Advice Needed: Making HTML forms less tedious to create and mantain

Namadoor

I am currently in the process of making a fairly large website with a admin panel to control every aspect of the site. Making it is easy enough, it is just a lot of work. Because there are so many parts to the website, there are a lot of parts to the admin panel. Most of the areas of the admin panel are just a GUI for inserting data, modifying that data, and deleting that data from a database. Like the rest of the admin panel this is easy enough to do however I am finding that creating all of the HTML forms is becoming quite a tedious task. I also found that it is hard to maintain if the user wants to look of the forms changed. So then I created a function that would simply created the HTML for a single field from an array variable. The array looks like this:

$field_one = array("fieldname" => "field_one", "fieldtype" => "text", "fieldvalue" => $mysql_row['value'], "size" => "50", "maxlength" => "255", "helptext" => "Enter a value...", "fieldrequired" => false, "fieldunique" => false);

I would create an array like that for every field, and then the function would generate the HTML code needed for it. However I still found this to be quite a tedious task.

So, I am wondering if anyone else has encountered this type of problem, and if you found a better and quicker way for a project like this. Any other advice to how I could improve this code so that it is both easier to create as well as maintain would be appreciated.

Thanks!

drew010

You may want to have a look at this:
http://phpformgen.sourceforge.net/

halojoy

Namadoor wrote:
- creating all of the HTML forms is becoming quite a tedious task
- created a function that would simply create the HTML ...
like this:
$field_one = array(
"fieldname" => "field_one", 
"fieldtype" => "text", 
"fieldvalue" => $mysql_row['value'], 
"size" => "50", "maxlength" => "255", 
"helptext" => "Enter a value...", 
"fieldrequired" => false, 
"fieldunique" => false);
QUESTION:
- if anyone else has encountered this type of problem
- if you found a better and quicker way for a project like this
- Any other advice to how I could improve this code

http://www.phpbuilder.com thread:
Form Generating Class - by TimTimTimma

He is dealing with same idea as you are.
I have tested his class. It works.
Can be further developed and new features can be added.
And modified to suit anyones special needs.

In this case A Class with Object is a good choice.
Classes are good when functions deals with special object
on whcih you like to perform different fuctions.
I this case the special object 'HTML Form'

I would recommend you crerate a class similiar to TimTimTimma's
or use his class as your start and modify it into your version.

you are also welcome to contribute
to my PHP Research wiki
will be a start point to all kinds of php information/stuff in the web

/halojoy - a creative man 🙂 good with PHP

Namadoor

Okay, thanks, I think I will do something similar to what TimTimTimma and I hope that will cut down on the work a bit. Just one other question - I am new to OOP, and I was woundering if the better way to do it would be to have one class that creates the form, or have two classes, one that creates the <form> tags, and one class that creates the specific fields. The form class would be called once per form, while the field class will usually be called many times per form (once per field). Which way would people who use OOP recomend?

halojoy

Namadoor wrote:
- I think I will do something similar to what TimTimTimma

Just one other question:
I am new to OOP

if the better way to do it would be to have

one class that creates the form, or

have two classes, one that creates the <form> tags, and one class that creates the specific fields.
The form class would be called once per form,
while the field class will usually be called many times per form (once per field).

Which way would people who use OOP recomend?

You are new to OOP.
😃
Well,
we are all new to obejct orientated programming

searching with www.google.com can give you some nice links to good articles!
keywords: php oop tutorial OR article OR beginner object class extends

I would go for method 1.
and so you only have one include: include myform.class.php

Why dont you bring TimTimTimma thread in Code Critique, back to live?
It is exactly same subject and same thought.
As we all use form and different <input fields daily
this is a subject that should be of great general interest and value.
To help many many others creating and using forms in a Smart and Elegant way
we already have Smarty for a smart way to use templates ...

Highly recommended reading and posting for all of you.
this thread
phpbuilder.com : Form Generating Class project

Namadoor.
I promise I will do all I can to assist you,
if you start making this class.
And of course I will be first one to download and use your class,
when
namaform.class-1.0.1beta.zip
namaform.class-1.0.1beta.tar.gz
are being
Announced as released

🙂 🆒 🙂
halojoy

halojoy

- Just one other question: if the better way to do it would be to have :

one class that creates the form, or
---
have two classes, one that creates the <form> tags, and one class that creates the specific fields.
The form class would be called once per form,
while the field class will usually be called many times per form (once per field).
---
Which way would people who use OOP recomend?[/B]

To make such a Class generally useful,
I would use method 1.
I should keep all database functions, MySQL, flatfile, or PostGree, SQLIte, OUTSIDE class
Instead I would submit any data to form class by using $data1 $data2
for example using this class could be:

<?php

include 'namaform.class.php';
$aform = new namaform;

include 'dbconnect.php';
$formdata = getformdata( $db, $table_myforms, "simple_loginform" ); 
$formtype = 1; // 1=simple form;  2=advanced multidata, ex. upload form

$aform->setupform( $formtype, $formdata );
$loginformHTML = $aform->makehtml( );

// display form
echo $loginformHTML;

// or create a page 'login.php', which can be included in other php pages
$fp = fopen( 'login.php', 'wb' );
fwrite( $fp, $loginformHTML );
fclose( $fp );
include 'login.php'; // to check 'login.php' is looking alright

?>

1. first include and initiate class object $aform
2. get my login form layout data from some database or file with description of my forms

use this data to let class create HTML for this form.
....Login, register, fileupload, 'change my profile' or whatever
HTML form is ready to be displayed, echo any where I want

/halojoy - a form of human being, in shape of a body form

🙂

Namadoor

Hmm, I think I might build a form class that can use a template fairly easily. I have always found forms more of a pain then anything else in HTML, so maybe it is time to do something about it. I'll start by creating a class that will make the form, but will not be able to use templates. If that goes well, then I might add template support. Also, since the database operations behind lots of the forms in my admin panel are similar, I might also extend that form class so that the form data is also proceed by it. This will save even more time. I wrote a script a while ago that did a similar function, however I found that it wasn't really helpful, quite clumsy, and a big mess of code so I hope that making this form class will archive what I tried to archive with that script, but in a much better and less-clumsy way.

As for this form class, some objectives I am hoping to archive are:
-Makes form creation (and possibly form data processing) easy
-Clean, easy to maintain code
-XHTML 1.0 Strict compatible - no exceptions
-Able to use templates on
-Can handle any purpose where forms are needed.