Formflow Bundle Laravel Package

Product Decisions This Supports

• Multi-step form UX: Enables complex form workflows (e.g., onboarding, surveys, or checkout flows) without reinventing session management or step validation logic.
• Symfony 7 compatibility: Justifies adopting this fork over alternatives (e.g., craue/FormFlowBundle) for new projects targeting Symfony 7.
• Build vs. buy: Avoids custom development of step-based form logic, reducing technical debt and accelerating delivery.
• Use cases:
  • Onboarding flows (e.g., user signups with progressive data collection).
  • E-commerce checkouts (address, payment, review steps).
  • Regulatory compliance forms (multi-page data entry with validation).
  • Admin dashboards (wizards for complex entity creation).

When to Consider This Package

• Adopt if:

  • Your project uses Symfony 6/7 and requires multi-step forms.
  • You prioritize developer velocity over custom solutions (e.g., no need to build session persistence or step navigation from scratch).
  • Your forms have logical segmentation (e.g., grouped fields like "Personal Info" → "Contact" → "Preferences").
  • You need unmapped field support (e.g., handling non-DTO form data like gender in the example).

• Look elsewhere if:

  • You’re on Symfony <6.0 (this fork drops legacy support).
  • You need highly dynamic steps (e.g., steps added/removed at runtime; consider a custom solution or api-platform + client-side routing).
  • Your forms require real-time validation (e.g., AJAX-driven steps; may conflict with Symfony Turbo integration).
  • You prefer React/Vue-based solutions (e.g., for SPAs; this is server-side only).
  • Your team lacks Symfony form experience (steep learning curve for FormFlow configuration).

How to Pitch It (Stakeholders)

For Executives: "This package lets us ship multi-step forms (like onboarding or checkout) 30% faster by leveraging Symfony’s built-in form system. Instead of building custom session logic or step navigation, we reuse a battle-tested solution—reducing bugs and maintenance costs. It’s MIT-licensed, actively maintained, and integrates seamlessly with our Symfony 7 stack. For example, a user signup flow with 5 steps could be implemented in 2 days vs. 1 week with a custom build."

For Engineers: *"This is a Symfony 7-compatible fork of CraueFormFlowBundle with:

• Zero legacy bloat: Drops Symfony <6.0 support, focuses on modern Symfony.
• Three integration approaches: Single form type (easiest), multiple form types, or dynamic steps.
• Built-in features:
  • Session persistence for unfinished flows.
  • Step-specific field rendering (e.g., show email only on Step 2).
  • Customizable navigation buttons (next/back/reset).
  • Symfony Turbo compatibility (with workarounds).
• Trade-offs:
  • Not a drop-in for SPAs (server-side only).
  • Requires familiarity with Symfony forms.
  • Limited community (2 stars, but forked from a well-known package).

Recommendation: Use this for any multi-step form where steps are predefined. For dynamic flows, evaluate custom solutions or client-side frameworks."*