HTML::FormHandler::Manual::FromFF(3p)

NAME
HTML::FormHandler::Manual::FromFF - converting from HTML::FormFu

VERSION
version 0.40068

SYNOPSIS
Manual Index

Cheatsheet for converting from HTML::FormFu.

DESCRIPTION
Information that may be useful when converting to FormHandler from FormFu.

  Inside/Outside
FormFu forms look to me like "inside-out" objects. The attributes and code are all set outside of the object. FormHandler forms are the opposite. Almost all attributes and settings are set *inside* the form class, although settings can be passed in on 'new' and 'process', of course. FormHandler fields are built as part of the object construction process, so you do not create or add new fields after the form instance has been constructed. There are many facilities for setting fields active/inactive or changing the various field attributes, so this is not limiting in what you can do.

One of the big advantages of having form fields and validations, etc, inside the object is that it makes it a lot easier to test exactly what you're using in your controllers.

  Config files
There are so many drawbacks to using config files to specify your forms that I don't see why anybody would voluntarily do it. However it takes all kinds, so if you really want to use config files, you can...mostly. There are a lot of things you can't do in config files, but FormHandler provides so many ways of doing things, that you can probably get it to work. And sometimes it's easier to update forms piecemeal, or there may be policies in place, so if you really want/need config files for building forms, see HTML::FormHandler::Foo and the test in t/form_setup/config.t.

  Rendering
You should be able to make your FormHandler forms automatically render very close to FormFu's rendering. There's an example of simple FormFu-like rendering in t/render/ff.t. Set up a base class with the necessary code, and your forms could be practically drop-in replacements from a rendering perspective.

Filters, Constraints, Inflators, Validators, Transformers
FormHandler doesn't distinguish between these categories in the same way that FormFu does. FormHandler has inflation/deflation, validation methods, and apply actions. The distinguishing factor is mostly where it happens in the process.

  Filters
A 'trim' filter is installed by default in FormHandler; it's a special version of an apply action, and can be set to a transform or Moose type. See the documentation in HTML::FormHandler::Field#trim.

An HTML filter is applied by default in certain places in the rendering. You can change it with the 'render_filter' attribute. See HTML::FormHandler::Manual::Rendering#Rendering-filter.

You can change the form of the field's value using a number of inflation/deflation methods, or a transform, or a Moose type. See HTML::FormHandler::Manual::InflationDeflation and HTML::FormHandler::Manual::Validation.

Transforms and inflations/deflations do not change what is presented in the form unless you set the 'fif_from_value' flag on the field (the rough equivalent of FormFu's 'render_processed_value').

FormatNumber

Use an inflation:

    has_field 'foo' => ( type => 'PosInteger', inflate_method => \&format_number );
    sub format_number {
        my ( $self, $value ) = @_;
        return unformat_number( $value );
    }

  Constraints
A lot of these are simple regexes or functions. If they're things you're going to use often, you probably want to put them in a type library or validator class.

AllOrNone
    Not implemented. Do this in a form 'validate' sub.

ASCII
    A simple regex:

       has foo => ( apply => [  { check => qr/^\p{IsASCII}*\z/,
           message => 'Not a valid string' } ] );

AutoSet
    Not necessary. This is done automatically by FormHandler. You'd have to go to some work to avoid it.

Bool
    A simple regex:

        qr/^[01]?\z/

    Or you can use the Boolean field.

Callback, CallbackOnce
    This is just validation done in code. Use one of the many places you can put validation in methods in FormHandler. See HTML::FormHandler::Manual::Validation.

DateTime
    Use Date or DateTime field or make your own.

DependOn
    Use 'dependency' attribute in the form. Or do more complicated things in the form's 'validate' sub.

Email
    Use the 'Email' field type, or use the FH Moose Type, 'email'.

         has_field 'email' => ( type => 'Email' );
         -- or --
         use HTML::FormHandler::Types ('Email');
         has_field 'email' => ( apply => [ Email ] );

Equal
    No equivalent. Perform this check in the form's 'validate' sub.

File
    Use 'Upload' field.

Integer
    Use 'Integer' field.

Length, MaxLength, MinLength
    Use 'minlength' and 'maxlength' on the Text field and its subclasses.

Range, MaxRange, MinRange
    Use 'range_start' and 'range_end'.

MinMaxFields
    No equivalent.

Number
    Use Moose type 'Num'.

Printable
    Use FormHandler Moose type 'Printable'.

reCAPTCHA
    Use Captcha field or HTML::FormHandlerX::Field::reCAPTCHA.

Regex
    Use 'check' action with regex.

Required
    Set 'required' flag on the field.

Set Use 'check' action with arrayref of strings.

SingleValue
    Not necessary.

Word
    This is a simple regex:

        qr/^\w*\z/

    Substitute FormHandler Moose type 'SingleWord'.

  Inflators
Use one of the inflation/deflation methods. See HTML::FormHandler::Manual::InflationDeflation.

  Validators
See HTML::FormHandler::Manual::Validation.

  Transformers
See HTML::FormHandler::Manual::InflationDeflation and HTML::FormHandler::Manual::Validation.

AUTHOR
FormHandler Contributors - see HTML::FormHandler

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
This software is copyright (c) 2017 by Gerda Shank.

This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.