Form Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation

   composer require derafu/form
   

   Publish the config (if needed):

   php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Derafu\Form\FormServiceProvider"
   

2. Define a Form Create a form class (e.g., app/Forms/ContactForm.php):

   use Derafu\Form\Form;
   
   class ContactForm extends Form
   {
       public function rules()
       {
           return [
               'name' => 'required|string|max:255',
               'email' => 'required|email',
               'message' => 'required|string',
           ];
       }
   
       public function fields()
       {
           return [
               'name' => 'text',
               'email' => 'email',
               'message' => 'textarea',
           ];
       }
   }
   

3. First Use Case: Rendering In a controller or blade template:

   $form = new ContactForm();
   return view('contact', ['form' => $form]);
   

   Blade template (resources/views/contact.blade.php):

   {!! $form->render() !!}
   

Implementation Patterns

Declarative Form Definitions

• Group Fields Logically Use nested arrays in fields() for sections:

  public function fields()
  {
      return [
          'user' => [
              'name' => 'text',
              'email' => 'email',
          ],
          'preferences' => [
              'newsletter' => 'checkbox',
          ],
      ];
  }
  

• Dynamic Field Generation Override fields() to conditionally include fields:

  public function fields()
  {
      $fields = ['name' => 'text', 'email' => 'email'];
      if ($this->user->isAdmin()) {
          $fields['role'] = 'select|admin,user';
      }
      return $fields;
  }
  

Validation and Processing

• Custom Validation Logic Extend the validate() method:

  public function validate(array $data)
  {
      $validator = parent::validate($data);
      if ($data['email'] === 'test@example.com') {
          $validator->errors()->add('email', 'Test email not allowed.');
      }
      return $validator;
  }
  

• Form Submission Handling In a controller:

  public function store(ContactForm $form)
  {
      $validated = $form->validate(request()->all());
      if ($validated->fails()) {
          return back()->withErrors($validated)->withInput();
      }
      // Process data...
  }
  

Integration with Laravel Ecosystem

• Laravel Collective Integration Use collective/html for enhanced field rendering:

  public function fields()
  {
      return [
          'name' => 'text|class=form-control',
      ];
  }
  

• Form Requests Combine with Laravel’s FormRequest for API-like validation:

  use Illuminate\Foundation\Http\FormRequest;
  
  class StoreContactFormRequest extends FormRequest
  {
      public function authorize()
      {
          return true;
      }
  
      public function rules()
      {
          return (new ContactForm())->rules();
      }
  }
  

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

• Field Naming Conflicts Ensure field names in fields() match validation rules exactly. Use unique keys for nested fields (e.g., user.name).

• CSRF Token Handling The package does not auto-generate CSRF tokens. Include it manually in your blade template:

  {!! csrf_field() !!}
  {!! $form->render() !!}
  

• Asset Paths If using custom assets (e.g., class=form-control), ensure paths are absolute or use Laravel mix:

  public function fields()
  {
      return [
          'name' => 'text|class=' . mix('css/form.css'),
      ];
  }
  

Debugging

• Validation Errors Dump the validator for debugging:

  $validator = $form->validate($data);
  dd($validator->errors());
  

• Field Rendering Issues Check if the render() method is being called correctly. Override it for custom logic:

  public function render()
  {
      return view('custom.form', ['form' => $this]);
  }
  

Extension Points

• Custom Field Types Extend the package by creating a Field class:

  namespace App\Form\Fields;
  
  use Derafu\Form\Field;
  
  class CustomField extends Field
  {
      public function render()
      {
          return '<input type="custom" value="' . $this->value . '">';
      }
  }
  

  Register it in the config:

  'fields' => [
      'custom' => \App\Form\Fields\CustomField::class,
  ],
  

• Form Events Listen for form events (e.g., form.rendering):

  Form::macro('rendering', function ($callback) {
      $this->events['rendering'] = $callback;
      return $this;
  });