Class FormHelper

Form helper library.

Automatic generation of HTML FORMs from given data.

Object

Overloadable

Helper

AppHelper

FormHelper

Package: cake\cake\libs\view\helpers
Link: http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#Form
Copyright: Copyright 2005-2012, Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (http://cakefoundation.org)
License: License (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php)
Location: view/helpers/form.php

Properties summary

$__options public

array

Options used by DateTime fields
$_inputDefaults public

array

Persistent default options used by input(). Set by FormHelper::create().
$_lastAction public

string

The action attribute value of the last created form. Used to make form/request specific hashes for SecurityComponent.
$defaultModel public

string

The default model being used for the current form.
$fields public

array

List of fields created, used with secure forms.
$fieldset public

array

Holds the fields array('field_name' => array('type'=> 'string', 'length'=> 100), primaryKey and validates array('field_name')
$helpers public

array

Other helpers used by FormHelper
$requestType public

string

Defines the type of form being created. Set by FormHelper::create().

Inherited Properties

__cleaned, __tainted, action, argSeparator, base, data, here, namedArgs, params, plugin, tags, theme, validationErrors, webroot

Method Summary

__dateTimeSelected() public

Selects values for dateTime selects.
__generateOptions() public

Generates option lists for common menus

__secure() public ¶

__secure( mixed $field = null , mixed $value = null )

Determine which fields of a form should be used for hash. Populates $this->fields

Parameters

mixed $field optional null: Reference to field to be secured
mixed $value optional null: Field value, if value should not be tampered with.

__selectOptions() public ¶

__selectOptions( $elements = array() , $selected = null , $parents = array() , $showParents = null , $attributes = array() )

Returns an array of formatted OPTION/OPTGROUP elements

Returns

array

_extractOption() public ¶

_extractOption( string $name , array $options , mixed $default = null )

Extracts a single option from an options array.

Parameters

string $name: The name of the option to pull out.
array $options: The array of options you want to extract.
mixed $default optional null: The default option value

Returns

the
contents of the option or default

_initInputField() public ¶

_initInputField( string $field , array $options = array() )

Sets field defaults and adds field to form security input hash

Options

secure - boolean whether or not the field should be added to the security fields.

Parameters

string $field: Name of the field to initialize options for.
array $options optional array(): Array of options to append options into.

Returns

array
Array of options for the input.

Overrides

Helper::_initInputField()

_inputLabel() public ¶

_inputLabel( array $fieldName , $label , $options )

Generate a label for an input() call.

Parameters

array $fieldName: $options Options for the label element.
$label
$options

Returns

string
Generated label element

_introspectModel() public ¶

_introspectModel( $model )

Introspects model information and extracts information related to validation, field length and field type. Appends information into $this->fieldset.

Returns

Model
Returns a model instance

_isRequiredField() public ¶

_isRequiredField( $validateProperties )

Returns if a field is required to be filled based on validation properties from the validating object

Returns

boolean
true if field is required to be filled, false otherwise

_lastAction() public ¶

_lastAction( string|array $url )

Sets the last created form action.

Parameters

string|array $url: URL.

_name() public ¶

_name( array $options = array() , string $field = null , string $key = 'name' )

Gets the input field name for the current tag

Parameters

array $options optional array()
string $field optional null: $key
string $key optional 'name': The name of the attribute to be set, defaults to 'name'

Returns

array

Overrides

Helper::_name()

button() public ¶

button( string $title , array $options = array() )

Creates a <button> tag. The type attribute defaults to type="submit" You can change it to a different value by using $options['type'].

Options:

escape - HTML entity encode the $title of the button. Defaults to false.

Parameters

string $title: The button's caption. Not automatically HTML encoded
array $options optional array(): Array of options and HTML attributes.

Returns

string
A HTML button tag.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#button

checkbox() public ¶

checkbox( string $fieldName , array $options = array() )

Creates a checkbox input widget.

Options:

value - the value of the checkbox
checked - boolean indicate that this checkbox is checked.
hiddenField - boolean to indicate if you want the results of checkbox() to include a hidden input with a value of ''.
disabled - create a disabled input.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Name of a field, like this "Modelname.fieldname"
array $options optional array(): Array of HTML attributes.

Returns

string
An HTML text input element.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#checkbox

create() public ¶

create( string $model = null , array $options = array() )

Returns an HTML FORM element.

Options:

type Form method defaults to POST
action The controller action the form submits to, (optional).
url The url the form submits to. Can be a string or a url array. If you use 'url' you should leave 'action' undefined.
default Allows for the creation of Ajax forms. Set this to false to prevent the default event handler. Will create an onsubmit attribute if it doesn't not exist. If it does, default action suppression will be appended.
onsubmit Used in conjunction with 'default' to create ajax forms.
inputDefaults set the default $options for FormHelper::input(). Any options that would be set when using FormHelper::input() can be set here. Options set with inputDefaults can be overridden when calling input()
encoding Set the accept-charset encoding for the form. Defaults to Configure::read('App.encoding')

Parameters

string $model optional null: The model object which the form is being defined for
array $options optional array(): An array of html attributes and options.

Returns

string
An formatted opening FORM tag.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#Creating-Forms

dateTime() public ¶

dateTime( string $fieldName , string $dateFormat = 'DMY' , string $timeFormat = '12' , string $selected = null , string $attributes = array() )

Returns a set of SELECT elements for a full datetime setup: day, month and year, and then time.

Attributes:

monthNames If false, 2 digit numbers will be used instead of text. If a array, the given array will be used.
minYear The lowest year to use in the year select
maxYear The maximum year to use in the year select
interval The interval for the minutes select. Defaults to 1
separator The contents of the string between select elements. Defaults to '-'
empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.
value | default The default value to be used by the input. A value in $this->data matching the field name will override this value. If no default is provided time() will be used.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Prefix name for the SELECT element
string $dateFormat optional 'DMY': DMY, MDY, YMD.
string $timeFormat optional '12': 12, 24.
string $selected optional null: Option which is selected.
string $attributes optional array(): array of Attributes

Returns

string
Generated set of select boxes for the date and time formats chosen.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#dateTime

day() public ¶

day( string $fieldName , string $selected = null , array $attributes = array() )

Returns a SELECT element for days.

Attributes:

empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Prefix name for the SELECT element
string $selected optional null: Option which is selected.
array $attributes optional array(): HTML attributes for the select element

Returns

string
A generated day select box.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#day

end() public ¶

end( mixed $options = null )

Closes an HTML form, cleans up values set by FormHelper::create(), and writes hidden input fields where appropriate.

If $options is set a form submit button will be created. Options can be either a string or an array.

{{{ array usage:

array('label' => 'save'); value="save" array('label' => 'save', 'name' => 'Whatever'); value="save" name="Whatever" array('name' => 'Whatever'); value="Submit" name="Whatever" array('label' => 'save', 'name' => 'Whatever', 'div' => 'good')

div class="good"> value="save" name="Whatever" array('label' => 'save', 'name' => 'Whatever', 'div' => array('class' => 'good'));

div class="good"> value="save" name="Whatever" }}}

Parameters

mixed $options optional null: as a string will use $options as the value of button,

Returns

string
a closing FORM tag optional submit button.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#Closing-the-Form

error() public ¶

error( string $field , mixed $text = null , array $options = array() )

Returns a formatted error message for given FORM field, NULL if no errors.

Options:

escape bool Whether or not to html escape the contents of the error.
wrap mixed Whether or not the error message should be wrapped in a div. If a string, will be used as the HTML tag to use.
class string The classname for the error message

Parameters

string $field: A field name, like "Modelname.fieldname"
mixed $text optional null: Error message or array of $options. If array, attributes key will get used as html attributes for error container
array $options optional array(): Rendering options for

wrapper tag

Returns

string
If there are errors this method returns an error message, otherwise null.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#error

file() public ¶

file( string $fieldName , array $options = array() )

Creates file input widget.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Name of a field, in the form "Modelname.fieldname"
array $options optional array(): Array of HTML attributes.

Returns

string
A generated file input.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#file

hidden() public ¶

hidden( string $fieldName , array $options = array() )

Creates a hidden input field.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Name of a field, in the form of "Modelname.fieldname"
array $options optional array(): Array of HTML attributes.

Returns

string
A generated hidden input

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#hidden

hour() public ¶

hour( string $fieldName , boolean $format24Hours = false , string $selected = null , array $attributes = array() )

Returns a SELECT element for hours.

Attributes:

empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Prefix name for the SELECT element
boolean $format24Hours optional false: True for 24 hours format
string $selected optional null: Option which is selected.
array $attributes optional array(): List of HTML attributes

Returns

string
Completed hour select input

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#hour

input() public ¶

input( string $fieldName , array $options = array() )

Generates a form input element complete with label and wrapper div

Options

See each field type method for more information. Any options that are part of $attributes or $options for the different type methods can be included in $options for input().i Additionally, any unknown keys that are not in the list below, or part of the selected type's options will be treated as a regular html attribute for the generated input.

type - Force the type of widget you want. e.g. type => 'select'
label - Either a string label, or an array of options for the label. See FormHelper::label()
div - Either false to disable the div, or an array of options for the div. See HtmlHelper::div() for more options.
options - for widgets that take options e.g. radio, select
error - control the error message that is produced
empty - String or boolean to enable empty select box options.
before - Content to place before the label + input.
after - Content to place after the label + input.
between - Content to place between the label + input.
format - format template for element order. Any element that is not in the array, will not be in the output.
- Default input format order: array('before', 'label', 'between', 'input', 'after', 'error')
- Default checkbox format order: array('before', 'input', 'between', 'label', 'after', 'error')
- Hidden input will not be formatted
- Radio buttons cannot have the order of input and label elements controlled with these settings.

Parameters

string $fieldName: This should be "Modelname.fieldname"
array $options optional array(): Each type of input takes different options.

Returns

string
Completed form widget.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#Automagic-Form-Elements

inputs() public ¶

inputs( mixed $fields = null , array $blacklist = null )

Generate a set of inputs for $fields. If $fields is null the current model will be used.

In addition to controller fields output, $fields can be used to control legend and fieldset rendering with the fieldset and legend keys. $form->inputs(array('legend' => 'My legend')); Would generate an input set with a custom legend. You can customize individual inputs through $fields as well.

{{{ $form->inputs(array( 'name' => array('label' => 'custom label') )); }}}

In addition to fields control, inputs() allows you to use a few additional options.

fieldset Set to false to disable the fieldset. If a string is supplied it will be used as the classname for the fieldset element.
legend Set to false to disable the legend for the generated input set. Or supply a string to customize the legend text.

Parameters

mixed $fields optional null: An array of fields to generate inputs for, or null.
array $blacklist optional null: a simple array of fields to not create inputs for.

Returns

string
Completed form inputs.

isFieldError() public ¶

isFieldError( string $field )

Returns true if there is an error for the given field, otherwise false

Parameters

string $field: This should be "Modelname.fieldname"

Returns

boolean
If there are errors this method returns true, else false.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#isFieldError

label() public ¶

label( string $fieldName = null , string $text = null , mixed $options = array() )

Returns a formatted LABEL element for HTML FORMs. Will automatically generate a for attribute if one is not provided.

Parameters

string $fieldName optional null: This should be "Modelname.fieldname"
string $text optional null: Text that will appear in the label field.
mixed $options optional array(): An array of HTML attributes, or a string, to be used as a class name.

Returns

string
The formatted LABEL element

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#label

meridian() public ¶

meridian( string $fieldName , string $selected = null , string $attributes = array() , boolean $showEmpty ,… )

Returns a SELECT element for AM or PM.

Attributes:

empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Prefix name for the SELECT element
string $selected optional null: Option which is selected.
string $attributes optional array(): Array of Attributes
boolean $showEmpty ,…: Show/Hide an empty option

Returns

string
Completed meridian select input

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#meridian

minute() public ¶

minute( string $fieldName , string $selected = null , string $attributes = array() )

Returns a SELECT element for minutes.

Attributes:

empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Prefix name for the SELECT element
string $selected optional null: Option which is selected.
string $attributes optional array(): Array of Attributes

Returns

string
Completed minute select input.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#minute

month() public ¶

month( string $fieldName , string $selected = null , array $attributes = array() )

Returns a SELECT element for months.

Attributes:

monthNames - If false, 2 digit numbers will be used instead of text. If a array, the given array will be used.
empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Prefix name for the SELECT element
string $selected optional null: Option which is selected.
array $attributes optional array(): Attributes for the select element

Returns

string
A generated month select dropdown.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#month

password() public ¶

password( string $fieldName , array $options = array() )

Creates a password input widget.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Name of a field, like in the form "Modelname.fieldname"
array $options optional array(): Array of HTML attributes.

Returns

string
A generated password input.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#password

radio() public ¶

radio( string $fieldName , array $options = array() , array $attributes = array() )

Creates a set of radio widgets. Will create a legend and fieldset by default. Use $options to control this

Attributes:

separator - define the string in between the radio buttons
legend - control whether or not the widget set has a fieldset & legend
value - indicate a value that is should be checked
label - boolean to indicate whether or not labels for widgets show be displayed
hiddenField - boolean to indicate if you want the results of radio() to include a hidden input with a value of ''. This is useful for creating radio sets that non-continuous

Parameters

string $fieldName: Name of a field, like this "Modelname.fieldname"
array $options optional array(): Radio button options array.
array $attributes optional array(): Array of HTML attributes, and special attributes above.

Returns

string
Completed radio widget set.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#radio

secure() public ¶

secure( array $fields = array() )

Generates a hidden field with a security hash based on the fields used in the form.

Parameters

array $fields optional array(): The list of fields to use when generating the hash

Returns

string
A hidden input field with a security hash

select() public ¶

select( string $fieldName , array $options = array() , mixed $selected = null , array $attributes = array() )

Returns a formatted SELECT element.

Attributes:

showParents - If included in the array and set to true, an additional option element will be added for the parent of each option group. You can set an option with the same name and it's key will be used for the value of the option.
multiple - show a multiple select box. If set to 'checkbox' multiple checkboxes will be created instead.
empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.
escape - If true contents of options will be HTML entity encoded. Defaults to true.
class - When using multiple = checkbox the classname to apply to the divs. Defaults to 'checkbox'.

Using options

A simple array will create normal options:

{{{ $options = array(1 => 'one', 2 => 'two); $this->Form->select('Model.field', $options)); }}}

While a nested options array will create optgroups with options inside them. {{{ $options = array( 1 => 'bill', 'fred' => array( 2 => 'fred', 3 => 'fred jr.' ) ); $this->Form->select('Model.field', $options); }}}

In the above 2 => 'fred' will not generate an option element. You should enable the showParents attribute to show the fred option.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Name attribute of the SELECT
array $options optional array(): Array of the OPTION elements (as 'value'=>'Text' pairs) to be used in the SELECT element
mixed $selected optional null: The option selected by default. If null, the default value from POST data will be used when available.
array $attributes optional array(): The HTML attributes of the select element.

Returns

string
Formatted SELECT element

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#select

submit() public ¶

submit( string $caption = null , array $options = array() )

Creates a submit button element. This method will generate <input /> elements that can be used to submit, and reset forms by using $options. image submits can be created by supplying an image path for $caption.

Options

div - Include a wrapping div? Defaults to true. Accepts sub options similar to FormHelper::input().
before - Content to include before the input.
after - Content to include after the input.
type - Set to 'reset' for reset inputs. Defaults to 'submit'
Other attributes will be assigned to the input element.

Options

div - Include a wrapping div? Defaults to true. Accepts sub options similar to FormHelper::input().
Other attributes will be assigned to the input element.

Parameters

string $caption optional null: The label appearing on the button OR if string contains :// or the extension .jpg, .jpe, .jpeg, .gif, .png use an image if the extension exists, AND the first character is /, image is relative to webroot, OR if the first character is not /, image is relative to webroot/img.
array $options optional array(): Array of options. See above.

Returns

string
A HTML submit button

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#submit

text() public ¶

text( string $fieldName , array $options = array() )

Creates a text input widget.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Name of a field, in the form "Modelname.fieldname"
array $options optional array(): Array of HTML attributes.

Returns

string
A generated HTML text input element

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#text

textarea() public ¶

textarea( string $fieldName , array $options = array() )

Creates a textarea widget.

Options:

escape - Whether or not the contents of the textarea should be escaped. Defaults to true.

Parameters

string $fieldName: Name of a field, in the form "Modelname.fieldname"
array $options optional array(): Array of HTML attributes, and special options above.

Returns

string
A generated HTML text input element

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#textarea

year() public ¶

year( string $fieldName , integer $minYear = null , integer $maxYear = null , string $selected = null , array $attributes = array() )

Returns a SELECT element for years

Attributes:

empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.
orderYear - Ordering of year values in select options. Possible values 'asc', 'desc'. Default 'desc'

Parameters

string $fieldName: Prefix name for the SELECT element
integer $minYear optional null: First year in sequence
integer $maxYear optional null: Last year in sequence
string $selected optional null: Option which is selected.
array $attributes optional array(): Attribute array for the select elements.

Returns

string
Completed year select input

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/1.3/en/The-Manual/Core-Helpers/Form.html#year

Classes

Functions

Class FormHelper

Properties summary

Inherited Properties

Method Summary

__dateTimeSelected() public

__generateOptions() public

__secure() public ¶

Parameters

__selectOptions() public ¶

Returns

_extractOption() public ¶

Parameters

Returns

_initInputField() public ¶

Parameters

Returns

Overrides

_inputLabel() public ¶

Parameters

Returns

_introspectModel() public ¶

Returns

_isRequiredField() public ¶

Returns

_lastAction() public ¶

Parameters

_name() public ¶

Parameters

Returns

Overrides

button() public ¶

Options:

Parameters

Returns

Link

checkbox() public ¶

Options:

Parameters

Returns

Link

create() public ¶

Options:

Parameters

Returns

Link

dateTime() public ¶

Attributes:

Parameters

Returns

Link

day() public ¶

Attributes:

Parameters

Returns

Link

end() public ¶

Parameters

Returns

Link

error() public ¶

Options:

Parameters

Returns

Link

file() public ¶

Parameters

Returns

Link

hidden() public ¶

Parameters

Returns

Link

hour() public ¶

Attributes:

Parameters

Returns

Link

input() public ¶