NAME

Gantry::Plugins::AjaxFORM - helper for AJAX based Form processing

SYNOPSIS

    use Gantry::Plugins::AjaxFORM;

    sub do_main {
        my ( $self ) = @_;

        my $data = "something';
        $self->stash->view->template('form.tt');

        my $form = Gantry::Plugins::AjaxFORM->new(
            process_action  => \&user_process,
            cancel_action   => \&user_cancel,
            success_action  => \&user_success,
            form            => \&user_form,
            user_data       => $data,
            text_descr      => 'database row description',
            use_clean_dates => 1,
            turn_off_clean_params => 1,
        );

        $form->process($self);

    }

    sub user_process {
        my ( $self , $params, $data ) = @_;

        # do somthing interesting with the data

    }

    sub user_success {
        my ( $self, $params, $action ) = @_;

        $self->do_main( );

    }

    sub user_cancel {
        my ( $self, $params, $action ) = @_;

        $self->do_main( );

    }

    sub form {
        my ( $self, $data ) = @_;

        return {name   => 'form',
                row    => $data->{row},
                fields => [{name => 'name',
                            label => 'Name',
                            type => 'text',
                            is => 'varchar'}]
               };

    }
   

DESCRIPTION

This module is used for basic form processing. Instead of writing the same form processing code over and over again. You can use this module instead. This module is sensitive to server side relocations so it will work with AJAX based systems.

Notice: most plugins export methods into your package, this one does NOT.

This module does the following basic form handling:

    redispatch to listing page if user presses cancel
    if form parameters are valid:
        callback to action method
    else:
        if method is POST:
            add form validation errors
        (re)display form

METHODS

This is an object oriented only module (it doesn't export like the other plugins).

process

Dispatches to the form handler. Called from the do_* function.

new

Constructs a new AjaxFORM helper. Pass in a list of the following callbacks and config parameters (similar, but not the same as in CRUD):

process_action (a code ref)

Called with:

    your self object
    hash of form parameters
    user specific data

Called only when the form parameters are valid. Do anything you want with the data. You should try not to die.

form (a code ref)

Called with:

    your self object
    user specific data

This needs to return just like the _form method required by Gantry::Plugins::AutoCRUD. See its docs for details. The only difference between these is that the AutoCRUD calls _form with your self object and the row being edited (during editing) whereas this method ALWAYS receives both your self object and the data you supplied.

cancel_action (a code ref)

Called with:

    your self object
    the form parameters
    the action

Triggered by the user successfully submitting the form. This and success_action replaces the redirect callback used by Gantry::Plugins::CRUD. They should redispatch directly to a do_* method like this:

    sub _my_cancel_action {
        my $self = shift;

        $self->do_something( @_ );
    }

success_action (a code ref)

Called with:

    your self object
    the form parameter
    the action

Just like the cancel_action, but triggered when the user presses the Cancel button.

user_data

Data to be passed to the form and process actions.

text_descr

Same as in CRUD/AjaxCRUD/AutoCRUD.

The text string used in the page titles and in the delete confirmation message.

use_clean_dates (optional, defaults to false)

Same as in CRUD/AjaxCRUD/AutoCRUD.

This is ignored unless you turn_off_clean_params, since it is redundant when clean_params is in use.

Make this true if you want your dates cleaned immediately before your add and edit callbacks are invoked.

Cleaning sets any false fields marked as dates in the form fields list to undef. This allows your ORM to correctly insert them as nulls instead of trying to insert them as blank strings (which is fatal, at least in PostgreSQL).

For this to work your form fields must have this key: <is = 'date'>>.

turn_off_clean_params (optional, defaults to false)

Same as in CRUD/AjaxCRUD/AutoCRUD.

By default, right before an SQL insert or update, the params hash from the form is passed through the clean_params routine which sets all non-boolean fields which are false to undef. This prevents SQL errors with ORMs that can correctly translate blank strings into nulls for non-string types.

If you really don't want this routine, set turn_off_clean_params. If you turn it off, you can use_clean_dates, which only sets false dates to undef.

HELPER FUNCTIONS

select_multiple_closure

If you have a form field of type select_multiple, one of the form.tt keys is selected. It wants a sub ref so it can reselect items when the form fails to validate. This function will generate the proper sub ref (aka closure).

Parameters: form field name hash reference of default selections (usually the ones in the database)

Returns: a closure suitable for immediate use as the selected hash key value for a form field of type select_multiple.

SEE ALSO

 Gantry::Plugins::CRUD

 Gantry::Plugins::AjaxCRUD

 Gantry::Plugins::AutoCRUD

 Gantry and the other Gantry::Plugins

AUTHOR

Kevin L. Esteb

COPYRIGHT and LICENSE

Copyright (c) 2006, Kevin L. Esteb

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself, either Perl version 5.8.6 or, at your option, any later version of Perl 5 you may have available.