add node email service integration

[rebeccadrennan]

This pull request refactors the contact form to use a custom backend API for submissions instead of EmailJS, adds improved error handling and field-level validation feedback, and updates the form's UI and styling for better user experience.

Contact Form Backend Integration

• Replaces EmailJS with a new submitContactForm function in src/services/contact.ts, which sends form data to a backend API defined by VITE_CONTACT_API_URL. The API response includes success status, message, and optional field-level errors. ([[1]](https://github.com/rebeccadrennan/portfolio-react/pull/9/files#diff-8dd3c78da0d80df2c3e813868cd11a2f834f840d366533af1c85e99b6e49a9eeL2-R29), [[2]](https://github.com/rebeccadrennan/portfolio-react/pull/9/files#diff-1023cb3e82f5176961a39bf4cbd5cf862f3c9e0d15dee2308aab70d1810d2223R1-R32), [[3]](https://github.com/rebeccadrennan/portfolio-react/pull/9/files#diff-a3046da0d15a27e89f2afe639b25748a7ad4d9290af3e7b1b6c1a5533c8f0a8cR1-R5))

Error Handling and Validation

• Implements real-time field-level error display by updating the form state with errors from the backend and showing error messages under the relevant input fields. Errors are cleared as the user edits each field. ([[1]](https://github.com/rebeccadrennan/portfolio-react/pull/9/files#diff-8dd3c78da0d80df2c3e813868cd11a2f834f840d366533af1c85e99b6e49a9eeL50-R99), [[2]](https://github.com/rebeccadrennan/portfolio-react/pull/9/files#diff-8dd3c78da0d80df2c3e813868cd11a2f834f840d366533af1c85e99b6e49a9eeR110-R120), [[3]](https://github.com/rebeccadrennan/portfolio-react/pull/9/files#diff-8dd3c78da0d80df2c3e813868cd11a2f834f840d366533af1c85e99b6e49a9eeL204-R175), [[4]](https://github.com/rebeccadrennan/portfolio-react/pull/9/files#diff-8dd3c78da0d80df2c3e813868cd11a2f834f840d366533af1c85e99b6e49a9eeR187-R191), [[5]](https://github.com/rebeccadrennan/portfolio-react/pull/9/files#diff-8dd3c78da0d80df2c3e813868cd11a2f834f840d366533af1c85e99b6e49a9eeR203-R207), [[6]](https://github.com/rebeccadrennan/portfolio-react/pull/9/files#diff-8dd3c78da0d80df2c3e813868cd11a2f834f840d366533af1c85e99b6e49a9eeR219-R223))

UI/UX Improvements

• Adds a loading state to the submit button ("Sending...") and disables it during submission. Updates the form and input styling for autofill, focus, and placeholder text to improve accessibility and appearance. ([[1]](https://github.com/rebeccadrennan/portfolio-react/pull/9/files#diff-8dd3c78da0d80df2c3e813868cd11a2f834f840d366533af1c85e99b6e49a9eeL253-R237), [[2]](https://github.com/rebeccadrennan/portfolio-react/pull/9/files#diff-092f42bd202cf3f00100ff41827b0de13b2518587d01e79643d74dab14c740deR5-R30))

Configuration Updates

• Updates .env.example to remove EmailJS variables and add VITE_CONTACT_API_URL for configuring the contact form backend. ([.env.exampleR1-R5](https://github.com/rebeccadrennan/portfolio-react/pull/9/files#diff-a3046da0d15a27e89f2afe639b25748a7ad4d9290af3e7b1b6c1a5533c8f0a8cR1-R5))

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Project	Deployment	Actions	Updated (UTC)
portfolio-react	Error		Jul 10, 2026 1:49pm