interface Profile {
firstName: string;
lastName: string;
address: {
street: string;
city: string;
};
}
const profileForm = new FormGroup<ControlsOf<Profile>>({
firstName: new FormControl(''),
lastName: new FormControl(''),
address: new FormGroup({
street: new FormControl(''),
city: new FormControl('')
})
});
- When using
array
types, it'll automatically infer it asFormArray
. If you need aFormControl
, you must set it within your interface explicitly:
interface User {
name: string;
// 👇🏻
skills: FormControl<string[]>;
}
- Optional fields will only work with top-level values, and will not work with
FormGroup
:
interface User {
name?: string;
foo?: string[];
// 👇🏻 will not work
nested?: {
id: string;
};
}
Observes the control's value. Unlike the behavior of the built-in valueChanges
observable, it emits the current rawValue
immediately (which means you'll also get the values of disabled
controls).
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.value$.subscribe(value => ...);
Observes the control's disable
status.
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.disabled$.subscribe(isDisabled => ...);
Observes the control's enable
status.
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.enabled$.subscribe(isEnabled => ...);
Observes the control's invalid
status.
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.invalid$.subscribe(isInvalid => ...);
Observes the control's valid
status.
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.valid$.subscribe(isValid => ...);
Observes the control's status
.
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.status$.subscribe(status => ...);
The status
is typed
as ControlState
(valid, invalid, pending or disabled).
Observes the control's touched
status.
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.touch$.subscribe(isTouched => ...);
This emits a value only when markAsTouched
, or markAsUnTouched
, has been called.
Observes the control's dirty
status.
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.dirty$.subscribe(isDirty => ...);
This emits a value only when markAsDirty
, or markAsPristine
, has been called.
Observes the control's errors
.
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.errors$.subscribe(errors => ...);
Selects a slice
of the form's state based on the given predicate.
import { FormGroup } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const group = new FormGroup({
name: new FormControl('')
});
group.select(state => state.name).subscribe(name => ...)
In addition to the built-in method functionality, it can also take an observable
.
import { FormGroup } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const group = new FormGroup({
name: new FormControl('')
});
group.setValue(store.select('formValue'));
In addition to the built-in method functionality, it can also take an observable
.
import { FormGroup } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const group = new FormGroup({
name: new FormControl('')
});
group.patchValue(store.select('formValue'));
Takes an observable that emits a boolean indicating whether to disable
the control.
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.disabledWhile(store.select('isDisabled'));
Takes an observable that emits a boolean
indicating whether to enable
the control.
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.enabledWhile(store.select('isEnabled'));
Marks all the group's controls as dirty
.
import { FormGroup } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormGroup();
control.markAllAsDirty();
A syntactic sugar method to be used in the template:
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('', Validators.required);
<span *ngIf="control.hasErrorAndTouched('required')"></span>
A syntactic sugar method to be used in the template:
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('', Validators.required);
<span *ngIf="control.hasErrorAndDirty('required')"></span>
Sets whether the control is enabled
.
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.setEnable();
control.setEnable(false);
Sets whether the control is disabled
.
import { FormControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormControl('');
control.setDisable();
control.setDisable(false);
A method with typed
parameters which obtains a reference to a specific control.
import { FormGroup } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const group = new FormGroup({
name: new FormControl(''),
address: new FormGroup({
street: new FormControl(''),
city: new FormControl('')
})
});
const name = group.get('name'); // FormControl<string>
const city = group.get(['address', 'city']); // FormControl<string>
// Don't use it like this
group.get('address.city') // AbstractControl
Merge validation errors. Unlike setErrors()
, this will not overwrite errors already held by the control.
import { FormGroup } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const group = new FormGroup(...);
group.mergeErrors({ customError: true });
Remove an error by key from the control.
import { FormGroup } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const group = new FormGroup(...);
group.removeError('customError');
Remove a control from an array based on its value
import { FormArray } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const array = new FormArray<string>(...);
// Remove empty strings
array.remove('')
Remove a control from an array based on a predicate
import { FormArray } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const array = new FormArray(...);
// Only keep addresses in NYC
array.removeIf((control) => control.get('address').get('city').value !== 'New York')
Each valueChanges
or values$
takes an operator diff()
, which emits only changed parts of form:
import { FormGroup, FormControl, diff } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const control = new FormGroup({
name: new FormControl(''),
phone: new FormGroup({
num: new FormControl(''),
prefix: new FormControl('')
}),
skills: new FormArray<string>([])
});
control.value$
.pipe(diff())
.subscribe(value => {
// value is emitted only if it has been changed, and only the changed parts.
});
The library exposes a typed
version of ControlValueAccessor
, which already implements registerOnChange
and registerOnTouched
under the hood:
import { ControlValueAccessor } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
@Component({
selector: 'my-checkbox',
host: { '(change)': 'onChange($event.target.checked)', '(blur)': 'onTouched()' },
providers: [
{
provide: NG_VALUE_ACCESSOR,
useExisting: MyCheckboxComponent,
multi: true
}
]
})
export class MyCheckboxComponent extends ControlValueAccessor<boolean> {
writeValue(value: boolean) {
}
// `this.onChange`, and `this.onTouched` are already here!
}
Note that you can also use it as interface
.
We also introduce a typed
version of FormBuilder
which returns a typed
FormGroup
, FormControl
and FormArray
with all our sweet additions:
import { FormBuilder } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
constructor(
private fb: FormBuilder
) {}
const group = this.fb.group({ name: 'ngneat', id: 1 });
group.get('name') // FormControl<string>
Due to the complexity of the builder API, we are currently couldn't create a "good" implementation of ControlsOf
for the builder.
Automatically persist the AbstractControl
's value to the given storage:
import { persistControl } from '@ngneat/reactive-forms';
const group = new FormGroup(...);
const unsubscribe = persistControl(group, 'profile').subscribe();
The persistControl
function will also set the FromGroup
value to the latest state available in the storage before subscribing to value changes.
Change the target storage or debounceTime
value by providing options as a second argument in the persist
function call.
Option | Description | Default |
---|---|---|
debounceTime |
Update delay in ms between value changes | 250 |
manager |
A manager implementing the PersistManager interface |
LocalStorageManager |
arrControlFactory |
Factory functions for FormArray |
|
persistDisabledControls |
Defines whether values of disabled controls should be persisted | false |
By default the library provides LocalStorageManager
and SessionStorageManager
. It's possible to store the form value into a custom storage. Just implement the PersistManager
interface, and use it when calling the persistControl
function.
export class StateStoreManager<T> implements PersistManager<T> {
setValue(key: string, data: T) {
...
}
getValue(key: string) {
...
}
}
export class FormComponent implements OnInit {
group = new FormGroup();
ngOnInit() {
persist(this.group, 'profile', { manager: new StateStoreManager() }).subscribe();
}
}
When working with a FormArray
, it's required to pass a factory
function that defines how to create the controls
inside the FormArray
.
const group = new FormGroup({
skills: new FormArray<string>([])
});
persist(group, 'profile', {
arrControlFactory: {
skills: value => new FormControl(value)
}
});
Because the form is strongly typed, you can only configure factories for properties that are of type Array
. The library makes it also possible to correctly infer the type of value
for the factory function.
We provide a special lint rule that forbids the imports of any token we expose, such as the following:
AbstractControl
,
AsyncValidatorFn
,
ControlValueAccessor
,
FormArray
,
FormBuilder
,
FormControl
,
FormGroup
,
ValidatorFn
,
from @angular/forms
.
Check out the documentation.