Unlock the Power of Reactive Forms in Angular
Getting Started with Angular 8 and Node 11.0
Before diving into the world of reactive forms, make sure you have Node version 11.0, Node Package Manager version 6.7, Angular CLI version 8.0, and the latest version of Angular (version 8) installed on your machine. Download the starter project and initialize the node modules in your terminal with the command npm install.
A Beginner’s Guide to Forms in Angular
Angular provides two main approaches to handling forms: template-driven and model-driven (reactive forms). The template-driven method is great for simple forms, but reactive forms offer a more powerful and scalable way of form handling.
What are Reactive Forms?
Reactive forms are a platform for achieving the model-driven approach of form handling in Angular. Introduced in Angular 2, they allow you to build out a form and react to changes in the values inside the component class. This approach encourages cleaner code, reduces the need for directives, and makes testing easier.
Why Choose Reactive Forms?
With reactive forms, you have full control over your form logic, and every choice about inputs and controls is intentional and explicit. This approach also makes it easier to build and test complex forms.
Building a Simple Job Board Application Form
Let’s create a simple job board application form using reactive forms. First, generate two new components for the forms using the Angular CLI. Then, register the reactive forms module in your app.module.ts file.
Form Controls: The Building Blocks of Reactive Forms
Form controls are classes that hold both the data values and validation information of any form element. To use form controls, import the module into your component and instantiate it with the constructor. Then, associate it with the input element in the template file.
Data Binding in Reactive Forms
Reactive forms make data binding easy. Simply call the value, and the reactive forms API will bind the data and display it for you. You can also update a data value using the setValue() method.
Replacing a Data Value
Let’s update a data value with new data. Add a replace data button in the template to trigger the function. Then, use the setValue() method to update the data value.
Conclusion
This guide has shown you the basics of reactive forms in Angular. With reactive forms, you can build cleaner, more efficient, and scalable forms. Stay tuned for more tutorials on reactive forms in Angular.