Chapter 38: Vue Form Inputs
Form Inputs — one of the most practical, most frequently written, and most misunderstood parts of building real Vue applications.
Form inputs are where users actually interact with your app — typing names, selecting options, checking boxes, uploading files, choosing dates… Vue makes this feel natural and powerful thanks to v-model (two-way binding), but there are many small but important details that separate beginner code from clean, maintainable, production-ready forms.
We’ll cover everything step by step — from basic text input to complex custom components — using modern Vue 3 + <script setup> + TypeScript style (what you should use in 2026).
1. The Heart of Vue Forms: v-model (Two-Way Binding)
v-model is syntactic sugar that automatically handles:
- :value=”variable” (push data down to input)
- @input=”variable = $event.target.value” (pull changes up)
Vue chooses the correct prop and event based on the element type.
| Input Type | v-model uses… | Default event | Modifiers you often use | Notes / Gotchas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <input type=”text”> | value prop | input | .trim, .lazy, .number | Most common |
| <textarea> | value | input | .trim, .lazy | Same as text |
| <input type=”checkbox”> | checked | change | — | Boolean or array |
| <input type=”radio”> | checked | change | — | String/number |
| <select> | value | change | — | String or array (multiple) |
| <input type=”number”> | valueAsNumber | input | .number (recommended) | Avoid without modifier |
| Custom component | modelValue (default) | update:modelValue | .lazy, .number, .trim | v-model support |
2. Basic Form – Login Example (Text + Password + Checkbox)
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<!-- src/views/LoginView.vue --> <template> <form @submit.prevent="handleLogin" class="login-form"> <div class="field"> <label for="email">Email</label> <input id="email" type="email" v-model.trim="form.email" placeholder="you@company.com" required autocomplete="email" /> <small v-if="form.email && !isValidEmail" class="error"> Please enter a valid email </small> </div> <div class="field"> <label for="password">Password</label> <div class="password-wrapper"> <input id="password" :type="showPassword ? 'text' : 'password'" v-model.trim="form.password" placeholder="••••••••" required minlength="8" /> <button type="button" class="toggle-password" @click="showPassword = !showPassword" tabindex="-1" > {{ showPassword ? 'Hide' : 'Show' }} </button> </div> <small v-if="form.password.length > 0 && form.password.length < 8" class="error"> Minimum 8 characters </small> </div> <div class="field checkbox"> <input id="remember" type="checkbox" v-model="form.rememberMe" /> <label for="remember">Remember me</label> </div> <button type="submit" :disabled="loading || !formIsValid"> {{ loading ? 'Logging in…' : 'Login' }} </button> <p v-if="serverError" class="server-error">{{ serverError }}</p> </form> </template> <script setup lang="ts"> import { reactive, ref, computed } from 'vue' const form = reactive({ email: '', password: '', rememberMe: true }) const showPassword = ref(false) const loading = ref(false) const serverError = ref<string | null>(null) const isValidEmail = computed(() => { return /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/.test(form.email) }) const formIsValid = computed(() => { return ( form.email && isValidEmail.value && form.password.length >= 8 ) }) async function handleLogin() { if (!formIsValid.value) return loading.value = true serverError.value = null try { // Fake API call await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 1200)) console.log('Login success:', form) alert('Welcome back!') // router.push('/dashboard') } catch (err: any) { serverError.value = err.message || 'Login failed. Please try again.' } finally { loading.value = false } } </script> <style scoped> .login-form { max-width: 420px; margin: 3rem auto; padding: 2rem; background: white; border-radius: 12px; box-shadow: 0 4px 20px rgba(0,0,0,0.1); } .field { margin-bottom: 1.5rem; } label { display: block; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; font-weight: 500; } input:not([type="checkbox"]) { width: 100%; padding: 0.8rem; border: 1px solid #d1d5db; border-radius: 6px; font-size: 1rem; } input:focus { outline: none; border-color: #3b82f6; box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px rgba(59,130,246,0.1); } .password-wrapper { position: relative; } .toggle-password { position: absolute; right: 0.8rem; top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%); background: none; border: none; color: #3b82f6; cursor: pointer; font-size: 0.95rem; } .checkbox { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.5rem; } button[type="submit"] { width: 100%; padding: 0.9rem; background: #3b82f6; color: white; border: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; margin-top: 1rem; } button:disabled { opacity: 0.6; cursor: not-allowed; } .error, .server-error { color: #dc2626; font-size: 0.9rem; margin-top: 0.4rem; } </style> |
3. Other Input Types – Quick Reference
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<!-- Checkbox (single → boolean) --> <input type="checkbox" v-model="form.newsletter" /> <!-- Multiple checkboxes (array) --> <div v-for="interest in interests" :key="interest"> <label> <input type="checkbox" :value="interest" v-model="form.interests" /> {{ interest }} </label> </div> <!-- Radio buttons --> <div> <label><input type="radio" v-model="form.gender" value="male" /> Male</label> <label><input type="radio" v-model="form.gender" value="female" /> Female</label> </div> <!-- Select single --> <select v-model="form.country"> <option value="">Select country</option> <option value="IN">India</option> <option value="US">USA</option> </select> <!-- Select multiple --> <select multiple v-model="form.languages"> <option>English</option> <option>Hindi</option> <option>Telugu</option> </select> <!-- Number input (always use .number modifier) --> <input type="number" v-model.number="form.age" min="18" max="120" /> <!-- File input (special – no v-model) --> <input type="file" @change="handleFileUpload" multiple /> |
4. Custom Form Inputs (v-model on Components)
Make your own reusable inputs with full v-model support.
CustomInput.vue
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<template> <div class="custom-field"> <label :for="id">{{ label }}</label> <input :id="id" :type="type" :value="modelValue" @input="$emit('update:modelValue', $event.target.value)" :placeholder="placeholder" :class="{ 'error-border': error }" /> <small v-if="error" class="error-text">{{ error }}</small> </div> </template> <script setup lang="ts"> defineProps<{ modelValue: string label: string type?: string placeholder?: string error?: string }>() defineEmits<{ (e: 'update:modelValue', value: string): void }>() const id = `field-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2)}` </script> <style scoped> .error-border { border-color: #ef4444 !important; } .error-text { color: #ef4444; font-size: 0.85rem; margin-top: 0.3rem; } </style> |
Usage in parent form
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<CustomInput v-model="form.email" label="Email Address" type="email" placeholder="you@company.com" :error="form.email && !isValidEmail ? 'Invalid email' : ''" /> |
Quick Summary Table – Vue Form Inputs 2026 Cheat Sheet
| Input Type | v-model Behavior | Common Modifiers / Props | Validation Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| text / email / tel | string | .trim, .lazy | regex + blur |
| password | string | .trim + show/hide toggle | minlength |
| checkbox (single) | boolean | — | required |
| checkbox (multiple) | array | :value | min/max length |
| radio | string / number | :value | required |
| select (single) | string / number | — | required |
| select (multiple) | array | multiple | min/max length |
| number | number (with .number) | .number mandatory | min/max/step |
| file | no v-model – use @change | multiple, accept | FileReader API |
| date / datetime-local | string (YYYY-MM-DD) | — | HTML5 validation |
Pro Tips from Real Projects (Hyderabad 2026)
- Use reactive({}) for form objects — easier than 10 separate refs
- Always add autocomplete attributes (accessibility + password managers)
- Use .trim + .lazy on text inputs → cleaner data
- For complex forms → consider VeeValidate 4, FormKit, or Vorms (Composition API friendly)
- File uploads → use FormData + fetch/axios — show progress bar
- Debounce heavy inputs (search) → use watch + setTimeout
Your mini practice task:
- Build a signup form with email, password, confirm password, country select, interests checkboxes
- Add real-time validation (email regex, password match, required fields)
- Disable submit until valid
- On submit → console.log form data
Any part confusing? Want full examples for:
- File upload with preview + progress?
- Custom date picker with v-model?
- VeeValidate 4 + Yup schema example?
- Multi-step wizard form?
Just tell me — we’ll build the next production-ready form together 🚀
Happy form-building from Hyderabad! 💙
