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useFieldArray

Manage dynamic field arrays with optimized performance.

</> useFieldArray: UseFieldArrayProps

Custom hook for working with Field Arrays (dynamic form). The motivation is to provide better user experience and performance. You can watch this short video to visualize the performance enhancement.

Props

NameTypeRequiredDescription
namestring✓Name of the field array. Note: Dynamic names are not supported.
controlObjectcontrol object provided by useForm. It's optional if you are using FormProvider.
shouldUnregisterbooleanWhether Field Array will be unregistered after unmount.
disabledbooleanDisables the entire field array. When true, fields initializes as an empty array, all mutation methods (append, prepend, insert, remove, swap, move, update, replace) become no-ops, and the array is not registered with the form. Useful for conditionally enabling a field array in discriminated union form shapes.
keyNamestring = "id"Name of the attribute with autogenerated identifier to use as the key prop. This prop is no longer required and will be removed in the next major version.
rulesObjectThe same validation rules API as for register, which includes: required, minLength, maxLength, validate. In case of validation error, the root property is appended to formState.errors?.fieldArray?.root of type FieldError. Important: This is only applicable to built-in validation.

Props example

CodeSandbox JS
function FieldArray() {
  const { control, register } = useForm();
  const { fields, append, prepend, remove, swap, move, insert } = useFieldArray({
    control, // control props comes from useForm (optional: if you are using FormProvider)
    name: "test", // unique name for your Field Array
  });


  return (
    {fields.map((field, index) => (
      <input
        key={field.id} // important to include key with field's id
        {...register(`test.${index}.value`)}
      />
    ))}
  );
}

Return

NameTypeDescription
fieldsobject & { id: string }This object contains the defaultValue and key for your component. When a field entry includes disabled: true, the disabled attribute is automatically propagated to the registered input.
append(obj: object | object[], focusOptions) => voidAppend input/inputs to the end of your fields and focus. The input value will be registered during this action. Important: append data is required and not partial.
prepend(obj: object | object[], focusOptions) => voidPrepend input/inputs to the start of your fields and focus. The input value will be registered during this action. Important: prepend data is required and not partial.
insert(index: number, value: object | object[], focusOptions) => voidInsert input/inputs at particular position and focus. Important: insert data is required and not partial.
swap(from: number, to: number) => voidSwap input/inputs position.
move(from: number, to: number) => voidMove input/inputs to another position.
update(index: number, obj: object) => voidUpdate input/inputs at a particular position, updated fields will get unmounted and remounted. If this is not desired behavior, please use setValue API instead. Important: update data is required and not partial.
replace(obj: object[]) => voidReplace the entire field array values.
remove(index?: number | number[]) => voidRemove input/inputs at particular position, or remove all when no index provided.

Rules

  • useFieldArray automatically generates a unique identifier named id which is used for key prop. For more information why this is required: https://react.dev/learn/rendering-lists

    The field.id (and not index) must be added as the component key to prevent re-renders breaking the fields:

    // ✅ correct:
    {fields.map((field, index) => <input key={field.id} ... />)}
    

    // ❌ incorrect:
    {fields.map((field, index) => <input key={index} ... />)}

  • It's recommended to not stack actions one after another.

    onClick={() => {
      append({ test: 'test' });
      remove(0);
    }}
    

    // ✅ Better solution: the remove action is happened after the second render
    React.useEffect(() => {
      remove(0);
    }, [remove])
    

    onClick={() => {
      append({ test: 'test' });
    }}

  • Each useFieldArray is unique and has its own state update, which means you should not have multiple useFieldArray with the same name.

  • Each input name needs to be unique, if you need to build checkbox or radio with the same name then use it with useController or Controller.

  • Does not support flat field array.

  • shouldUnregister: true is not supported. Field array relies on inputs being mounted and unmounted to manage its internal state — enabling shouldUnregister causes newly added fields to be unregistered on re-render, so their values are lost. Avoid combining useFieldArray with shouldUnregister: true.

  • A disabled property on a field entry is propagated to the registered input as the disabled HTML attribute. This allows you to disable individual rows without manual prop threading.

    const { fields, append } = useFieldArray({ control, name: "test" })
    

    // append a disabled field
    append({ value: "readonly", disabled: true })
    

    // the registered input will receive disabled automatically
    {
      fields.map((field, index) => (
        <input key={field.id} {...register(`test.${index}.value`)} />
      ))
    }

  • When you append, prepend, insert and update the field array, the obj can't be empty object {} rather need to supply all your input's defaultValues.

    append() // ❌
    append({}) // ❌
    append({ firstName: "bill", lastName: "luo" }) // ✅

TypeScript

  • When registering an input name, you will have to cast them as const:

    <input key={field.id} {...register(`test.${index}.test` as const)} />

  • Circular references are not supported. Refer to this Github issue for more detail.

  • For nested field arrays, you will have to cast the field array by its name:

    const { fields } = useFieldArray({ name: `test.${index}.keyValue` as 'test.0.keyValue' });

Examples

CodeSandbox JS
import { useForm, useFieldArray } from "react-hook-form"


function App() {
  const { register, control, handleSubmit, reset, trigger, setError } = useForm(
    {
      // defaultValues: {}; you can populate the fields by this attribute
    }
  )
  const { fields, append, remove } = useFieldArray({
    control,
    name: "test",
  })


  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit((data) => console.log(data))}>
      <ul>
        {fields.map((item, index) => (
          <li key={item.id}>
            <input {...register(`test.${index}.firstName`)} />
            <Controller
              render={({ field }) => <input {...field} />}
              name={`test.${index}.lastName`}
              control={control}
            />
            <button type="button" onClick={() => remove(index)}>
              Delete
            </button>
          </li>
        ))}
      </ul>
      <button
        type="button"
        onClick={() => append({ firstName: "bill", lastName: "luo" })}
      >
        append
      </button>
      <input type="submit" />
    </form>
  )
}
CodeSandbox TS
import * as React from "react"
import { useForm, useFieldArray, useWatch, Control } from "react-hook-form"


type FormValues = {
  cart: {
    name: string
    price: number
    quantity: number
  }[]
}


const Total = ({ control }: { control: Control<FormValues> }) => {
  const formValues = useWatch({
    name: "cart",
    control,
  })
  const total = formValues.reduce(
    (acc, current) => acc + (current.price || 0) * (current.quantity || 0),
    0
  )
  return <p>Total Amount: {total}</p>
}


export default function App() {
  const {
    register,
    control,
    handleSubmit,
    formState: { errors },
  } = useForm<FormValues>({
    defaultValues: {
      cart: [{ name: "test", quantity: 1, price: 23 }],
    },
    mode: "onBlur",
  })
  const { fields, append, remove } = useFieldArray({
    name: "cart",
    control,
  })
  const onSubmit = (data: FormValues) => console.log(data)


  return (
    <div>
      <form onSubmit={handleSubmit(onSubmit)}>
        {fields.map((field, index) => {
          return (
            <div key={field.id}>
              <section className={"section"} key={field.id}>
                <input
                  placeholder="name"
                  {...register(`cart.${index}.name` as const, {
                    required: true,
                  })}
                  className={errors?.cart?.[index]?.name ? "error" : ""}
                />
                <input
                  placeholder="quantity"
                  type="number"
                  {...register(`cart.${index}.quantity` as const, {
                    valueAsNumber: true,
                    required: true,
                  })}
                  className={errors?.cart?.[index]?.quantity ? "error" : ""}
                />
                <input
                  placeholder="value"
                  type="number"
                  {...register(`cart.${index}.price` as const, {
                    valueAsNumber: true,
                    required: true,
                  })}
                  className={errors?.cart?.[index]?.price ? "error" : ""}
                />
                <button type="button" onClick={() => remove(index)}>
                  DELETE
                </button>
              </section>
            </div>
          )
        })}


        <Total control={control} />


        <button
          type="button"
          onClick={() =>
            append({
              name: "",
              quantity: 0,
              price: 0,
            })
          }
        >
          APPEND
        </button>
        <input type="submit" />
      </form>
    </div>
  )
}
CodeSandbox JS
import * as React from "react"
import { useForm, useFieldArray, useWatch } from "react-hook-form"


export default function App() {
  const { control, handleSubmit } = useForm()
  const { fields, append, update } = useFieldArray({
    control,
    name: "array",
  })


  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit((data) => console.log(data))}>
      {fields.map((field, index) => (
        <Edit
          key={field.id}
          control={control}
          update={update}
          index={index}
          value={field}
        />
      ))}


      <button
        type="button"
        onClick={() => {
          append({ firstName: "" })
        }}
      >
        append
      </button>
      <input type="submit" />
    </form>
  )
}


const Display = ({ control, index }) => {
  const data = useWatch({
    control,
    name: `array.${index}`,
  })
  return <p>{data?.firstName}</p>
}


const Edit = ({ update, index, value, control }) => {
  const { register, handleSubmit } = useForm({
    defaultValues: value,
  })


  return (
    <div>
      <Display control={control} index={index} />


      <input
        placeholder="first name"
        {...register(`firstName`, { required: true })}
      />


      <button
        type="button"
        onClick={handleSubmit((data) => update(index, data))}
      >
        Submit
      </button>
    </div>
  )
}
CodeSandbox JS
import React from "react"
import { useForm, useWatch, useFieldArray, Control } from "react-hook-form"


const ConditionField = ({ control, index, register }) => {
  const output = useWatch({
    name: "data",
    control,
    defaultValue: "yay! I am watching you :)",
  })


  return (
    <>
      {output[index]?.name === "bill" && (
        <input {...register(`data[${index}].conditional`)} />
      )}
      <input
        {...register(`data[${index}].easyConditional`)}
        style={{ display: output[index]?.name === "bill" ? "block" : "none" }}
      />
    </>
  )
}


const UseFieldArrayUnregister = () => {
  const { control, handleSubmit, register } = useForm({
    defaultValues: {
      data: [{ name: "test" }, { name: "test1" }, { name: "test2" }],
    },
    mode: "onSubmit",
    shouldUnregister: false,
  })
  const { fields } = useFieldArray({
    control,
    name: "data",
  })
  const onSubmit = (data) => console.log(data)


  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit(onSubmit)}>
      {fields.map((data, index) => (
        <>
          <input {...register(`data[${index}].name`)} />
          <ConditionField control={control} register={register} index={index} />
        </>
      ))}
      <input type="submit" />
    </form>
  )
}
import React from 'react';
import { useForm, useFieldArray } from 'react-hook-form';


const App = () => {
  const { register, control } = useForm({
    defaultValues: {
      test: [{ value: '1' }, { value: '2' }],
    },
  });
  const { fields, prepend, append } = useFieldArray({
    name: 'test',
    control,
  });


  return (
    <form>
      {fields.map((field, i) => (
        <input key={field.id} {...register(`test.${i}.value` as const)} />
      ))}
      <button
        type="button"
        onClick={() => prepend({ value: '' }, { focusIndex: 1 })}
      >
        prepend
      </button>
      <button
        type="button"
        onClick={() => append({ value: '' }, { focusName: 'test.0.value' })}
      >
        append
      </button>
    </form>
  );
};

Video

Tips

Custom Register

You can also register inputs at Controller without the actual input. This makes useFieldArray quick and flexible to use with complex data structure or the actual data is not stored inside an input.

CodeSandbox JS
import { useForm, useFieldArray, Controller, useWatch } from "react-hook-form"


const ConditionalInput = ({ control, index, field }) => {
  const value = useWatch({
    name: "test",
    control,
  })


  return (
    <Controller
      control={control}
      name={`test.${index}.firstName`}
      render={({ field }) =>
        value?.[index]?.checkbox === "on" ? <input {...field} /> : null
      }
    />
  )
}


function App() {
  const { control, register } = useForm()
  const { fields, append, prepend } = useFieldArray({
    control,
    name: "test",
  })


  return (
    <form>
      {fields.map((field, index) => (
        <ConditionalInput key={field.id} {...{ control, index, field }} />
      ))}
    </form>
  )
}

Controlled Field Array

There will be cases where you want to control the entire field array, which means each onChange reflects on the fields object.

CodeSandbox JS
import { useForm, useFieldArray } from "react-hook-form";


export default function App() {
  const { register, handleSubmit, control, watch } = useForm();
  const { fields, append } = useFieldArray({
    control,
    name: "fieldArray"
  });
  const watchFieldArray = watch("fieldArray");
  const controlledFields = fields.map((field, index) => {
    return {
      ...field,
      ...watchFieldArray[index]
    };
  });


  return (
    <form>
      {controlledFields.map((field, index) => {
        return <input {...register(`fieldArray.${index}.name` as const)} />;
      })}
    </form>
  );
}

Thank you for your support

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