NAME
HTML::FormFu::Model::DBIC - Integrate HTML::FormFu with DBIx::Class
VERSION
version 2.03
SYNOPSIS
Example of typical use in a Catalyst controller:
sub edit : Chained {
my ( $self, $c ) = @_;
my $form = $c->stash->{form};
my $book = $c->stash->{book};
if ( $form->submitted_and_valid ) {
# update dbic row with submitted values from form
$form->model->update( $book );
$c->response->redirect( $c->uri_for('view', $book->id) );
return;
}
elsif ( !$form->submitted ) {
# use dbic row to set form's default values
$form->model->default_values( $book );
}
return;
}
SETUP
For the form object to be able to access your DBIx::Class schema, it
needs to be placed on the form stash, with the name schema.
This is easy if you're using Catalyst-Controller-HTML-FormFu, as you
can set this up to happen in your Catalyst app's config file.
For example, if your model is named MyApp::Model::Corp, you would set
this (in Config::General format):
<Controller::HTML::FormFu>
<model_stash>
schema Corp
</model_stash>
</Controller::HTML::FormFu>
Or if your app's config file is in YAML format:
'Controller::HTML::FormFu':
model_stash:
schema: Corp
METHODS
default_values
Arguments: $dbic_row, [\%config]
Return Value: $form
$form->model->default_values( $dbic_row );
Set a form's default values from the database, to allow a user to edit
them.
update
Arguments: [$dbic_row], [\%config]
Return Value: $dbic_row
$form->model->update( $dbic_row );
Update the database with the submitted form values.
create
Arguments: [\%config]
Return Value: $dbic_row
my $dbic_row = $form->model->create( {resultset => 'Book'} );
Like "update", but doesn't require a $dbic_row argument.
You need to ensure the DBIC schema is available on the form stash - see
"SYNOPSIS" for an example config.
The resultset must be set either in the method arguments, or the form
or block's model_config.
An example of setting the ResultSet name on a Form:
---
model_config:
resultset: FooTable
elements:
# [snip]
options_from_model
Populates a multi-valued field with values from the database.
This method should not be called directly, but is called for you during
$form->process by fields that inherit from
HTML::FormFu::Element::_Group. This includes:
HTML::FormFu::Element::Select
HTML::FormFu::Element::Checkboxgroup
HTML::FormFu::Element::Radiogroup
HTML::FormFu::Element::ComboBox
To use you must set the appropriate resultset on the element
model_config:
element:
- type: Select
name: foo
model_config:
resultset: TableClass
BUILDING FORMS
single table
To edit the values in a row with no related rows, the field names
simply have to correspond to the database column names.
For the following DBIx::Class schema:
package MySchema::Book;
use base 'DBIx::Class';
__PACKAGE__->load_components(qw/ Core /);
__PACKAGE__->table("book");
__PACKAGE__->add_columns(
id => { data_type => "INTEGER" },
title => { data_type => "TEXT" },
author => { data_type => "TEXT" },
blurb => { data_type => "TEXT" },
);
__PACKAGE__->set_primary_key("id");
1;
A suitable form for this might be:
elements:
- type: Text
name: title
- type: Text
name: author
- type: Textarea
name: blurb
might_have and has_one relationships
Set field values from a related row with a might_have or has_one
relationship by placing the fields within a Block (or any element that
inherits from Block, such as Fieldset) with its "nested_name" in
HTML::FormFu set to the relationship name.
For the following DBIx::Class schemas:
package MySchema::Book;
use base 'DBIx::Class';
__PACKAGE__->load_components(qw/ Core /);
__PACKAGE__->table("book");
__PACKAGE__->add_columns(
id => { data_type => "INTEGER" },
title => { data_type => "TEXT" },
);
__PACKAGE__->set_primary_key("id");
__PACKAGE__->might_have( review => 'MySchema::Review', 'book' );
1;
package MySchema::Review;
use base 'DBIx::Class';
__PACKAGE__->load_components(qw/ Core /);
__PACKAGE__->table("review");
__PACKAGE__->add_columns(
id => { data_type => "INTEGER" },
book => { data_type => "INTEGER", is_nullable => 1 },
review_text => { data_type => "TEXT" },
);
__PACKAGE__->set_primary_key("book");
__PACKAGE__->belongs_to( book => 'MySchema::Book' );
1;
A suitable form for this would be:
elements:
- type: Text
name: title
- type: Block
nested_name: review
elements:
- type: Textarea
name: review_text
For might_have and has_one relationships, you generally shouldn't need
to have a field for the related table's primary key, as DBIx::Class
will handle retrieving the correct row automatically.
You can also set a has_one or might_have relationship using a multi
value field like Select.
elements:
- type: Text
name: title
- type: Select
nested: review
model_config:
resultset: Review
This will load all reviews into the select field. If you select a
review from that list, a current relationship to a review is removed
and the new one is added. This requires that the primary key of the
Review table and the foreign key do not match.
has_many and many_to_many relationships
The general principle is the same as for might_have and has_one above,
except you should use a Repeatable element instead of a Block, and it
needs to contain a Hidden field corresponding to the primary key of the
related table.
The Repeatable block's nested_name must be set to the name of the
relationship.
The Repeable block's increment_field_names must be true (which is the
default value).
The Repeable block's counter_name must be set to the name of a Hidden
field, which is placed outside of the Repeatable block. This field is
used to store a count of the number of repetitions of the Repeatable
block were created. When the form is submitted, this value is used
during $form->process to ensure the form is rebuilt with the correct
number of repetitions.
To allow the user to add new related rows, either empty_rows or
new_rows_max must be set - see "Config options for Repeatable blocks"
below.
For the following DBIx::Class schemas:
package MySchema::Book;
use base 'DBIx::Class';
__PACKAGE__->load_components(qw/ Core /);
__PACKAGE__->table("book");
__PACKAGE__->add_columns(
id => { data_type => "INTEGER" },
title => { data_type => "TEXT" },
);
__PACKAGE__->set_primary_key("id");
__PACKAGE__->has_many( review => 'MySchema::Review', 'book' );
1;
package MySchema::Review;
use base 'DBIx::Class';
__PACKAGE__->load_components(qw/ Core /);
__PACKAGE__->table("review");
__PACKAGE__->add_columns(
book => { data_type => "INTEGER" },
review_text => { data_type => "TEXT" },
);
__PACKAGE__->set_primary_key("book");
__PACKAGE__->belongs_to( book => 'MySchema::Book' );
1;
A suitable form for this might be:
elements:
- type: Text
name: title
- type: Hidden
name: review_count
- type: Repeatable
nested_name: review
counter_name: review_count
model_config:
empty_rows: 1
elements:
- type: Hidden
name: book
- type: Textarea
name: review_text
belongs_to relationships
Belongs-to relationships can be edited / created with a ComboBox
element. If the user selects a value with the Select field, the
belongs-to will be set to an already-existing row in the related table.
If the user enters a value into the Text field, the belongs-to will be
set using a newly-created row in the related table.
elements:
- type: ComboBox
name: author
model_config:
resultset: Author
select_column: id
text_column: name
The element name should match the relationship name.
$field->model_config->{select_column} should match the related primary
column. $field->model_config->{text_column} should match the related
text column.
many_to_many selection
To select / deselect rows from a many_to_many relationship, you must
use a multi-valued element, such as a Checkboxgroup or a Select with
multiple set.
The field's name must be set to the name of the many_to_many
relationship.
default_column
If you want to search / associate the related table by a column other
it's primary key, set $field->model_config->{default_column}.
---
element:
- type: Checkboxgroup
name: authors
model_config:
default_column: foo
link_values
If you want to set columns on the link table you can do so if you add a
link_values attribute to model_config:
---
element:
- type: Checkboxgroup
name: authors
model_config:
link_values:
foo: bar
additive
The default implementation will first remove all related objects and
set the new ones (see
http://search.cpan.org/perldoc?DBIx::Class::Relationship::Base#set_$rel).
If you want to add the selected objects to the current set of objects
set additive in the model_config.
---
element:
- type: Checkboxgroup
name: authors
model_config:
additive: 1
options_from_model: 0
"options_from_model" is set to 0 because it will try to fetch all
objects from the result class Authors if model_config is specified
without a resultset attribute.)
COMMON ARGUMENTS
The following items are supported in the optional config hash-ref
argument to the methods default_values, update and create.
base
If you want the method to process a particular Block element, rather
than the whole form, you can pass the element as a base argument.
$form->default_values(
$row,
{
base => $formfu_element,
},
);
nested_base
If you want the method to process a particular Block element by name,
you can pass the name as an argument.
$form->default_values(
$row,
{
nested_base => 'foo',
}'
);
CONFIGURATION
Config options for fields
The following items are supported as model_config options on form
fields.
accessor
If set, accessor will be used as a method-name accessor on the
DBIx::Class row object, instead of using the field name.
ignore_if_empty
If the submitted value is blank, no attempt will be made to save it
to the database.
null_if_empty
If the submitted value is blank, save it as NULL to the database.
Normally an empty string is saved as NULL when its corresponding
field is numeric, and as an empty string when its corresponding field
is a text field. This option is useful for changing the default
behavior for text fields.
delete_if_empty
Useful for editing a "might_have" related row containing only one
field.
If the submitted value is blank, the related row is deleted.
For the following DBIx::Class schemas:
package MySchema::Book;
use base 'DBIx::Class';
__PACKAGE__->load_components(qw/ Core /);
__PACKAGE__->table("book");
__PACKAGE__->add_columns(
id => { data_type => "INTEGER" },
title => { data_type => "TEXT" },
);
__PACKAGE__->set_primary_key("id");
__PACKAGE__->might_have( review => 'MySchema::Review', 'book' );
1;
package MySchema::Review;
use base 'DBIx::Class';
__PACKAGE__->load_components(qw/ Core /);
__PACKAGE__->table("review");
__PACKAGE__->add_columns(
book => { data_type => "INTEGER" },
review_text => { data_type => "TEXT" },
);
__PACKAGE__->set_primary_key("book");
__PACKAGE__->belongs_to( book => 'MySchema::Book' );
1;
A suitable form for this would be:
elements:
- type: Text
name: title
- type: Block
nested_name: review
elements:
- type: Text
name: review_text
model_config:
delete_if_empty: 1
label
To use a column value for a form field's label.
Config options for fields within a Repeatable block
delete_if_true
Intended for use on a Checkbox field.
If the checkbox is checked, the following occurs: for a has-many
relationship, the related row is deleted; for a many-to-many
relationship, the relationship link is removed.
An example of use might be:
elements:
- type: Text
name: title
- type: Hidden
name: review_count
- type: Repeatable
nested_name: review
counter_name: review_count
elements:
- type: Hidden
name: book
- type: Textarea
name: review_text
- type: Checkbox
name: delete_review
label: 'Delete Review?'
model_config:
delete_if_true: 1
Note: make sure the name of this field does not clash with one of
your DBIx::Class::Row method names (e.g. "delete") - see "CAVEATS".
Config options for Repeatable blocks
empty_rows
For a Repeatable block corresponding to a has-many or many-to-many
relationship, to allow the user to insert new rows, set empty_rows to
the number of extra repetitions you wish added to the end of the
Repeatable block.
new_rows_max
Set to the maximum number of new rows that a Repeatable block is
allowed to add.
If not set, it will fallback to the value of empty_rows.
Config options for options_from_model
The column used for the element values is set with the model_config
value id_column - or if not set, the table's primary column is used.
element:
- type: Select
name: foo
model_config:
resultset: TableClass
id_column: pk_col
The column used for the element labels is set with the model_config
value label_column - or if not set, the first text/varchar column found
in the table is used - or if one is not found, the id_column is used
instead.
element:
- type: Select
name: foo
model_config:
resultset: TableClass
label_column: label_col
To pass the database label values via the form's localization object,
set localize_label
element:
- type: Select
name: foo
model_config:
localize_label: 1
You can set a condition, which will be passed as the 1st argument to
"search" in DBIx::Class::ResultSet.
element:
- type: Select
name: foo
model_config:
resultset: TableClass
condition:
type: is_foo
You can set a condition_from_stash, which will be passed as the 1st
argument to "search" in DBIx::Class::ResultSet.
key is the column-name to be passed to search, and stash_key is the
name of a key on the form stash from which the value to be passed to
search is found.
element:
- type: Select
name: foo
model_config:
resultset: TableClass
condition_from_stash:
key: stash_key
Is comparable to:
$form->element({
type => 'Select',
name => 'foo',
model_config => {
resultset => 'TableClass',
condition => {
key => $form->stash->{stash_key}
}
}
})
If the value in the stash is nested in a data-structure, you can access
it by setting expand_stash_dots. As you can see in the example below,
it automatically handles calling methods on objects, accessing
hash-keys on hash-references, and accessing array-slots on array
references.
element:
- type: Select
name: foo
model_config:
resultset: TableClass
condition_from_stash:
key: foo.bar.0
expand_stash_dots: 1
Is comparable to:
$form->element({
type => 'Select',
name => 'foo',
model_config => {
resultset => 'TableClass',
condition => {
key => $form->stash->{foo}->bar->[0];
}
}
})
# Where stash returns a hashref.
# The 'foo' hash-key returns an object.
# The object-method 'bar' returns an arrayref.
# The first array slot returns the value used in the query.
You can set attributes, which will be passed as the 2nd argument to
"search" in DBIx::Class::ResultSet.
ENUM Column Type
If the field name matches (case-insensitive) a column name with type
'ENUM' and the Schema contains enum values in
$resultset->column_info($name)->{extra}{list}, the field's options will
be populated with the enum values.
FAQ
Add extra values not in the form
To update values to the database which weren't submitted to the form,
you can first add them to the form with add_valid.
my $passwd = generate_passwd();
$form->add_valid( passwd => $passwd );
$form->model->update( $row );
add_valid works for fieldnames that don't exist in the form.
Set a field read only
You can make a field read only. The value of such fields cannot be
changed by the user even if they submit a value for it.
$field->model_config->{read_only} = 1;
- Name: field
model_config:
read_only: 1
See HTML::FormFu::Element::Label.
CAVEATS
To ensure your column's inflators and deflators are called, we have to
get / set values using their named methods, and not with get_column /
set_column.
Because of this, beware of having column names which clash with
DBIx::Class built-in method-names, such as delete. - It will have
obviously undesirable results!
REMOVED METHODS
new_empty_row
See empty_rows in "Config options for Repeatable blocks" instead.
new_empty_row_multi
See new_rows_max in "Config options for Repeatable blocks" instead.
Range constraint
See empty_rows in "Config options for Repeatable blocks" instead.
SUPPORT
Project Page:
http://code.google.com/p/html-formfu/
Mailing list:
http://lists.scsys.co.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/html-formfu
Mailing list archives:
http://lists.scsys.co.uk/pipermail/html-formfu/
BUGS
Please submit bugs / feature requests to
http://code.google.com/p/html-formfu/issues/list (preferred) or
http://rt.perl.org.
GITHUB REPOSITORY
This module's sourcecode is maintained in a git repository at
git://github.com/fireartist/HTML-FormFu-Model-DBIC.git
The project page is
https://github.com/fireartist/HTML-FormFu-Model-DBIC
SEE ALSO
HTML::FormFu, DBIx::Class, Catalyst::Controller::HTML::FormFu
AUTHOR
Carl Franks
CONTRIBUTORS
Based on the code of DBIx::Class::HTML::FormFu, which was contributed
to by:
Adam Herzog
Daisuke Maki
Mario Minati
COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
Copyright (C) 2007 by Carl Franks
Based on the original source code of DBIx::Class::HTMLWidget, copyright
Thomas Klausner.
This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the same terms as Perl itself, either Perl version 5.8.8 or, at
your option, any later version of Perl 5 you may have available.