If so, then you’ve experienced form validation.

Validation is often essential to getting clean, usable data.

What Is Form Validation?

form with a “sign here” sign

There are several reasons why form validation is essential.

First, it helps to ensure that the data entered into a form is complete and correct.

This is important because it helps to prevent errors when your app submits data to a server or database.

Next.js app with name field, email field, and submit button

This can help to avoid frustration and confusion on the part of the user.

This ensures that a field cannot be blank.

HTML also provides apatternattribute.

Next.js form with email and name field

it’s possible for you to use this together with aregular expression for more complex validation.

This example includes a form with two fields: name and email.

The name field is required, and the email field must match a regular expression.

This code imports the React library, then creates a class called MyForm and renders a form element.

Inside the form element, there are two label elements.

The first label element contains a required text input field.

The second label element contains an email input field with a regular expression in its pattern attribute.

Finally, you have a submit button.

When a user submits the form, the required attribute ensures that they filled out the name field.

The email fields pattern attribute ensures the email is in the specified format.

If either of these conditions fails, the form will not submit.

There are a few disadvantages to using the built-in methods.

Lastly, the built-in methods only provide basic validation.

If you want to do more complex validation, you will need to use an external library.

Some popular libraries include Formik, react-hook-form, and Yup.

To use an external library, you will first need to install it.

Next, create a component called MyForm.

This component renders a form that has two fields: name and email.

The initialValues prop sets the initial values of the form fields.

In this case, the name and email fields are both empty strings.

The validate prop sets the validation rules for the form fields.

In this case, the name field is required, and the email field should match a regular expression.

The onSubmit prop sets the function that React will call when the user submits the form.

In this case, the function is an alert that will display the values of the form fields.

The isSubmitting prop determines whether the form is currently being submitted.

In this case, you set it to false.

Finally, render the form using the Form component from Formik.

One benefit is that it is much easier to display error messages to the user.

Another benefit is that Formik can handle more complex validation rules.

Finally, Formik makes it easy to submit the form data to a server.

For example, you’re free to use Formik to submit the form data to an API.

Increase User Engagement Using Forms

you’re free to use forms to increase user engagement.

Using external libraries, you might add features such as auto-completion and conditional fields.

These can help make your forms even more user-friendly.

Besides validation, Next.js has many features which you’re able to use to increase user engagement.