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FormBuilderRequest

The FormBuilderRequest class is a generic FormRequest that automatically builds validation rules and attributes from a FormBuilder or Form definition using CustomField instances. It allows you to drive validation directly from your form builder configuration instead of manually writing rules in each request.

Namespace​

JobMetric\Form\Http\Requests\FormBuilderRequest

Overview​

FormBuilderRequest eliminates the need to manually write validation rules by automatically generating them from form field configurations. When a form field has validation rules defined, they are automatically included in the request validation.

Constructor​

public function __construct(FormBuilder $formBuilder, bool $includeHiddenFields = true)

Parameters:

  • $formBuilder (FormBuilder): The form builder instance used to define the form
  • $includeHiddenFields (bool): Whether to include hidden fields in validation (default: true)

Available Methods​

Set Form Builder​

Set or update the form builder instance:

$request->setFormBuilder($formBuilder);

Parameters:

  • $formBuilder (FormBuilder): The form builder instance

Returns: static - Returns the request instance for method chaining

Include Hidden Fields​

Configure whether hidden fields should be included in validation:

$request->includeHiddenFields(false);

Parameters:

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

Returns: static - Returns the request instance for method chaining

Rules​

Automatically generates validation rules from form field configurations:

public function rules(): array
{
    // Automatically generated from form fields
}

Returns: array - Validation rules array

Note: This method is automatically called by Laravel during request validation.

Attributes​

Automatically generates attribute names from form field labels:

public function attributes(): array
{
    // Automatically generated from form field labels
}

Returns: array - Attribute names array

Note: This method is automatically called by Laravel during request validation.

Basic Usage​

In Controller​

use JobMetric\Form\FormBuilder;
use JobMetric\Form\Http\Requests\FormBuilderRequest;

class UserController extends Controller
{
    public function store(FormBuilderRequest $request)
    {
        // Validation is automatically handled
        $validated = $request->validated();
        
        // Create user
        User::create($validated);
    }
}

Setting Form Builder​

use JobMetric\Form\FormBuilder;
use JobMetric\Form\Http\Requests\FormBuilderRequest;

class UserController extends Controller
{
    public function create()
    {
        $formBuilder = FormBuilder::make()
            ->action('/users')
            ->method('POST')
            ->tab(function ($tab) {
                $tab->id('personal')
                    ->label('Personal Information')
                    ->group(function ($group) {
                        $group->label('Basic Info')
                            ->customField(function ($field) {
                                $field->text()
                                    ->name('name')
                                    ->label('Full Name')
                                    ->validation('required|string|max:255')
                                    ->build();
                            })
                            ->customField(function ($field) {
                                $field->email()
                                    ->name('email')
                                    ->label('Email')
                                    ->validation('required|email|unique:users,email')
                                    ->build();
                            })
                            ->build();
                    })
                    ->build();
            });
        
        $request = new FormBuilderRequest($formBuilder);
        
        return view('users.create', [
            'form' => $formBuilder->build(),
            'request' => $request,
        ]);
    }
    
    public function store(FormBuilderRequest $request)
    {
        $validated = $request->validated();
        User::create($validated);
    }
}

Complete Examples​

Form with Validation Rules​

$formBuilder = FormBuilder::make()
    ->action('/products')
    ->method('POST')
    ->tab(function ($tab) {
        $tab->id('details')
            ->label('Product Details')
            ->group(function ($group) {
                $group->label('Basic Information')
                    ->customField(function ($field) {
                        $field->text()
                            ->name('name')
                            ->label('Product Name')
                            ->validation('required|string|max:255')
                            ->build();
                    })
                    ->customField(function ($field) {
                        $field->number()
                            ->name('price')
                            ->label('Price')
                            ->validation('required|numeric|min:0')
                            ->build();
                    })
                    ->customField(function ($field) {
                        $field->select()
                            ->name('category_id')
                            ->label('Category')
                            ->validation('required|exists:categories,id')
                            ->build();
                    })
                    ->build();
            })
            ->build();
    });

$request = new FormBuilderRequest($formBuilder);

Excluding Hidden Fields​

$formBuilder = FormBuilder::make()
    ->action('/orders')
    ->method('POST')
    ->hiddenCustomField(function ($field) {
        $field->hidden()
            ->name('user_id')
            ->value(auth()->id())
            ->build();
    })
    ->tab(function ($tab) {
        $tab->id('details')
            ->label('Order Details')
            ->group(function ($group) {
                $group->label('Information')
                    ->customField(function ($field) {
                        $field->text()
                            ->name('notes')
                            ->label('Notes')
                            ->validation('nullable|string|max:1000')
                            ->build();
                    })
                    ->build();
            })
            ->build();
    });

// Exclude hidden fields from validation
$request = new FormBuilderRequest($formBuilder, false);

When to Use FormBuilderRequest​

Use FormBuilderRequest when you need to:

  • Automatic Validation: Generate validation rules from form definitions
  • DRY Principle: Avoid duplicating validation rules in requests
  • Consistency: Ensure validation matches form structure
  • Maintainability: Update validation by updating form definitions
  • Form-Driven Validation: Keep validation logic close to form definitions