Can't type in React input text field

Question

I'm trying my first bit of React.js and am stumped early on... I have the code below, which renders a search form into <div id="search"></div>. But typing in the search box does nothing.

Presumably something is going missing passing the props and state up and down, and this seems like a common problem. But I'm stumped - I can't see what's missing.

var SearchFacet = React.createClass({
  handleChange: function() {
    this.props.onUserInput(
      this.refs.searchStringInput.value
    )
  },
  render: function() {
    return (
      <div>
        Search for:
        <input
          type="text"
          value={this.props.searchString}
          ref="searchStringInput"
          onchange={this.handleChange} />
      </div>
    );
  }
});

var SearchTool = React.createClass({
  render: function() {
    return (
      <form>
        <SearchFacet 
          searchString={this.props.searchString}
          onUserInput={this.props.onUserInput}
         />
        <button>Search</button>
      </form>
    );
  }
});

var Searcher = React.createClass({
  getInitialState: function() {
    return {
      searchString: ''
    }
  },

  handleUserInput: function(searchString) {
    this.setState({
      searchString: searchString
    })
  },

  render: function() {
    return (
      <div>
        <SearchTool 
          searchString={this.state.searchString}
          onUserInput={this.handleUserInput}
        />
      </div>
    );
  }
});

ReactDOM.render(
  <Searcher />,
  document.getElementById('searcher')
);

(Eventually I will have other types of SearchFacet* but I'm just trying to get this one working.)

Answer 1

Using value={whatever} will make it so you cannot type in the input field. You should use defaultValue="Hello!".

See https://facebook.github.io/react/docs/uncontrolled-components.html#default-values

Also, the onchange should be onChange as @davnicwil points out.

Answer 2

You haven't properly cased your onchange prop in the input. It needs to be onChange in JSX.

<input
  type="text"
  value={this.props.searchString}
  ref="searchStringInput"
  onchange={this.handleChange} <--[should be onChange]
/>  

The topic of passing a value prop to an <input>, and then somehow changing the value passed in response to user interaction using an onChange handler is pretty well-considered in the docs.

They refer to such inputs as Controlled Components, and refer to inputs that instead let the DOM natively handle the input's value and subsequent changes from the user as Uncontrolled Components.

Whenever you set the value prop of an input to some variable, you have a Controlled Component. This means you must change the value of the variable by some programmatic means or else the input will always hold that value and will never change, even when you type -- the native behaviour of the input, to update its value on typing, is overridden by React here.

So, you're correctly taking that variable from state, and have a handler to update the state all set up fine. The problem was because you have onchange and not the correct onChange the handler was never being called and so the value was never being updated when you type into the input. When you do use onChange the handler is called, the value is updated when you type, and you see your changes.

Answer 3

For me the following simple change worked perfectly

<input type="text" 
        value={props.letter} 
        onChange={event => setTxtLetter(event.target.value)} /> {/* does not work */}

change... value={myPropVal} to... defaultValue={myPropVal}

<input type="text" 
        defaultValue={props.letter} 
        onChange={event => setTxtLetter(event.target.value)} /> {/* Works!! */}

Answer 4

This might be caused by the onChange function is not updating the proper value which is mentioned in the input.

Example:

<input type="text" value={this.state.textValue} onChange = {this.changeText}></input>

 changeText(event){
        this.setState(
            {textValue : event.target.value}
        );
    }

in the onChange function update the mentioned value field.

Answer 5

Instead of value use defaultValue

We use value when the fields are empty, but if we have to type or update the value from the value already in the input box. We must use defaultValue

Answer 6

I also have same problem and in my case I injected reducer properly but still I couldn't type in field. It turns out if you are using immutable you have to use redux-form/immutable.

import {reducer as formReducer} from 'redux-form/immutable';
const reducer = combineReducers{

    form: formReducer
}
import {Field, reduxForm} from 'redux-form/immutable';
/* your component */

Notice that your state should be like state->form otherwise you have to explicitly config the library also the name for state should be form. see this issue

Answer 7

In a class component context...

If the changeHandler method is a normal function:

handleChange(e){
    this.setState({[e.target.name]:[e.target.value]});
}

it can be used such as this...onChange={(e)=>this.handleChange(e)}

<input type="text" name="any" value={this.state.any} onChange={(e)=>this.handleChange(e)}></input>

If the changeHandler method is an arrow function:

handle = (e) =>{
        this.setState({[e.target.name]:[e.target.value]});
    }

it can be used like this... onChange={this.handle}

 <input type="text" name="any2" value={this.state.any2} onChange={this.handle} ></input>

And this solved my "Can't type in React input text field" problem.

Answer 8

Give the onChange to the searchTool.

Answer 9

Once I ran into a similar error. Let me describe it.

Edit.js

   // components returns edit form 
   
   function EditVideo({id}) {
   .....
   
   // onChange event listener 
    const handleChange = (e) => {
       setTextData({
           ...textData,
           [e.target.name]: e.target.value.trim()
        });
     }
  
   ....
   ...
   }
)

ImportEdit.js

   import Edit from './Edit';
   
    function ImportEdit() {
    ......
     ...
    return (
        <div>
            <EditVideo id={id}/>
        </div>
       )
    }

    export default ImportEdit

The Problem was: I was unable to use spacebar (i.e. if i press spacekey, i didn't see space input)

The Bug: .trim()

.trim() method was trimming all the white space i typed

Note: Edit.js worked fine when used sepeartely without import

Answer 10

In my case i use Material ui and also needed name="data" (same as state)

 <TextField name="fecha" id="fecha" label="fecha"  value={this.state.fecha} onChange={this.handleInputChange} />

the name value is needed for react works

Answer 11

I got a similar problem, i fixed it by adding a value and a name params to each input i used.

Here an example:

const onValueChange = (e) => {
    setProduct({ ...product, [e.target.name]: e.target.value })
}
//...
<input
      type="number"
      id="exampleFormControlInput4"
      label="Price :"
      placeholder="Enter price"
      text="Must be a number"
      aria-describedby="exampleFormControlInputHelpInline"
      onChange={(e) => onValueChange(e)}
      value={price}
      name="price"
/>

Answer 12

Check your input field names. I corrected my input field names and issue solved for me.