dashboard-form-ui

name	dashboard-form-ui
description	Create or modify forms in admin or vendor dashboards in the Mercur basic starter using stable form structure, validation, submission guards, and dashboard UI conventions.

Dashboard Form UI

Use this skill when:

• adding or editing a form in admin or vendor
• wiring page-level create or edit flows
• reviewing submission, validation, or field structure

Applies equally to admin and vendor dashboards.

Core rule

Prefer the existing Mercur form pattern already present in the screen or package. Do not introduce a parallel form system just because it is locally convenient.

Before introducing custom field wrappers, selectors, overlays, or other interactive form UI, apply medusa-ui-conformance.

Required imports

Forms use react-hook-form with zod validation and components from @mercurjs/dashboard-shared and @medusajs/ui.

Standard form page structure

A create/edit form page is a RouteFocusModal drawer route:

// The page default export wraps RouteFocusModal (provides context)
const CreatePage = () => (
  <RouteFocusModal>
    <CreateForm />
  </RouteFocusModal>
);
export default CreatePage;

// The form component uses RouteFocusModal.Form, .Header, .Body, .Footer
const CreateForm = () => {
  const { t } = useTranslation();
  const { handleSuccess } = useRouteModal();
  const form = useForm({ defaultValues: { ... }, resolver: zodResolver(schema) });

  const handleSubmit = form.handleSubmit(async (data) => {
    await mutateAsync(data, {
      onSuccess: () => { toast.success("Created"); handleSuccess("/route"); },
      onError: (error) => toast.error(error.message),
    });
  });

  return (
    <RouteFocusModal.Form form={form}>
      <form onSubmit={handleSubmit} className="flex h-full flex-col overflow-hidden">
        <RouteFocusModal.Header />
        <RouteFocusModal.Body className="flex size-full flex-col items-center p-16">
          <div className="flex w-full max-w-[720px] flex-col gap-y-8">
            {/* Heading, fields */}
          </div>
        </RouteFocusModal.Body>
        <RouteFocusModal.Footer>
          <RouteFocusModal.Close asChild>
            <Button size="small" variant="secondary">{t("actions.cancel")}</Button>
          </RouteFocusModal.Close>
          <Button size="small" variant="primary" type="submit" isLoading={isPending}>
            {t("actions.create")}
          </Button>
        </RouteFocusModal.Footer>
      </form>
    </>
  );
};

Two form containers

RouteFocusModal — for create flows

Full-screen modal overlay. Used for creating new entities.

• Page wraps RouteFocusModal (provides context), form uses .Form, .Header, .Body, .Footer, .Close
• useRouteModal() must be called inside the provider
• If using TabbedForm, do NOT use RouteFocusModal.Form — TabbedForm renders it internally. See dashboard-tab-ui.

RouteDrawer — for edit flows

Side panel from the right. Used for editing existing entities.

• Same pattern: page wraps RouteDrawer, form uses .Form, .Header, .Title, .Description, .Body, .Footer, .Close
• Critical: Edit drawer route must use @ prefix directory (e.g. [id]/@edit/page.tsx) to create a parallel route. Without @, the detail page unmounts. See dashboard-page-ui for full pattern.

Key components

• RouteFocusModal / RouteDrawer — wraps the page, provides modal provider context
• .Form — wraps the form, connects react-hook-form
• .Header — modal/drawer header (RouteFocusModal has close button built in; RouteDrawer uses .Title and .Description)
• .Body — scrollable content area
• .Footer — sticky footer with actions
• .Close — closes the modal/drawer (use with asChild on Cancel button)
• Form.Field / Form.Item / Form.Label / Form.Control / Form.ErrorMessage — form field composition
• Form.Label optional — marks a field as optional in the UI

Hard rules

1. Do not hardcode labels, hints, or button text; use i18n.
2. Do not ship forms without explicit validation behavior.
3. Do not rely only on button disabled state; submission guards must also protect non-button submit paths.
4. Do not flatten large forms into one unstructured wall of fields.
5. Do not add ad hoc field wrappers when the existing project already has a preferred form composition.
6. Do not use useRouteModal() outside a RouteFocusModal provider.

Preferred patterns

• Use schema-driven validation (zod + zodResolver) when the form is non-trivial.
• Group related fields together and keep labels, hints, and errors predictable.
• Preserve loading, pending, success, and failure behavior in submission flows.
• When extending an existing form, follow its established wrapper, field, and footer shape.

When to switch skills

• If the task is mainly page structure, use dashboard-page-ui.
• If the task is mainly a tabbed wizard, use dashboard-tab-ui.

Verification

• confirm validation fires on the expected fields
• confirm the submit path is guarded during pending async work
• confirm translated copy, hints, and errors remain coherent
• run app build or lint after non-trivial form changes