Text Fields

Text fields are used to allow users to input plain text into a form.

Text fields are implemented with the input element for a single line of text or the textarea element for multiple lines of text.

Features

• Uses input or textarea elements as a base.
• Labels, descriptions, and error message displays are automatically linked to input and label elements with aria-* attributes.
• Validation support with native HTML constraint validation or Standard Schema validation.
• Support for v-model binding.

Anatomy

Label

Label

Value

Input

Help text

Description or Error Message

Building a Text Field Component

You can start by importing the useTextField composable and using it in your text field component.

The useTextField composable returns binding objects for the elements shown in the anatomy. You will use v-bind to bind them to the corresponding DOM elements.

TextField.vue

App.vue

<script setup lang="ts">
import TextField from './TextField.vue';
import { ref } from 'vue';

const name = ref('');
</script>

<template>
  <TextField v-model="name" label="Your name" />
</template>

<script setup lang="ts">
import { type TextFieldProps, useTextField } from '@formwerk/core';

const props = defineProps<TextFieldProps>();

const {
  inputProps,
  labelProps,
  errorMessage,
  errorMessageProps,
  descriptionProps,
} = useTextField(props);
</script>

<template>
  <div class="field">
    <label v-bind="labelProps">{{ label }}</label>
    <input v-bind="inputProps" />

    <div v-if="errorMessage" v-bind="errorMessageProps" class="error">
      {{ errorMessage }}
    </div>

    <div v-if="description" v-bind="descriptionProps" class="hint">
      {{ description }}
    </div>
  </div>
</template>

<style scoped>
.field {
  --color-primary: #10b981;
  --color-text-primary: #333;
  --color-text-secondary: #666;
  --color-border: #d4d4d8;
  --color-focus: var(--color-primary);
  --color-error: #f00;

  label {
    display: block;
    margin-bottom: 0.25rem;
    font-size: 14px;
    font-weight: 500;
    color: var(--color-text-primary);
  }

  .hint {
    font-size: 13px;
    color: var(--color-text-secondary);
    opacity: 0;
    transition: opacity 0.3s ease;
  }

  .hint,
  .error {
    margin-top: 0.25rem;
  }

  input {
    display: block;
    width: max-content;
    padding: 0.5rem 0.6rem;
    font-size: 13px;
    color: var(--color-text-primary);
    border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
    border-radius: 6px;
    transition: border-color 0.3s ease;

    &:focus {
      outline: none;
      border-color: var(--color-focus);
      box-shadow: 0 0 0 1px var(--color-focus);
    }
  }

  .error {
    display: none;
    font-size: 13px;
    color: var(--color-error);
  }

  &:has(:focus) {
    .hint {
      opacity: 1;
    }
  }

  &:has(:user-invalid) {
    --color-border: var(--color-error);
    --color-focus: var(--color-error);

    .error {
      display: block;
    }

    .hint {
      display: none;
    }
  }
}
</style>

Caution

Only text, password, email, tel, and url types are supported at the moment for input elements.

The other types have their own composables. Check out the following guides:

• Number field: see the Number Field guide.
• Search field: see the Search Field guide.
• No support for date fields at the moment.

Notice that we imported the TextFieldProps in the previous example. This is recommended to use as your component prop types.

Not only do you get type safety for your component out of it, but it also handles the reactivity aspects of the props so you don’t have to. You are free to extend it with your own props or omit the ones you don’t need.

Building a Text Area Component

Instead of using an input[type="text"] element, you can switch to using a textarea element as a base element instead.

TextAreaField.vue

App.vue

<script setup lang="ts">
import TextAreaField from './TextAreaField.vue';
</script>

<template>
  <TextAreaField label="Write a poem" />
</template>

<script setup lang="ts">
import { type TextFieldProps, useTextField } from '@formwerk/core';

const props = defineProps<TextFieldProps>();

const {
  inputProps,
  labelProps,
  errorMessage,
  errorMessageProps,
  descriptionProps,
} = useTextField(props);
</script>

<template>
  <div class="field">
    <label v-bind="labelProps">{{ label }}</label>
    <textarea v-bind="inputProps"></textarea>

    <div v-if="errorMessage" v-bind="errorMessageProps" class="error">
      {{ errorMessage }}
    </div>

    <div v-if="description" v-bind="descriptionProps" class="hint">
      {{ description }}
    </div>
  </div>
</template>

<style scoped>
.field {
  --color-primary: #10b981;
  --color-text-primary: #333;
  --color-text-secondary: #666;
  --color-border: #d4d4d8;
  --color-focus: var(--color-primary);
  --color-error: #f00;

  label {
    display: block;
    margin-bottom: 0.25rem;
    font-size: 14px;
    font-weight: 500;
    color: var(--color-text-primary);
  }

  .hint {
    font-size: 13px;
    color: var(--color-text-secondary);
    opacity: 0;
    transition: opacity 0.3s ease;
  }

  .hint,
  .error {
    margin-top: 0.25rem;
  }

  textarea {
    display: block;
    width: max-content;
    padding: 0.5rem 0.6rem;
    font-size: 13px;
    color: var(--color-text-primary);
    border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
    border-radius: 6px;
    resize: none;
    transition: border-color 0.3s ease;

    &:focus {
      outline: none;
      border-color: var(--color-focus);
      box-shadow: 0 0 0 1px var(--color-focus);
    }
  }

  .error {
    display: none;
    font-size: 13px;
    color: var(--color-error);
  }

  &:has(:focus) {
    .hint {
      opacity: 1;
    }
  }

  &:has(:user-invalid) {
    --color-border: var(--color-error);
    --color-focus: var(--color-error);

    .error {
      display: block;
    }

    .hint {
      display: none;
    }
  }
}
</style>

Validation

HTML Constraints

You can use the following properties to validate the text field with native HTML constraint validation:

Name	Type	Description
maxLength	number	The maximum length of characters.
minLength	number	The minimum length of characters.
required	boolean	Whether the text field is required.
pattern	string | RegExp	A regular expression for validation. Not supported for textarea fields.

In addition to the above properties, if you are using the input element, you can use the built-in validation for the type attribute.

Type	Description
email	Validates the value as an email.
url	Validates the value as a URL.

Note

Note that minLength and maxLength attributes accept a number or a string. The string, however, must be parseable as a number. Formwerk takes care of typing strings safely and parsing them so you don’t have to bind the values as numbers.

Here is an example of how to use the maxLength and minLength properties to limit the text length between 3 and 18 characters.

Assuming you have a TextField component like the one shown above, you can use it like this:

<script setup lang="ts">
import TextField from './TextField.vue';
</script>

<template>
  <TextField
    label="HTML Constraints Demo"
    maxLength="8"
    minLength="3"
    required
  />
</template>

Standard Schema

useTextField also supports Standard Schema validation through the schema prop. This includes multiple providers like Zod, Valibot, Arktype, and more.

Note

Depending on the schema validation provider you are using, the API might slightly differ. Check the supported validation providers for more information. In this example, we are using the zod schema validation provider.

<script setup lang="ts">
import { z } from 'zod';
import TextField from './TextField.vue';

const schema = z.string().min(3).max(8);
</script>

<template>
  <TextField label="Standard Schema" :schema="schema" />
</template>

Mixed Validation

All text fields created with Formwerk support mixed validation, which means you can use both HTML constraints and Standard Schema validation to validate the field, and they work seamlessly together.

Note that HTML constraints are validated first, so any errors from the HTML constraints will be displayed first. Then, once all HTML constraints are satisfied, the Standard Schema is validated.

<script setup lang="ts">
import { z } from 'zod';
import TextField from './TextField.vue';

const schema = z.string().min(3).max(20);
</script>

<template>
  <TextField label="Mixed Validation" :schema="schema" type="url" required />
</template>

This makes schemas lighter; however, we recommend sticking to one or the other per form for maintainability.

If you need to disable the native validation, you can do so by setting the disableHtmlValidation prop to true.

<script setup lang="ts">
import { z } from 'zod';
import TextField from './TextField.vue';

const schema = z.string().min(3).max(20);
</script>

<template>
  <TextField
    label="HTML Validation Disabled"
    disable-html-validation
    :schema="schema"
    type="url"
    required
  />
</template>

You can also disable it globally for all fields. For more information, check out the Validation guide.

Usage

Disabled

Use disabled to mark fields as non-interactive. Disabled fields are not validated and are not submitted.

If you need to prevent the user from interacting with the field while still allowing it to submit, consider using readonly instead.

<script setup lang="ts">
import TextField from './TextField.vue';
</script>

<template>
  <TextField label="Disabled Field" disabled />
</template>

Readonly

Readonly fields are validated and submitted, but they do not accept user input. The field is still focusable, and the value is copyable. For more info, check the MDN.

<script setup lang="ts">
import TextField from './TextField.vue';
</script>

<template>
  <TextField label="Readonly Field" value="You can't change me" readonly />
</template>

RTL

The text field doesn’t require much for RTL support; however, the dir prop can be used to set the direction of the field for convenience.

<script setup lang="ts">
import TextField from './TextField.vue';
</script>

<template>
  <TextField name="fullName" label="ما هو اسمك؟" dir="rtl" />
</template>

Note

There is a lot more to directionality and localization. For more info, check out the i18n guide.

Styling

Formwerk does not come with any markup or styling, which is often the part that makes a design system unique. That means you can use any styling solution you want, whether it’s TailwindCSS or plain CSS, as you have already seen.

Note that we make use of the :user-invalid pseudo-classes to style the field and control when to show the error messages without any JavaScript. Formwerk leans into native APIs and browser features to provide a more seamless experience for the user. In fact, even if you use Standard Schemas to validate the field, the pseudo-classes will still work.

For more information on styling and recommendations, check the Styling guide.

API

Props

These are the properties that can be passed to the useTextField composable.

Name	Type	Description
description	string	Description text that provides additional context about the field.
disabled	boolean	Whether the field is disabled.
disableHtmlValidation	boolean	Whether to disable HTML5 validation.
label	string	The label of the text field.
maxLength	Numberish	Maximum length of text input allowed.
minLength	Numberish	Minimum length of text input required.
modelValue	string	The v-model value of the text field.
name	string	The name attribute of the input element.
pattern	any	Pattern for input validation using regex.
placeholder	string	Placeholder text shown when input is empty.
readonly	boolean	Whether the field is readonly.
required	boolean	Whether the field is required.
schema	StandardSchemaV1<TInput, TOutput>	Schema for field validation.
type	TextInputDOMType	The type of input field (text, password, email, etc).
value	string	The value attribute of the input element.

Note

All the props above can be passed as Ref<T> or () => T, and the reactivity will be handled for you.

Returns

These are the properties in the object returned by the useTextField composable.

Name	Type	Description
descriptionProps	AriaDescriptionProps	Props for the description element.
displayError	() => string	Display the error message for the field.
errorMessage	Ref<string>	The error message for the field.
errorMessageProps	Ref<{ 'aria-live': "polite"; 'aria-atomic': boolean; id: string; }> Ref<{ 'aria-live': "polite"; 'aria-atomic': boolean; id: string; }>	Props for the error message element.
errors	Ref<{}>	The errors for the field.
fieldValue	Ref<TValue>	The value of the field.
inputEl	Ref<any>	Reference to the input element.
inputProps	Ref<TextInputDOMProps>	Props for the input element.
isDirty	Ref<boolean>	Whether the field is dirty.
isDisabled	Ref<boolean>	Whether the field is disabled.
isTouched	Ref<boolean>	Whether the field is touched.
isValid	Ref<boolean>	Whether the field is valid.
labelProps	Ref<AriaLabelProps>	Props for the label element.
setErrors	(messages: Arrayable<string>) => void (messages: Arrayable<string>) => void	Sets the errors for the field.
setTouched	(touched: boolean) => void	Sets the touched state for the field.
setValue	(value: string) => void	Sets the value for the field.
validityDetails	Ref<ValidityState>	Validity details for the input element.