Configuración de react-hook-form con Controller
Instale react-hook-form, use useForm para crear una instancia del formulario y envuelva cada TextInput en un Controller para registrarlo y recibir onChange/onBlur.
Configuración de react-hook-form con Controller es una lección gratuita de React Native Academy en CoddyKit. Esta es la lección 1 de 4. Puedes leer la lección completa abajo gratuitamente — luego la practicas en el navegador con un editor de código integrado y un tutor de IA 24/7. Forma parte de la ruta de aprendizaje de React Native Academy, y tu progreso se sincroniza en la web y la app de CoddyKit. El curso de React Native Academy incluye 4 lecciones en total.
Partes de esta lección aún no han sido traducidas y se muestran en inglés.
Why react-hook-form?
react-hook-form is a performant, flexible library for building forms in React and React Native. Unlike manually wiring every input to useState, react-hook-form uses uncontrolled inputs to minimize re-renders. It integrates validation, error handling, and form submission into a single coherent API, and it works seamlessly with any UI component library through the Controller wrapper.
Installing react-hook-form
Install react-hook-form from npm. It has no dependencies and works with any React version 16.8+. No special configuration is needed — import its hooks and components directly into your React Native components after installation.
npm install react-hook-formCreating a Form Instance with useForm
Call useForm() at the top of your component to create a form instance. It returns several utilities: control (for wiring inputs via Controller), handleSubmit (for form submission), formState.errors (for displaying validation errors), and reset (to clear all fields). Pass default values to useForm to pre-populate the form.
import { useForm } from 'react-hook-form';
interface LoginForm {
email: string;
password: string;
}
export default function LoginScreen() {
const {
control,
handleSubmit,
formState: { errors },
reset,
} = useForm<LoginForm>({
defaultValues: { email: '', password: '' },
});
}Wrapping TextInput with Controller
In React Native, inputs are controlled components that need to be wrapped in Controller so react-hook-form can manage their values. Pass the control object, the field name, and a render prop. The render prop receives field which contains value, onChange, and onBlur to wire to the TextInput.
import { Controller } from 'react-hook-form';
<Controller
control={control}
name='email'
render={({ field: { onChange, onBlur, value } }) => (
<TextInput
value={value}
onChangeText={onChange}
onBlur={onBlur}
placeholder='Email'
keyboardType='email-address'
autoCapitalize='none'
/>
)}
/>Adding Validation Rules
Pass a rules prop to Controller to define validation constraints. The required rule marks a field as mandatory, minLength enforces a minimum character count, maxLength caps input length, and pattern validates against a regex. Each rule takes an object with a value and a message string shown when the rule fails.
<Controller
control={control}
name='email'
rules={{
required: { value: true, message: 'Email is required' },
pattern: {
value: /^[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$/,
message: 'Enter a valid email address',
},
}}
render={({ field: { onChange, onBlur, value } }) => (
<TextInput value={value} onChangeText={onChange} onBlur={onBlur} />
)}
/>Displaying Field Errors
After Controller validates a field, any error is available in formState.errors[fieldName]. Access its message property and render it below the input in a red Text component. Errors only appear after the field has been touched (onBlur) or after the first submit attempt, preventing premature error messages.
<Controller
control={control}
name='email'
rules={{ required: 'Email is required' }}
render={({ field: { onChange, onBlur, value } }) => (
<View>
<TextInput
value={value}
onChangeText={onChange}
onBlur={onBlur}
style={[styles.input, errors.email && styles.inputError]}
/>
{errors.email && (
<Text style={styles.errorText}>{errors.email.message}</Text>
)}
</View>
)}
/>Handling Form Submission with handleSubmit
Wrap your submit handler with handleSubmit. react-hook-form will run all validation rules first; if any field is invalid, it populates formState.errors and does not call your handler. If all fields are valid, your handler receives a typed object containing all field values — ready to send to an API.
async function onSubmit(data: LoginForm) {
console.log('Submitting:', data.email, data.password);
try {
await authApi.login(data.email, data.password);
navigation.replace('Home');
} catch (err) {
Alert.alert('Login Failed', 'Invalid email or password.');
}
}
<Button title='Log In' onPress={handleSubmit(onSubmit)} />Password Field Configuration
For password fields, set secureTextEntry to hide the typed characters and configure an appropriate keyboard type. Wire the field to Controller exactly like the email field. Many apps also add a 'show/hide' icon button that toggles secureTextEntry via local state — this improves accessibility for users with typos.
<Controller
control={control}
name='password'
rules={{
required: 'Password is required',
minLength: { value: 8, message: 'Password must be at least 8 characters' },
}}
render={({ field: { onChange, onBlur, value } }) => (
<TextInput
value={value}
onChangeText={onChange}
onBlur={onBlur}
secureTextEntry
placeholder='Password'
/>
)}
/>Using watch to Observe Field Values
The watch function returned by useForm lets you subscribe to a field's current value and react to changes in real time. A common use case is a 'confirm password' field that validates its value matches the password field. Pass a field name to watch and use the returned value in the confirm field's validate rule.
const { control, handleSubmit, watch, formState: { errors } } = useForm<RegisterForm>();
const password = watch('password');
<Controller
control={control}
name='confirmPassword'
rules={{
validate: (value) =>
value === password || 'Passwords do not match',
}}
render={({ field }) => <TextInput {...field} secureTextEntry />}
/>Resetting the Form
Call reset() to clear all field values and errors, returning the form to its default values. You can also pass a new set of values to reset({ email: 'prefilled@example.com' }) to re-initialize the form with different defaults, which is useful for edit-profile forms that pre-populate with existing user data.
// Clear after successful submit:
async function onSubmit(data: LoginForm) {
await api.login(data);
reset(); // clears all inputs
}
// Pre-fill with existing profile data:
useEffect(() => {
if (userProfile) {
reset({
name: userProfile.name,
email: userProfile.email,
});
}
}, [userProfile]);Form Validation Modes
react-hook-form offers several mode settings that control when validation runs: 'onSubmit' (default, validates only on submit), 'onBlur' (validates when a field loses focus), 'onChange' (validates on every keystroke), and 'all' (combines onBlur and onChange). For mobile forms, 'onBlur' offers the best balance between immediate feedback and avoiding distracting errors while typing.
const { control, handleSubmit } = useForm<LoginForm>({
mode: 'onBlur', // validate when user leaves a field
defaultValues: { email: '', password: '' },
});Quick Check
Test your understanding of React Native Mobile Development concepts from this lesson.
Lesson Recap
In this lesson you learned: useForm creates the form instance with control, handleSubmit, and formState.errors, Controller wires native TextInput components to the form with onChange, onBlur, and value props, and rules define built-in validation constraints that populate errors automatically. Next up we explore validation rules and error message handling in depth.
Preguntas frecuentes
¿La lección «Configuración de react-hook-form con Controller» es gratis?
Sí — el texto completo de «Configuración de react-hook-form con Controller» es gratis para leer aquí en la web. Para practicarla de forma interactiva (editor de código integrado y tutor de IA 24/7) y desbloquear el resto del curso de React Native Academy, actualiza a CoddyKit PRO. El curso de React Native Academy incluye 4 lecciones en total.
¿Qué aprenderé en «Configuración de react-hook-form con Controller»?
Instale react-hook-form, use useForm para crear una instancia del formulario y envuelva cada TextInput en un Controller para registrarlo y recibir onChange/onBlur. Practicas React Native Academy con código real que ejecutas directamente en el navegador, y un tutor de IA 24/7 responde tus preguntas mientras trabajas en la lección.
¿Necesito experiencia previa para empezar React Native Academy?
No se requiere experiencia previa. React Native Academy en CoddyKit está estructurado para principiantes hasta estudiantes avanzados, así que puedes empezar aquí o desde el inicio y avanzar a tu ritmo. Esta es la lección 1 de 4.
¿Cuánto tiempo toma la lección «Configuración de react-hook-form con Controller»?
La mayoría de las lecciones de CoddyKit toman alrededor de 5–10 minutos. Cada una es compacta e interactiva, así que avanzas constantemente y retomas exactamente por donde dejaste en la web y la app.
¿Puedo escribir y ejecutar código en esta lección de React Native Academy?
Sí. Cada lección de React Native Academy incluye un editor de código integrado, así que escribes y ejecutas código real directamente en tu navegador y obtienes retroalimentación instantánea de IA — sin configuración local necesaria.
Todas las lecciones de este curso
- Configuración de react-hook-form con Controller
- Reglas de validación y mensajes de error
- Formularios de varios pasos con el estado del formulario
- Envío y restablecimiento de formularios