Form Group

The BFormGroup component is the easiest way to add some structure to forms. Its purpose is to pair form controls with a legend or label, and to provide help text and invalid/valid feedback text, as well as visual (color) contextual state feedback.

Please enter something.
Thank you!
Let us know your name.
HTML
vue
<template>
  <BFormGroup
    id="fieldset-1"
    description="Let us know your name."
    label="Enter your name"
    label-for="input-1"
    valid-feedback="Thank you!"
    :invalid-feedback="invalidFeedback"
    :state="state"
    label-class="mb-1"
  >
    <BFormInput id="input-1" v-model="name" :state="state" trim />
  </BFormGroup>
</template>

<script setup lang="ts">
const name = ref('')

const state = computed(() => name.value.length >= 4)
const invalidFeedback = computed(() =>
  name.value.length > 0 ? 'Enter at least 4 characters.' : 'Please enter something.'
)
</script>

Label

Use the prop label to set the content of the generated <legend> or <label> element, or by using the named slot label, You may optionally visually hide the label text while still making it available to screen readers by setting the prop label-visually-hidden.

BFormGroup will render a <fieldset> with <legend> if the label-for prop is not set. If an input Id is provided to the label-for prop, then a <div> with <label> will be rendered.

If you provide an input id value to the label-for prop (the id must exist on the input contained within the BFormGroup), a <label> element will be rendered instead of a <legend> element, and will have the for attribute set to the id specified. When specifying the id, do not prepend it with #. The label-for prop should only be used when you have a single form input inside the BFormGroup component. Do not set the label-for prop when using BFormRadioGroup, BFormCheckboxGroup, BFormRadio, BFormCheckbox or BFormFile components (or when placing multiple inputs in the same form group), as these inputs include integrated label element(s) and the <legend> element is more suitable.

You can also apply additional classes to the label via the label-class prop, such as responsive padding and text alignment utility classes. The label-class prop accepts either a string or array of strings.

Horizontal layout

By default, the label appears above the input element(s), but you may optionally render horizontal (label to the left of the input) at the various standard Bootstrap breakpoints.

The props label-cols and label-cols-{breakpoint} allow you to specify how many columns the label should occupy in the row. The input will fill the rest of the row width. The value must be a number greater than 0. Or you can set the prop to true to make the label and input(s) each occupy half of the width of the rendered row (handy if you have custom Bootstrap with an odd number of columns), or set the value to 'auto' so that the label occupies only the width that is needed.

It is also possible to specify how many columns the content should occupy in the row via the content-cols and content-cols-{breakpoint} props.

When using both, the label-cols and content-cols props, make sure that the total amount of columns does not exceed 12.

See the Layout and Grid System docs for further information.

PropDescription
label-colsApplies to breakpoint xs up
label-cols-smApplies to breakpoint sm and up
label-cols-mdApplies to breakpoint md and up
label-cols-lgApplies to breakpoint lg and up
label-cols-xlApplies to breakpoint xl and up
content-colsApplies to breakpoint xs up
content-cols-smApplies to breakpoint sm and up
content-cols-mdApplies to breakpoint md and up
content-cols-lgApplies to breakpoint lg and up
content-cols-xlApplies to breakpoint xl and up
Let us know your name.
HTML
template
<BFormGroup
  id="fieldset-horizontal"
  label-cols-sm="4"
  label-cols-lg="3"
  content-cols-sm
  content-cols-lg="7"
  description="Let us know your name."
  label="Enter your name"
  label-for="input-horizontal"
>
  <BFormInput id="input-horizontal" />
</BFormGroup>

You can also set the label cols to 'auto'.

Label size

You can control the label text size match the size of your form input(s) via the optional label-size prop. Values can be 'sm' or 'lg' for small or large label, respectively. Sizes work for both horizontal and non-horizontal form groups.

HTML
template
<BFormGroup label-cols="4" label-cols-lg="2" label-size="sm" label="Small" label-for="input-sm">
  <BFormInput id="input-sm" size="sm" />
</BFormGroup>

<BFormGroup label-cols="4" label-cols-lg="2" label="Default" label-for="input-default">
  <BFormInput id="input-default" />
</BFormGroup>

<BFormGroup label-cols="4" label-cols-lg="2" label-size="lg" label="Large" label-for="input-lg">
  <BFormInput id="input-lg" size="lg" />
</BFormGroup>

Label text alignment

The label text may also optionally be aligned start, center or end by setting the respective value via the prop label-text-align and/or label-align-{breakpoint}.

PropDescription
label-alignApplies to breakpoint xs up
label-align-smApplies to breakpoint sm and up
label-align-mdApplies to breakpoint md and up
label-align-lgApplies to breakpoint lg and up
label-align-xlApplies to breakpoint xl and up

Alignment has no effect if the label-visually-hidden prop is set.

Nested form groups

Feel free to nest BFormGroup components to produce advanced form layouts and semantic grouping of related form controls:

Shipping Address
Ship via:
HTML
template
<BCard bg-variant="light">
  <BFormGroup
    label-cols-lg="3"
    label="Shipping Address"
    label-size="lg"
    label-class="fw-bold pt-0"
    class="mb-0"
  >
    <BFormGroup
      label="Street:"
      label-for="nested-street"
      label-cols-sm="3"
      label-align-sm="end"
    >
      <BFormInput id="nested-street" />
    </BFormGroup>

    <BFormGroup label="City:" label-for="nested-city" label-cols-sm="3" label-align-sm="end">
      <BFormInput id="nested-city" />
    </BFormGroup>

    <BFormGroup label="State:" label-for="nested-state" label-cols-sm="3" label-align-sm="end">
      <BFormInput id="nested-state" />
    </BFormGroup>

    <BFormGroup
      label="Country:"
      label-for="nested-country"
      label-cols-sm="3"
      label-align-sm="end"
    >
      <BFormInput id="nested-country" />
    </BFormGroup>

    <BFormGroup
      label="Ship via:"
      label-cols-sm="3"
      label-align-sm="end"
      class="mb-0"
    >
      <BFormRadioGroup
        class="pt-2"
        :options="['Air', 'Courier', 'Mail']"
      />
    </BFormGroup>
  </BFormGroup>
</BCard>

Disabled form group

Setting the disabled prop will disable the rendered <fieldset> and, on most browsers, will disable all the input elements contained within the fieldset.

disabled has no effect when label-for is set (as a <fieldset> element is not rendered).

Validation state feedback

Bootstrap includes validation styles for valid and invalid states on most form controls.

Generally speaking, you'll want to use a particular state for specific types of feedback:

  • false (denotes invalid state) is great for when there is a blocking or required field. A user must fill in this field properly to submit the form
  • true (denotes valid state) is ideal for situations when you have per-field validation throughout a form and want to encourage a user through the rest of the fields
  • null Displays no validation state (neither valid nor invalid)

To apply one of the contextual state icons on BFormGroup, set the state prop to false (for invalid), true (for valid), or null (no validation state).

Bootstrap v5 uses sibling CSS selectors of :invalid or :valid inputs to show the feedback text. Some form controls (such as checkboxes, radios, and file inputs, or inputs inside input-groups) are wrapped in additional markup that will no longer make the feedback text a sibling of the input, and hence the feedback will not show. In these situations you will need to set the validity state on the BFormGroup as well as the input.

Feedback will be shown if the parent BForm component does not have the novalidate prop set (or set to false) along with the validated prop set (and the input fails or passes native browser validation constraints such as required). Refer to Bootstrap 5's Forms Validation documentation for details on validation methods.

You should always provide content via the invalid-feedback prop (or slot) to aid users using assistive technologies when setting a contextual invalid state.

Invalid feedback

Show optional invalid state feedback text to provide textual state feedback (html supported) by setting the prop invalid-feedback or using the named slot invalid-feedback.

Invalid feedback is rendered using the BFormInvalidFeedback form sub-component.

Valid feedback

Show optional valid state feedback text to provide textual state feedback (html supported) by setting the prop valid-feedback or using the named slot valid-feedback.

Valid feedback is rendered using the BFormValidFeedback form sub-component.

Feedback style

By default, when visible, feedback (valid or invalid) will show as a block of text. You can change the feedback so that it shows as a static tooltip when visible, by setting the prop tooltip to true.

Feedback limitations

Note: When using BInputGroup, BFormFile, BFormRadioGroup, BFormRadio, BFormCheckboxGroup or BFormCheckbox inside a BFormGroup, setting an invalid (or valid) state on the input alone will not trigger the invalid (or valid) feedback to show (due to limitations with the Bootstrap 5 validation CSS). To get around this, you must also set the invalid/valid state on BFormGroup. Native browser validation will not trigger the invalid feedback to show when using one of the above-mentioned form controls.

Floating labels

BFormGroup supports the new Floating labels feature of Bootstrap 5.

You can make a floating label by setting the property floating to true and specify a placeholder on the BFormInput.

Example

Please enter something.
Thank you!
Let us know your name.
HTML
vue
<template>
  <BFormGroup
    id="fieldset-1"
    description="Let us know your name."
    label="Name"
    label-for="input-floating-1"
    valid-feedback="Thank you!"
    :invalid-feedback="floatingInvalidFeedback"
    :state="floatingState"
    floating
  >
    <BFormInput
      id="input-floating-1"
      v-model="floatingName"
      :state="floatingState"
      trim
      placeholder="Enter your name please"
    />
  </BFormGroup>
</template>

<script setup lang="ts">
const floatingName = ref('')

const floatingState = computed(() => floatingName.value.length >= 4)
const floatingInvalidFeedback = computed(() =>
  floatingName.value.length > 0 ? 'Enter at least 4 characters.' : 'Please enter something.'
)
</script>

Restrictions

There are restrictions on the use of floating labels.

  • Floating labels do not work in horizontal layout. Horizontal layout precedes the floating property. Do not set any of the content-cols- or label-cols- properties if you want floating labels.
  • The BFormInput must have a placeholder property set.

Accessibility

By default, when no label-for value is provided, BFormGroup renders the input control(s) inside an HTML <fieldset> element with the label content placed inside the fieldset's <legend> element. By nature of this markup, the legend content is automatically associated to the containing input control(s).

It is highly recommended that you provide a unique id prop on your input element and set the label-for prop to this Id, when you have only a single input in the BFormGroup.

When multiple form controls are placed inside BFormGroup (i.e. a series or radio or checkbox inputs, or a series of related inputs), do not set the label-for prop, as a label can only be associated with a single input. It is best to use the default rendered markup that produces a <fieldset> + <legend> which will describe the group of inputs.

When placing multiple form controls inside a BFormGroup (and you are not nesting BFormGroup components), it is recommended to give each control its own associated label (which may be visually hidden using the .visually-hidden class) and set the labels for attribute to the id of the associated input control. Alternatively, you can set the aria-label attribute on each input control instead of using a label. For BFormRadio and BFormCheckbox (or the group versions), you do not need to set individual labels, as the rendered markup for these types of inputs already includes a label element.

When the BFormGroup has a label-for prop set, the aria-describedby attribute will be auto-assigned to the input. When the form group has multiple form controls, make sure to set the attribute to each control yourself by using the ariaDescribedby prop value from the optionally scoped default slot.

Component Reference

<BFormGroup>
PropTypeDefaultDescription
aria-invalidAriaInvalidundefined Sets the `aria-invalid` attribute value on the wrapper element. When not provided, the `state` prop will control the attribute
content-colsboolean | number | string'undefined' Number of columns for the content width 'xs' screens and up
content-cols-lgboolean | number | string'undefined' Number of columns for the content width 'lg' screens and up
content-cols-mdboolean | number | string'undefined' Number of columns for the content width 'md' screens and up
content-cols-smboolean | number | string'undefined' Number of columns for the content width 'sm' screens and up
content-cols-xlboolean | number | string'undefined' Number of columns for the content width 'xl' screens and up
descriptionstring'undefined' Text to place in the help text area of the form group
disabledbooleanfalse Disables the fieldset element, which in turn disables the form controls (on browsers that support disabled fieldsets). Has no effect if `label-for` is set
feedback-aria-livestring''assertive'' Value to use for the `aria-live` attribute on the feedback text
floatingboolean'undefined' When set renders the lablel in the floating style
idstringundefined Used to set the `id` attribute on the rendered content, and used as the base to generate any additional element IDs as needed
invalid-feedbackstring'undefined' Text to show when the form group has an invalid state
labelstring'undefined' Text to place in the label/legend of the form group
label-alignstring'undefined' Text alignment 'left', 'center', 'right' for the label 'xs' screens and up
label-align-lgstring'undefined' Text alignment 'left', 'center', 'right' for the label 'lg' screens and up
label-align-mdstring'undefined' Text alignment 'left', 'center', 'right' for the label 'md' screens and up
label-align-smstring'undefined' Text alignment 'left', 'center', 'right' for the label 'sm' screens and up
label-align-xlstring'undefined' Text alignment 'left', 'center', 'right' for the label 'xl' screens and up
label-classstring[] | Record<string, unknown> | string'undefined' CSS class (or classes) to add to the label/legend element
label-colsboolean | number | string'undefined' Number of columns for the label width 'xs' screens and up
label-cols-lgboolean | number | string'undefined' Number of columns for the label width 'lg' screens and up
label-cols-mdboolean | number | string'undefined' Number of columns for the label width 'md' screens and up
label-cols-smboolean | number | string'undefined' Number of columns for the label width 'sm' screens and up
label-cols-xlboolean | number | string'undefined' Number of columns for the label width 'xl' screens and up
label-forstring'undefined' Set to the ID of the singular form control in the form group. Do not set a value if there is more than one form control in the group
label-sizestring'undefined' Sets the text size of the label: 'sm', 'md' (default) or 'lg'. Use this prop to have the label size match the form control size
label-visually-hiddenboolean'false' Visually hides the label content, but makes it available to screen reader users
stateboolean | nullundefined Controls the validation state appearance of the component. `true` for valid, `false` for invalid, or `null` for no validation state
tooltipbooleanfalse Renders the feedback text in a rudimentary tooltip style
valid-feedbackstring'undefined' Text to show when the form group has a valid state
validatedboolean'undefined' When set, adds the Bootstrap validation trigger class 'was-validated' on the component
NameScopeDescription
default
aria-describedby: string - The value for the `aria-describedby` attribute for input elements in the form group. Will be auto-assigned when `label-for` prop is given
id: string - The ID of the form group. Will equal `id` prop, when provided
description-id : string - The ID of the description element. Will be `null` when no description content given
label-id: string - The ID of the label element. Will be `null` when no description content given
Content (form checkboxes) to place in the form checkbox group
descriptionContent to place in the description area. Overrides the `description` prop
invalid-feedbackContent to place in the invalid feedback area. Overrides the `invalid-feedback` prop
labelContent to place inside the label element. Overrides the `label` prop
valid-feedbackContent to place in the valid feedback area. Overrides the `valid-feedback` prop