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Form

The Form class represents a built form instance. It contains all form configuration (attributes, tabs, groups, fields) and provides methods to render HTML and export to arrays.

Namespace​

JobMetric\Form\Form

Overview​

The Form class is the result of building a form with FormBuilder. It contains all the form configuration and provides methods to:

  • Render HTML output
  • Export to arrays (for APIs)
  • Access form properties
  • Get all custom fields

Properties​

Action​

public ?string $action;

The form action URL.

Method​

public string $method;

The HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE).

Name​

public string $name;

The form name attribute.

Enctype​

public string $enctype;

The form enctype (application/x-www-form-urlencoded, multipart/form-data, text/plain).

Autocomplete​

public bool $autocomplete;

Whether autocomplete is enabled.

Target​

public string $target;

The form target (_self, _blank, _parent, _top).

Novalidate​

public bool $novalidate;

Whether HTML5 validation is disabled.

Class​

public string $class;

The form CSS class.

ID​

public string $id;

The form ID attribute.

CSRF​

public bool $csrf;

Whether CSRF token is included.

Hidden Custom Fields​

public array $hiddenCustomField;

Array of hidden custom field instances.

Tabs​

public array $tabs = [];

Array of tab instances.

Available Methods​

Get All Custom Fields​

Get all custom fields from the form:

$fields = $form->getAllCustomFields(true);

Parameters:

  • $includeHidden (bool): Whether to include hidden fields (default: true)

Returns: CustomField[] - Array of custom field instances

To HTML​

Render the form as HTML:

$html = $form->toHtml();
// Or with values
$html = $form->toHtml(['name' => 'John', 'email' => 'john@example.com']);

Parameters:

  • $values (array): Optional array of field values to pre-fill

Returns: string - HTML string

Throws: Throwable - If rendering fails

To Array​

Export form configuration to array:

$array = $form->toArray();
// Returns: [
//     'action' => '/users',
//     'method' => 'POST',
//     'name' => 'user-form',
//     'tabs' => [...],
//     ...
// ]

Returns: array - Form configuration as array

Throws: Throwable - If serialization fails

Complete Examples​

Render Form with Values​

$form = FormBuilder::make()
    ->action('/users')
    ->method('POST')
    ->tab(function ($tab) {
        $tab->id('personal')
            ->label('Personal Information')
            ->group(function ($group) {
                $group->label('Basic Info')
                    ->customField(function ($field) {
                        $field->text()
                            ->name('name')
                            ->label('Name')
                            ->build();
                    })
                    ->build();
            })
            ->build();
    })
    ->build();

// Render with pre-filled values
$html = $form->toHtml([
    'name' => 'John Doe',
    'email' => 'john@example.com',
]);

Export for API​

$form = FormBuilder::make()
    ->action('/products')
    ->method('POST')
    ->tab(function ($tab) {
        $tab->id('details')
            ->label('Product Details')
            ->build();
    })
    ->build();

return response()->json([
    'form' => $form->toArray(),
]);

Get All Fields​

$form = FormBuilder::make()
    ->action('/users')
    ->method('POST')
    ->hiddenCustomField(function ($field) {
        $field->hidden()
            ->name('user_id')
            ->value(123)
            ->build();
    })
    ->tab(function ($tab) {
        $tab->id('personal')
            ->label('Personal Information')
            ->group(function ($group) {
                $group->label('Basic Info')
                    ->customField(function ($field) {
                        $field->text()
                            ->name('name')
                            ->label('Name')
                            ->build();
                    })
                    ->build();
            })
            ->build();
    })
    ->build();

// Get all fields including hidden
$allFields = $form->getAllCustomFields(true);

// Get only visible fields
$visibleFields = $form->getAllCustomFields(false);

When to Use Form​

Use Form when you need to:

  • Render HTML: Convert form definitions to HTML for display
  • Export to Arrays: Serialize forms for API responses or storage
  • Access Form Data: Get all custom fields, tabs, and groups
  • Pre-fill Values: Render forms with existing data
  • Form Validation: Extract field names and validation rules