Focused Updates

Sometimes you want to run validation only for a specific field (e.g., on blur). Vest 6 introduces the suite.only() method for declarative control over which fields to validate.

New in Vest 6

suite.only() is the recommended way to handle field-focused validation in Vest 6. It provides a cleaner API compared to using only() and skip() hooks inside your suite.

Why Focus?

In a large form, re-validating the entire suite on every keystroke can be inefficient and annoying for the user (e.g., showing errors for fields they haven't touched yet). Focused updates allow you to:

• Validate on Blur: Run checks only for the field the user just left.
• Skip Expensive Tests: Temporarily bypass heavy async validations when they aren't needed.
• Improve Performance: Run only what's necessary.
• Better UX: Avoid showing errors for untouched fields.

Basic Usage

Running Only Specific Fields

Use only(...) to restrict the run to specific fields, or pass a groups list to focus by group name.

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Fluent Chain API

only() returns a "runnable" interface, allowing you to chain it with afterEach, afterField, or run.

suite
  .only('email')
  .afterEach(() => updateUI(suite.get()))
  .run(formData);

// Or with afterField for specific field callbacks
suite
  .only(['email', 'password'])
  .afterField('email', () => validateEmailUI(suite.get()))
  .afterField('password', () => validatePasswordUI(suite.get()))
  .run(formData);

// Focus by group
suite.only({ groups: 'billing' }).run(formData);

Real-World Examples

Form Field Validation on Blur

// In your form component
function handleBlur(fieldName, formData) {
  suite
    .only(fieldName)
    .afterEach(() => setValidationResult(suite.get()))
    .run(formData);
}

// Usage in React
<input
  name="email"
  onBlur={() => handleBlur('email', formData)}
  onChange={handleChange}
/>;

Validating All Fields Without Focus

When you need to validate everything (e.g., on form submit), simply call run() without only():

// Validate all fields on submit
function handleSubmit(formData) {
  suite.afterEach(() => setResult(suite.get())).run(formData);
}

// Or for focused blur validation
function handleBlur(fieldName, value) {
  suite
    .only(fieldName)
    .afterEach(() => setResult(suite.get()))
    .run({ ...formData, [fieldName]: value });
}

React Hook Integration

import { useState, useCallback } from 'react';
import { create, test, enforce } from 'vest';
import 'vest/email';

const suite = create(data => {
  test('username', 'Username is required', () => {
    enforce(data.username).isNotBlank();
  });
  test('email', 'Email must be valid', () => {
    enforce(data.email).isEmail();
  });
});

function useFormValidation(initialData) {
  const [formData, setFormData] = useState(initialData);
  const [result, setResult] = useState(suite.get());

  const validateField = useCallback(
    fieldName => {
      suite
        .only(fieldName)
        .afterEach(() => setResult(suite.get()))
        .run(formData);
    },
    [formData],
  );

  const validateAll = useCallback(() => {
    suite.afterEach(() => setResult(suite.get())).run(formData);
  }, [formData]);

  return { formData, setFormData, result, validateField, validateAll };
}

Comparison: suite.only() vs only()/skip()

Feature	only()/skip()	suite.only()
Location	Inside suite callback	Outside, at call site
Flexibility	Requires conditional logic	Fully dynamic
Separation of Concerns	Mixed with validation	Decoupled from validation
Chainable	No	Yes (afterEach, afterField, run)
Best For	Static, logic-based exclusions	UI-driven field focus

When to Use Each

Use suite.only() when:

• Validating on blur or focus events
• The decision of what to validate comes from UI interactions
• You want to chain callbacks

Use only()/skip() when:

• The exclusion logic depends on the data itself
• You have static, predetermined exclusions
• The logic belongs inside the suite

Behavior Notes

Important

• Non-persistent: Focused runs do not persist between calls. Each only call applies only to the immediately following run().
• Schema Validation: When focusing specific fields, schema validation is skipped for fields outside the focus scope, allowing targeted validation even if the full payload is invalid.
• State Preservation: Previous validation results for non-focused fields are preserved.

TypeScript Support

suite.only() is fully typed. The field names are inferred from your suite definition:

interface FormData {
  username: string;
  email: string;
  password: string;
}

const suite = create((data: FormData) => {
  test('username', 'Username is required', () => {
    enforce(data.username).isNotBlank();
  });
  // ...
});

// TypeScript will autocomplete field names
suite.only('username').run(formData); // ✅
suite.only('nonexistent').run(formData); // ❌ Type error

Related

• Including and Excluding Fields - Using only() and skip() inside suites
• Include - Link related fields to run together