How to properly use Formik's setError method? (React library)

Question

I am using React communicating with a backend. Now trying to properly implement Formik (Form library).

Main question: How do I properly use Formik's setError method?

Client side validation errors show properly, but now I am trying to set/show the backend validation errors, which are returned with a response with status code 400.

Link to the docs on the method I am trying to use

I am using this method in the method named handle400Error in the code below.

My React (and Formik) code:

import React, { Component } from "react";
import axios from "axios";
import { Formik } from "formik";
import * as Yup from "yup";
import styled from "styled-components";
import FormError from "../formError";

const Label = styled.label``;

class LoginForm extends Component {
  initialValues = {
    password: "",
    username: ""
  };

  getErrorsFromValidationError = validationError => {
    const FIRST_ERROR = 0;
    return validationError.inner.reduce((errors, error) => {
      return {
        ...errors,
        [error.path]: error.errors[FIRST_ERROR]
      };
    }, {});
  };

  getValidationSchema = values => {
    return Yup.object().shape({
      password: Yup.string()
        .min(6, "Password must be at least 6 characters long")
        .required("Password is required!"),
      username: Yup.string()
        .min(5, "Username must be at least 5 characters long")
        .max(40, "Username can not be longer than 40 characters")
        .required("Username is required")
    });
  };

  handleSubmit = async (values, { setErrors }) => {
    console.log("handleSubmit");

    try {
      const response = await axios.post(
        "http://127.0.0.1:8000/rest-auth/login/",
        values
      );
      const loginToken = response.data["key"];
      this.handleLoginSuccess(loginToken);
    } catch (exception) {
      // Expected: 400 status code
      if (exception.response && exception.response.status === 400) {
        // Display server validation errors
        this.handle400Error(exception.response.data, setErrors);
      }
      console.log("exception", exception);
      console.log("exception.response", exception.response);
    }
  };

  handle400Error = (backendErrors, setErrors) => {
    let errors = {};
    for (let key in backendErrors) {
      errors[key] = backendErrors[key][0]; // for now only take the first error of the array
    }
    console.log("errors object", errors);
    setErrors({ errors });
  };

  handleUnexpectedError = () => {};

  handleLoginSuccess = loginToken => {
    console.log("handleLoginSuccess");
    this.props.setGreeneryAppState({
      loginToken: loginToken
    });
    this.props.history.replace(`/${this.props.locale}/`);
  };

  validate = values => {
    const validationSchema = this.getValidationSchema(values);
    try {
      validationSchema.validateSync(values, { abortEarly: false });
      return {};
    } catch (error) {
      return this.getErrorsFromValidationError(error);
    }
  };

  render() {
    return (
      <React.Fragment>
        <h1>Login</h1>
        <Formik
          initialValues={this.initialValues}
          validate={this.validate}
          validationSchema={this.validationSchema}
          onSubmit={this.handleSubmit}
          render={({
            errors,
            touched,
            values,
            handleBlur,
            handleChange,
            handleSubmit
          }) => (
            <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
              {errors.non_field_errors && (
                <formError>{errors.non_field_errors}</formError>
              )}
              <Label>Username</Label>
              <input
                onChange={handleChange}
                onBlur={handleBlur}
                value={values.username}
                type="text"
                name="username"
                placeholder="Enter username"
              />
              {touched.username &&
                errors.username && <FormError>{errors.username}</FormError>}
              <Label>Password</Label>
              <input
                onChange={handleChange}
                onBlur={handleBlur}
                value={values.password}
                type="password"
                name="password"
                placeholder="Enter password"
              />
              {touched.password &&
                errors.password && <FormError>{errors.password}</FormError>}
              <button type="submit">Log in</button>
            </form>
          )}
        />
      </React.Fragment>
    );
  }

Answer 1

Formik author here...

setError was deprecated in v0.8.0 and renamed to setStatus. You can use setErrors(errors) or setStatus(whateverYouWant) in your handleSubmit function to get the behavior you want here like so:

handleSubmit = async (values, { setErrors, resetForm }) => {
   try {
     // attempt API call
   } catch(e) {
     setErrors(transformMyApiErrors(e))
     // or setStatus(transformMyApiErrors(e))
   }
}

What's the difference use setStatus vs. setErrors?

If you use setErrors, your errors will be wiped out by Formik's next validate or validationSchema call which can be triggered by the user typing (a change event) or blurring an input (a blur event). Note: this assumed you have not manually set validateOnChange and validateOnBlur props to false (they are true by default).

IMHO setStatus is actually ideal here because it will place the error message(s) on a separate part of Formik state. You can then decide how / when you show this message to the end user like so.

// status can be whatever you want
{!!status && <FormError>{status}</FormError>}
// or mix it up, maybe transform status to mimic errors shape and then ...
{touched.email && (!!errors.email && <FormError>{errors.email}</FormError>) || (!!status && <FormError>{status.email}</FormError>) }

Be aware that the presence or value of status has no impact in preventing the next form submission. Formik only aborts the submission process if validation fails.