Exploring React 19 RC: New Hooks for Actions and Forms

React 19 RC introduces some groundbreaking features that streamline handling data mutations and form submissions. These include three powerful hooks: useActionState, useFormStatus, and useOptimistic. In this blog, we’ll explore these hooks with examples relevant to real-world applications.

useActionState hook: Simplifying Asynchronous Actions

Managing asynchronous data updates, error states, and UI responsiveness has always been challenging. React's useActionState hook simplifies this by automating pending state, errors, and success handling in data mutations.

Example:

Updating User Profile

import React, { useActionState } from 'react';

function UpdateProfile() {
  const [error, submitAction, isPending] = useActionState(async (prevState, formData) => {
    const username = formData.get('username');
    const error = await saveUsername(username); // Simulated API call
    if (error) return error;
    return null; // Success
  }, null);

  return (
    <form action={submitAction}>
      <input name="username" type="text" placeholder="New Username" />
      <button type="submit" disabled={isPending}>
        Update
      </button>
      {error && <p className="error">{error}</p>}
    </form>
  );
}

export default UpdateProfile;

With useActionState, you don't need to manually manage states like isPending or error handling—it’s all handled for you!

useFormStatus hook: Enhancing Form UX

Design systems often require form-aware components that dynamically respond to form states. Instead of prop drilling or using custom context, the useFormStatus hook reads the status of the nearest parent <form> component.

Example:

Custom Submit Button

import React from 'react';
import { useFormStatus } from 'react-dom';

function SubmitButton() {
  const { pending } = useFormStatus();
  return (
    <button type="submit" disabled={pending}>
      Submit
    </button>
  )
}

function FeedbackForm() {
  const submitAction = async (formData) => {
    const feedback = formData.get('feedback');
    await sendFeedback(feedback); // Simulated API call
  }

  return (
    <form action={submitAction}>
      <textarea name="feedback" placeholder="Share your feedback"></textarea>
      <SubmitButton />
    </form>
  );
}

export default FeedbackForm;

useFormStatus makes your components more modular and reactive to the form’s pending state without additional boilerplate.

useOptimistic hook: Instant Feedback with Optimistic Updates

Optimistic UI updates allow users to see the final state immediately, even while an async operation is in progress. The new useOptimistic hook handles this elegantly.

Example:

Optimistically Updating a Counter

import React, { useOptimistic } from 'react';

function LikeButton({ initialLikes }) {
  const [optimisticLikes, setOptimisticLikes] = useOptimistic(initialLikes);

  const handleLike = async () => {
    setOptimisticLikes((prev) => prev + 1); // Instant feedback
    const updatedLikes = await saveLikeCount(); // Simulated API call
    setOptimisticLikes(updatedLikes); // Sync with server
  }

  return <button onClick={handleLike}>👍 {optimisticLikes} Likes</button>
}

export default LikeButton;

With useOptimistic, you can deliver a seamless user experience while ensuring your app remains in sync with the backend.

When to Use These Hooks

• useActionState: Use it when you need to manage async mutations with clean handling of errors and pending states.

• useFormStatus: Ideal for building form-aware components in design systems or reusable components.

• useOptimistic: Perfect for scenarios requiring immediate feedback, like live updates or voting systems.

Conclusion

React 19 RC brings exciting improvements to how we manage async workflows and forms. These hooks not only simplify code but also enhance the user experience by managing states more effectively. Start experimenting with these hooks in your projects today and unlock the full potential of React 19!