JavaScript/jQuery Form Methods

The component's default device options.

Object structure:

Name	Type	Description
device	Device \| Array<Device> \| Function	Device parameters. When specifying a function, get information about the current device from the argument. Return true if the options should be applied to the device.
options	Object	Options to be applied.

Name

Type

Description

device

Device

|

Array<Device>

|

Device parameters.
When specifying a function, get information about the current device from the argument. Return true if the options should be applied to the device.

options

Options to be applied.

defaultOptions is a static method that the widget class supports. The following code demonstrates how to specify default options for all instances of the Form widget in an application executed on the desktop.

jQuery

JavaScript

DevExpress.ui.dxForm.defaultOptions({ 
    device: { deviceType: "desktop" },
    options: {
        // Here go the Form options
    }
});

Angular

TypeScript

import Form from "devextreme/ui/form";
// ...
export class AppComponent {
    constructor () {
        Form.defaultOptions({
            device: { deviceType: "desktop" },
            options: {
                // Here go the Form options
            }
        });
    }
}

Vue

<template>
    <div>
        <DxForm id="form1" />
        <DxForm id="form2" />
    </div>
</template>
<script>
import DxForm from "devextreme-vue/form";
import Form from "devextreme/ui/form";

Form.defaultOptions({
    device: { deviceType: "desktop" },
    options: {
        // Here go the Form options
    }
});

export default {
    components: {
        DxForm
    }
}
</script>

React

import React from "react";
import dxForm from "devextreme/ui/form";
import Form from "devextreme-react/form";

class App extends React.Component {
    render () {
        dxForm.defaultOptions({
            device: { deviceType: "desktop" },
            options: {
                // Here go the Form options
            }
        })
        return (
            <div>
                <Form id="form1" />
                <Form id="form2" />
            </div>
        )
    }
}

export default App;

dispose()

Disposes of all the resources allocated to the Form instance.

After calling this method, remove the DOM element associated with the widget:

JavaScript

$("#myForm").dxForm("dispose");
$("#myForm").remove();

Use this method only if the widget was created with jQuery or pure JavaScript. In Angular, Vue, and React, use conditional rendering:

Angular

app.component.html

<dx-form ...
    *ngIf="condition">
</dx-form>

Vue

App.vue

<template>
    <DxForm ...
        v-if="condition">
    </DxForm>
</template>

<script>
import DxForm from 'devextreme-vue/form';

export default {
    components: {
        DxForm
    }
}
</script>

React

App.js

import React from 'react';

import Form from 'devextreme-react/form';

function DxForm(props) {
    if (!props.shouldRender) {
        return null;
    }

    return (
        <Form ... >    
        </Form>
    );
}

class App extends React.Component {
    render() {
        return (
            <DxForm shouldRender="condition" />
        );
    }
}
export default App;

element()

Gets the root widget element.

Return Value:

HTMLElement | jQuery

An HTML element or a jQuery element when you use jQuery.

endUpdate()

Refreshes the widget after a call of the beginUpdate() method.

Main article: beginUpdate()

focus()

Sets focus on the widget.

getButton(name)

Gets a button's instance.

Parameters:

name:

A button item's name.

Return Value:

Button

| undefined

The button's instance.

getEditor(dataField)

Gets an editor instance. Takes effect only if the form item is visible.

Parameters:

dataField:

The item's name or dataField.

Return Value: Editor | undefined

The editor instance.

The following code shows how to get an editor of an item in a group:

JavaScript

var form = $(function () {
    $("#formContainer").dxForm({
        formData: {
            firstName: "John",
            lastName: "Heart",
            phone: "+1(213) 555-9392",
            email: "jheart@dx-email.com"
        },
        items: ["firstName", "lastName", {
            itemType: "group",
            caption: "Contacts",
            items: ["phone", "email"]
        }]
    }).dxForm("instance");
    $("#buttonContainer").dxButton({
        text: "Customize Phone Editor",
        onClick: function (e) {
            var editor = form.getEditor("phone");
            // Customizations go here
        }
    });
});

NOTE

This method works only for predefined editors, and is unavailable when using a custom template.

getInstance(element)

Gets the instance of a widget found using its DOM node.

Parameters:

element:

Element

|

jQuery

The widget's container.

Return Value:

The widget's instance.

getInstance is a static method that the widget class supports. The following code demonstrates how to get the Form instance found in an element with the myForm ID:

// Modular approach
import Form from "devextreme/ui/form";
...
let element = document.getElementById("myForm");
let instance = Form.getInstance(element) as Form;

// Non-modular approach
let element = document.getElementById("myForm");
let instance = DevExpress.ui.dxForm.getInstance(element);

instance()

Gets the widget's instance. Use it to access other methods of the widget.

Return Value:

This widget's instance.

itemOption(id)

Gets a form item's configuration.

Parameters:

id:

An item's name or a path to the item without spaces.
The path may include the group's name or caption or the tab's title.

Return Value: any

The form item's configuration.

itemOption(id, option, value)

Updates the value of a single item option.

Parameters:

id:

An item's name or a path to the item without spaces.
The path may include the group's name or caption or the tab's title.

option:

The option's name.

value: any

The new option value.

The following code shows how to call this method for an item organized in a group:

JavaScript

$(function () {
    var form = $("#formContainer").dxForm({
        formData: {
            firstName: "John",
            lastName: "Heart",
            phone: "+1(213) 555-9392",
            email: "jheart@dx-email.com"
        },
        items: ["firstName", "lastName", {
            itemType: "group",
            caption: "Contacts",
            name: "groupName",
            items: ["phone", "email"]
        }]
    }).dxForm("instance");
});

JavaScript

form.itemOption("groupName.phone", "visible", false);
// ==== or ====
form.itemOption("Contacts.phone", "visible", false);

itemOption(id, options)

Updates the values of several item options.

Parameters:

id:

An item's name or a path to the item without spaces.
The path may include the group's name or caption or the tab's title.

options:

Options and their new values.

off(eventName)

Detaches all event handlers from a single event.

Parameters:

eventName:

The event's name.

Return Value:

The object for which this method is called.

off(eventName, eventHandler)

Detaches a particular event handler from a single event.

Parameters:

eventName:

The event's name.

eventHandler:

The event's handler.

Return Value:

The object for which this method is called.

on(eventName, eventHandler)

Subscribes to an event.

Parameters:

eventName:

The event's name.

eventHandler:

The event's handler.

Return Value:

The object for which this method is called.

Use this method to subscribe to one of the events listed in the Events section.

on(events)

Subscribes to events.

Parameters:

events:

Events with their handlers: { "eventName1": handler1, "eventName2": handler2, ...}

Return Value:

The object for which this method is called.

Use this method to subscribe to several events with one method call. Available events are listed in the Events section.

option()

Gets all widget options.

Return Value:

The widget's options.

option(optionName)

Gets the value of a single option.

Parameters:

optionName:

The option's name or full path.

Return Value: any

This option's value.

option(optionName, optionValue)

Updates the value of a single option.

Parameters:

optionName:

The option's name or full path.

optionValue: any

This option's new value.

option(options)

Updates the values of several options.

Parameters:

options:

Options with their new values.

registerKeyHandler(key, handler)

Registers a handler to be executed when a user presses a specific key.

Parameters:

key:

A key.

handler:

A handler. Accepts the keydown event as the argument. It is a dxEvent or a jQuery.Event when you use jQuery.

The key argument accepts one of the following values:

"backspace"
"tab"
"enter"
"escape"
"pageUp"
"pageDown"
"end"
"home"
"leftArrow"
"upArrow"
"rightArrow"
"downArrow"
"del"
"space"
"F"
"A"
"asterisk"
"minus"

A custom handler for a key cancels the default handler for this key.

repaint()

Repaints the widget without reloading data. Call it to update the widget's markup.

resetOption(optionName)

Resets an option to its default value.

Parameters:

optionName:

An option's name.

resetValues()

Resets the editor's value to undefined.

updateData(data)

Merges the passed data object with formData. Matching properties in formData are overwritten and new properties added.

Parameters:

data:

Data fields with their new values.

NOTE

This method does not replace the formData object. To replace it, use the option(optionName, optionValue) method as shown below:

JavaScript

formInstance.option("formData", newFormData);

updateData(dataField, value)

Updates a formData field and the corresponding editor.

Parameters:

dataField:

A path to the formData field.

value: