API style error handling for forms

[MFKR]

Hey people I've been working on an administration page that handles, admins and permissioned users. However I'm trying to create some sleek dynamic error handling that I can start to use across the rest of the site. I started by making a class that would handle the creation of basic inputs (i.e. textarea, inputbox, select) except I'm running into a problem when one of the fields is blank or is not in the right format. My question is there an easy way to implement errors for each input in a form. So if I have 15 inputs it checks 15 without me having to do if...else...if...else a billion times over. I was thinking of doing something with a true/false but wouldn't a true replace and false and false replace a true if they are all linked to the same variable...

Maybe if I post the idea of the class below it will help

class FormMaker
{
	var $style;
	var $errorstyle;

function FormMaker( $style, $errorstyle )
{
	$this->style = $style;
	$this->errorstyle = $errorstyle;
}

function TextArea( $input, $name, $height, $width )
{
	if( isset( $input ) )
	{
		switch ( $input )
		{
			case NULL:
				echo "<textarea name=\"$name\" rows=\"$height\" cols=\"$width\" id=\"$this->errorstyle\">$input</textarea>";
				break;

			default:
				echo "<textarea name=\"$name\" rows=\"$height\" cols=\"$width\" id=\"$this->style\">$input</textarea>";
				break;
		}
	}
	else
	{
		echo "<textarea name=\"$name\" rows=\"$height\" cols=\"$width\" id=\"$this->style\"></textarea>";
	}
}

function TextBox( $input, $name, $width )
{
	if( isset( $input ) )
	{
		switch ( $input )
		{
			case NULL:
				echo "<input type=\"text\" name=\"$name\" value=\"$input\" size=\"$width\" id=\"$this->errorstyle\">";
				break;
			default:
				echo "<input type=\"text\" name=\"$name\" value=\"$input\" size=\"$width\" id=\"$this->style\">";
				break;
		}
	}
	else
	{
		echo "<input type=\"text\" name=\"$name\" value=\"$input\" size=\"$width\" id=\"$this->style\">";
	}
}
}

I'm thinking something like Drupal or Digg...or some other well known site that has an api style error handling...

[frikikip]

First of all, this piece of code

function TextArea( $input, $name, $height, $width )
    {
        if( isset( $input ) )
        {
            switch ( $input )
            {
                case NULL:
                    echo "<textarea name=\"$name\" rows=\"$height\" cols=\"$width\" id=\"$this->errorstyle\">$input</textarea>";
                    break;

            default:
                echo "<textarea name=\"$name\" rows=\"$height\" cols=\"$width\" id=\"$this->style\">$input</textarea>";
                break;
        }
    }
    else
    {
        echo "<textarea name=\"$name\" rows=\"$height\" cols=\"$width\" id=\"$this->style\"></textarea>";
    }
} 

Can be written much shorter, like

function TextArea( $input, $name, $height, $width ) {

echo "<textarea name=\"$name\" rows=\"$height\" cols=\"$width\" id=\"".($input == NULL?$this->errorstyle:$this->style)."\"></textarea>";
}

Saving you a lot of time.

If you want to create a really dynamic formgenerator I suggest you read some more on OOP practices, especially on classes and overloading.

I think the best thing you could do is create a base formmaker class and create multiple formelement classes.

Good luck,

Marvin