Form State Modernization

This page describes the ongoing migration of form state management in @deenruv/react-ui-devkit and @deenruv/admin-dashboard from the custom useGFFLP hook to a React Hook Form (RHF) based adapter called useDeenruvForm.

Why

useGFFLP is a custom form hook that predates React Hook Form's maturity. It works, but introduces friction:

• Custom validation API instead of ecosystem-standard Zod schemas
• Manual setField / setState calls instead of RHF's uncontrolled approach
• No DevTools, no formState.isDirty / isSubmitting out of the box
• Plugin developers need to learn a Deenruv-specific API

Target architecture

react-hook-form
       |
  useDeenruvForm()       -- adapter: connects RHF with ModelTypes + customFields
       |
   +---+---+
   |       |
FormField  useFormContext()
   |
zodResolver(schema)       -- Zod validation with i18n support

useDeenruvForm is a thin wrapper around useForm from react-hook-form. It:

• Accepts a Zod schema and optional defaultValues
• Returns a standard UseFormReturn object
• Integrates with @deenruv/admin-types ModelTypes for type inference
• Works with shadcn/ui <Form> and <FormField> components already present in the codebase

Migration phases

For plugin developers

What changes

If your plugin uses useGFFLP directly, you will need to migrate to useDeenruvForm eventually. The API mapping is straightforward:

// Before
const { state, setField, checkIfAllFieldsAreValid } = useGFFLP(
  'CreateProductInput', 'name', 'slug',
)({ name: { validate: (v) => v ? undefined : ['Required'] } });

// After
const form = useDeenruvForm({
  schema: z.object({
    name: z.string().min(1, t('validation.required')),
    slug: z.string(),
  }),
});

What stays the same

• DetailView component props API does not change
• EntityCustomFields component props API does not change
• useGFFLP continues to work during the transition period (minimum 2 minor releases after deprecation notice)

Timeline

useGFFLP will not be removed until at least 2 minor version releases after the deprecation warning is added. Plugin developers will have clear console warnings and a migration guide.

Internal roadmap

The full implementation plan with PR-level tasks, acceptance criteria, and risk analysis lives in:

• tasks/subtasks/form-state-dx-modernization/ROADMAP.md
• tasks/subtasks/form-state-dx-modernization/PR-PLAN.md