[Usability] In-line form validation

[ameeck]

Currently phpBB does not use any kind of JavaScript on-page pre-validation. I would suggest implementing a framework (probably using jQuery) which could possibly allow this feature.

I would go further and totally recreate the way forms are generated in phpBB.

A very good solution is having a form defined through an object interface in the PHP files, from which hooking up validation (both JS and PHP) could be deployed.

An example from one other project:

You can just assign $form to a template variable and output it in the templates. Another method in the processing script handles the data passed.

Code: Select all

$form = new Form();
$form->addText('name', 'Your name:')
    ->addRule(Form::FILLED, 'Enter your name');

$form->addText('age', 'Your age:', 5)
    ->addRule(Form::FILLED, 'Enter your age')
    ->addRule(Form::NUMERIC, 'Age must be numeric')
    ->addRule(Form::RANGE, 'Age must be in range from %d to %d', array(10, 100));

$form->addCheckbox('send', 'Shipping address:')
    ->addCondition(Form::EQUAL, TRUE);

$form->addText('email', 'Email:', 35)
    ->setEmptyValue('@')
    ->addCondition(Form::FILLED) // conditional rule: if is email filled, ...
        ->addRule(Form::EMAIL, 'E-mail is not valid'); // ... then check email 

[code reader]

just to make sure i understand:
it seems that you are discussing two separate things which are not necessarily related.
it is also possible, of course, that i completely misunderstood your post, so i request clarification:

what i understood from your post, you are suggesting:
-- use of javascript, preferably through a library
-- beefing up the template engine to support objectified html forms

while each of these two things sounds like a fine idea in itself, i think it would help to separate this into two discussions, because it seems that they are not tightly related.
of course, if we do those two things, the template engine may help by automating the generation of the call to the javascript validation, but we could use either one of those without the other.

specifically to your suggestions, i want to make a comment and ask some questions:
-- comment: i think it is important that everything should work with javascript disabled on the user agent. validation is good, but everything should still work if it doesn't happen.
-- questions: how does programmatic html form creation work with different styles? does this mean that the template syntax needs to be expanded? if so, would you care to present the additions to the syntax?

peace.

[ameeck]

My main point is in-line form validation with JS. I just extended the post not to forget my other idea I'd put it in a spoiler BBCode if there was one here

JavaScript validation is just a bonus feature. There is always a server-side fallback validation.

[ToonArmy]

I've used Zend_Form quite a bit recently and it makes form generating/validating/processing easy. A similar package will probably be used for form creation in 4.x with the ability to generate JS validation from PHP rules, which really aids usability.

[ameeck]

I've used Zend_Form quite a bit recently and it makes form generating/validating/processing easy. A similar package will probably be used for form creation in 4.x with the ability to generate JS validation from PHP rules, which really aids usability.

That's great to here. Yeah, Zend_Form is similar. Such an interface really eases up creating forms. It would be also helpful for modding, as it's only a matter of injecting one object holding the whole form.