design view form class

[bike5]

I am trying something new in the way I develop. I am sudo-coding the code that will use the class before the class is even built. This form class allows you to see all your form elements as form elements in DW design view and I assume other editors would work too but havn't tried any others. I have a class already completed similar to this but its a little more messy and complicated to acheive the same goal as this new class would do. Let me know what you think.

<?php
# NOTEs:
#	This class will assume all data passed into it is "clean"


// Name of the form and the method it will submit by
$form = new form_handle('myform',__POST);//('myform',__GET)

// Values for the dropdown list
$icecream_list = array('cho' => 'chocolate','van' => 'vanilla','straw' => 'strawberry');
$sports_list = array('1' => 'soccer','2' => 'baseball','3' => 'football','4' => 'basketball');


#===========================================================================================
# Validation
# NOTE: Adding a parameter to each validation of "JS" will create javascript code to validate
#		client side before submitting in addition to the server side validation
#		This will not work the the validation that queries the database
#		--will think about a way to hook this in via ajax after most of everything else is done
#		

// Must be at least X number of characters
$form->validate(__MIN_CHAR,array(
							array('firstname','2','Lenght must be longer than 2 characters'),
							array('element name','minimum lenght','error message')
							));

// Must be not more then X number of characters
// Note: If you use "%var%" in the error message it will use the number sent, 
//		 this prevents you from having to change the number in two place if you change 
//		 the acceptable lenght at a later date
$form->validate(__MAX_CHAR,array(
							array('firstname','15','Lenght must not be longer than %var% characters'),
							array('element name','minimum lenght','error message')
							));

// Requires a value to to inputted							
$form->validate(__REQUIRED,array(
							array('firstname','This value is required'),
							array('firstname','This value is required',JS),//Validates using javascript ALSO
							array('element name','error message')
							);

// E-MAIL					
$form->validate(__EMAIL,array(
							array('emailaddy','This must be a valid email'),
							array('element name','error message')
							);

// Two values must match/be the same					
$form->validate(__SAME,array(
							array('password1','password2','Passwords did not match!'),
							array('element name1','element name2','error message')
							);

// Two values must not match/be the same					
$form->validate(__OPPOSITE,array(
							array('name1','name2','names can not match!'),
							array('element name1','element name2','error message')
							);							

// Minimum value/amount numbers			
$form->validate(__MIN_VALUE,array(
							array('age',15,'Not old enough'),
							array('element name','min amount','error message')
							);

// Maximum value/amount numbers			
$form->validate(__MAX_VALUE,array(
							array('age',95,'Too old!!!'),
							array('element name','max amount','error message')
							);

// Custom regular expression
$form->validate(__REGEX,array(
							array('somename','^[A-Z]$',__CASE_SENSITIVE,'Invalid value'),
							array('somename','^[A-Z]$',__CASE_INSENSITIVE,'Invalid value'),
							array('element name','regular expression',case sen/insen-itive,'error message')
							);	
//______________________________________________________________________________________							
// Database match, only works if using my db class, or you can modify it to connect to whoevers
$form->validate(__DB_MATCH,array(
							array('login',__BAD,"SELECT user_login FROM user WHERE login = '{$form->getValue['login']}' LIMIT 1",'Some1 already has that login name'),
							array('state',__GOOD,"SELECT state_name FROM states WHERE state_name = '{$form->getValue['statename']}' LIMIT 1",'you choose a state that does not exsist'),
							array('element name',__BAD=Match found fails validation, __GOOD=Match not found fails validation,'sql query','error message')
							);																														
#===========================================================================================



#===========================================================================================
# Setting the value of elements

$theperson = $sql->fetchArray();
// The will automatically match up form elements to the database results assuming you named them the same
$form->addFormValues($theperson);
// If you have any more values you wish to add in just send them in as an single-dem array
// Say you want to redisplay the form with what was submitted
$form->addFormValues(cleanArray($_POST));

#===========================================================================================

#===========================================================================================
# Defaults:
#	only appear if no other values for said element were added
#	does not override any pre-exsisting values, LOWEST PRIORITY
# 	Examples will show how to do single and multiple values

//______________________________________________________________________________________
$form->addDefaultToList(// Single
							array('icecream' => array('van'))
						);
$form->addDefaultToList(// Multiple
							array('icecream' => array('van')),
							array('sports' => array('soccer','baseball'))
						);	
//______________________________________________________________________________________	
$form->addDeaultToCheckBox(// Single
							array('shirt')
							);
$form->addDeaultToCheckBox(// Multiple
							array(
								'shirt',
								'hat',
								'pants',
								'shoes')
							);
//______________________________________________________________________________________
$form->addDeaultToTextArea(// Single
							array('bio' => 'Enter some text here')
							);
$form->addDeaultToTextArea(// Multiple
							array('bio' => 'Enter some text here'),
							array('moreinfo','blabalblab'
							);
//______________________________________________________________________________________
$form->addDeaultToRadio(// Single
						array('color' => 'red')
						);
$form->addDeaultToRadio(// Multiple
						array(
							'color' => 'red',
							'yesno' => 'yes')
						);
//______________________________________________________________________________________

$form->addDeaultToText(// Single
						array('firstname' => 'Tom')
						);
$form->addDeaultToText(// Multiple
						array
						(
							'firstname' => 'Tom',
							'lastname' => 'Ginkens')
						);						
//______________________________________________________________________________________

#===========================================================================================

?>
<form action="" <?php echo $form->setForm();// method="POST" name="myform" id="myform" ?>>
<p>
	<input type="text" <?php echo $form->setText('firstname');// name="firstname" id="firstname" value="Tom" ?>/>
	<input type="text" <?php echo $form->setText('lastname');// name="firstname" id="firstname" value="Ginkens" ?>/>
	<?php echo errorMsg('firstname'); //Displays error message if validation fails ?>
</p>
<p>
	<input type="radio" <?php echo $form->setRadio('color','red'); //name="color" value="red" checked="checked" ?> /> 
	<input type="radio" <?php echo $form->setRadio('color','blue'); //name="color" value="blue"?>/> 
	<input type="radio" <?php echo $form->setRadio('color','yellow'); //name="color" value="yellow"?>/> 
</p>
<p>
	<input type="radio" <?php echo $form->setRadio('yesno','yes'); //name="yesno" value="yes"?>/>
	<input type="radio" <?php echo $form->setRadio('yesno','no'); //name="yesno" value="no"?>/>
</p>
<p>
	<input type="checkbox" <?php echo $form->setCheckBox('hat','on'); ?> />
	<input type="checkbox" <?php echo $form->setCheckBox('shirt','1'); ?> />
	<input type="checkbox" <?php echo $form->setCheckBox('pants','yup'); 
	//  name="hat" id="hat" value="on" 
	//  name="shirt" id="shirt" value="1" checked="checked"
	//  name="pants" id="pants" value="yup"
	?>/> 
	<input type="checkbox"  />
</p>
<p>
  <select name="icecream" id="icecream">
	<?php echo $form->setList('icecream',$icecream_list);
	// <option value="cho">chocolate</option>
	// <option value="van" selected="selected">vanilla</option>
	// <option value="straw">strawberry</option> 
	?>
  </select> 
</p>
<p>
	<select name="sports[]" id="sports" multiple="multiple">
	<?php echo $form->setList('sports',$sports_list);
	// <option value="1" selected="selected">soccer</option>
	// <option value="2" selected="selected">baseball</option>
	// <option value="3">football</option>
	// <option value="4">basketball</option>
	?>
	</select> 
</p>
<p>
	<textarea name="bio"><?php echo $form->setTextArea('bio'); ?></textarea>
</p>
<p>
	<input type="submit" <?php echo $form->setSubmit('Send','Press Me!!','Sending...',true);
	// The last two parameters are optional 
	// The last parameter is to disable the button after being pressed or not, true is disable
	//name="Send" id="Send" BEFORE CLICK -> value="Press Me!!" 
	//name="Send" id="Send" AFTER CLICK -> value="Sending..." disabled="disabled"
	?>  />
</p>

</form>

I cut out some html and comments so I could get the character count under limit.

[bike5]

If you wonder why I have half html half php to build one element that was the only way I could get the elements to render in design view.

[thorpe]

If you wonder why I have half html half php to build one element that was the only way I could get the elements to render in design view.

Well, not to be harsh or anything but really, that renders the class useless IMO.

[bike5]

Useless or less effective? Validation and auto fill will be automagic just like a normal form class. Other then my class doesn't automagic build the entire form is there any other big differences? The people I work for complain about not being able to see everything how it would look in design view, they also don't like template engines because they can't see how the page would actually look in design view, I told them its not hard to hit crtl s, alt tab, ctrl r, with one hand in less then a second to get the same results...

But if you can elaborate on the uselessness of this method it might help me come up with something else or convince people toward the "norm" type form classes, I already tried that through so I'm not sure another argument would work.

Thanks.

[thorpe]

yeah.. I suppose less effective may be a better term. Im sorry you have to work with designers who dont seem to know html. Design view? Who needs it? Thats what a browser is for.

[Weedpacket]

Aye; the code should be the same no matter what the design ends up being.

[bike5]

One thing that has always bugged me is if you are seperating code from design so designers can design the page and not go into the code, normal form classes where you pretty much create the whole form in code including setting all the element attributes and such then designers can't design the form or they have to go into the solid php code to mess with how the forms will end up. Am I thinking about that right?

Also, I realize my way doesn't seperate it either but the designer can still change all the attributes without having to touch the code peice, they can even change things in design view without having to go into the html.