Path semantics

Many form libraries parse dot strings. @ilokesto/form does not. The design protects applications that receive keys such as metadata.user.name from APIs, spreadsheets, search filters, or analytics systems. If dots were parsed automatically, a literal field and a nested field would be ambiguous.

form.setValue('metadata.user.name', 'literal');
form.setValue(['metadata', 'user', 'name'], 'nested');

The tradeoff is verbosity for nested fields. The benefit is predictability. Reusable field components should accept FieldPathInput and pass it through unchanged. Do not join tuples with dots before calling the form API, because that changes the meaning of the field.

When to care

Most applications can start with Quick start and Guides. Read this page when you build reusable abstractions, debug edge cases, or need to explain why Form chooses explicit paths, source-neutral schemas, stable keys, and normalized state instead of hiding those decisions behind a larger framework.