X-Git-Url: http://git.freeside.biz/gitweb/?p=freeside.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=rt%2Fdocs%2Fusing_forms_widgets.pod;fp=rt%2Fdocs%2Fusing_forms_widgets.pod;h=8deb91362100eac89850b9676f7a9002c42446f4;hp=0000000000000000000000000000000000000000;hb=b4b0c7e72d7eaee2fbfc7022022c9698323203dd;hpb=2dfda73eeb3eae2d4f894099754794ef07d060dd diff --git a/rt/docs/using_forms_widgets.pod b/rt/docs/using_forms_widgets.pod new file mode 100644 index 000000000..8deb91362 --- /dev/null +++ b/rt/docs/using_forms_widgets.pod @@ -0,0 +1,113 @@ +=head1 Using widgets F + +This widgets was implemented to address several common issues in handling +request arguments and allow developers to avoid reinventing the wheel. + +=head2 General info + +Each component shows widget by default and has two methods: Process and +InputOnly. The first one method process arguments and return new value +of a parametr. The second one is helper that shows only form elements +with minimum of required text labels. + +So you show a widget with: + <& /Widgets/Form/Integer, + Name => 'NameOfInputElement', + Description => 'Input integer', + &> + +You can show only C box using: + <& /Widgets/Form/Integer:InputOnly, + Name => 'NameOfInputElement', + &> + +In such a simple case you even can avoid processing. Yeah, most probably +you want to check if value is really integer, but these widgets don't +do validation for you, but they are more about fetching values from +hash of arguments, showing these values to user and preserving state +of value between form reloads (see below). + +=head2 Processing + +Processing is required when you use L, +such as Default, Multiple or Alternative. + +To process arguments of a request you have to do the following: + $ARGS{'NameOfInputElement'} = $m->comp( + '/Widgets/Form/Integer:Process', + Arguments => \%ARGS, + Name => 'NameOfInputElement', + ); + +The method returns processed value in canonical form. For different widgets +a canonical form is different and depends on activated features, so you must +always activate the same features during showing a widget and processing +results. + +=head2 Extendent features + +=head3 Default value + +If C argument is true then widgets expect that there is some +default value for argument if user fills nothing. 'Nothing' in each +widget is different, for example in select box it's special option +which is always the first one, in integer box string '' means empty +value, but boolean box uses radio buttons in this case with three +options: Yes, No and Default. + +Each widget that supports C feature as well has C and +C arguments. + +=head4 Processing and showing with activated Default feature + +When this option is activated then C method returns undef +value if user selected default value. So for integer box it's empty +string and so on. + +As well when you show a widget you should pass undef as C +to inform widget that the current value is default one. + +As all methods of a widget are consistent in this behaviour so you +shouldn't care much about that, but this allows you to implement +custom actions if processing returned undef, for example delete user's +preference record instead of updating it (default value may change later to). + +=head4 C when C is not active + +DefaultValue argument is still actual in the Process method even if +C is not true. This argument defines intial value. If value +of a key in Arguments is not defined then it's treated as intial state +and the method returns default value. + +=head3 Multiple and Alternative + +These options are only supported by the select widget. + +TODO: Add more info + +=head2 Implementation details + +=head3 Boolean widget + +This widget a little bit tricky. When you use Default option then +things are simple and you see three radio buttons, but in other +case we use a checkbox. But as you know browsers don't pass unchecked +boxes to server, so arguments of a request has no entry for them. + +In the latter case it's hard to figure out case when user unselected +value. Imagine form with a checkbox, you want show it checked by +default and as well form is reloadable (like Reply forms that have +"Add Another File" buttons). User uncheck the box and then upload +file, in this case you want to show user's choice instead of default, +but browser doesn't send any value and you can not figure out if +it's initial state or page reload. To solve this problem we use magic +hidden input field with the same name as the box and value equal to +zero (0). Mason folds arguments with the same name into array refs, so +we get 0 if box is unchecked and [0, 1] if box is checked. An array +reference is true value and 0 is defined value so we know that it's +not initial state and avoid switching back to default. As well this +trick works good in a case when you want show a link to a page and +define default choice for some boolean argument, you don't need +to set argument twice, you just set it to true value (for ex. 1) and +things just work. +