Shadcn Nextjs Multistep Form Example

Multi-Step Shadcn Forms in Next.js: A No-External-State Approach

Discover a straightforward method for building multi-step forms with shadcn UI in your Next.js application. This approach leverages React Context and localstorage to manage form state across different steps, eliminating the need for external state management libraries. It focuses on proper app router integration and step-by-step validation using Zod, ensuring a robust user experience and data integrity without unnecessary complexity.

Features:

• No External State Management: Manages multi-step form state using React Context, avoiding additional library dependencies.
• Next.js App Router Compatibility: Designed for seamless integration with the Next.js app router, with potential for URL state management.
• Localstorage Data Persistence: Automatically saves partial form submissions to localstorage, protecting user input from accidental refreshes.
• Zod Schema Validation: Utilizes Zod for defining the overall form schema and validating data at each step.
• Shadcn Form Integration: Built around shadcn Form components, which are wrappers for react-hook-form.
• React Context for State: Provides a dedicated React Context for accessing, updating, and clearing form data globally within the form flow.
• Dynamic Import for Client-Side Logic: Ensures components accessing browser APIs like localStorage are loaded only on the client-side using next/dynamic, preventing SSR issues.
• Partial Field Validation: Demonstrates how to validate only the relevant fields for the current form step using zodResolver and Zod's pick method.
• Comprehensive Final Validation: Validates the entire form data against the full Zod schema at the final submission step.
• Form Error Handling: Shows how to access and display validation errors from react-hook-form's formState.
• Data Clearing Post-Submission: Includes functionality to clear form data from state and localstorage after successful submission.

Summary:

This example provides a practical guide for developers to implement multi-step forms in Next.js using shadcn components, React Context, and Zod. It emphasizes simplicity by avoiding external state libraries, offering a solution for persisting data with localstorage, validating each step, and ensuring compatibility with modern Next.js features. It's a useful pattern for creating user-friendly, multi-page data collection flows.