Using HTML_QuickForm To Manage Web Forms, Part 1

<?php

// snip

// create a multiple select drop down
$obj_registration_form->addElement('select', 'ddlLookingFor', 'Looking For:', array ("Publishing_Deal" => "Publishing Deal", "Label_Deal" => "Label Deal","Management_Deal" => "Management Deal", "Other" => "Other"), array("size" => "3", "multiple"));

// snip

// add a hidden value
$obj_registration_form->addElement('hidden', 'txtReferrer', 'http://www.mysite.com');

// snip

?>

Next, I have added a multiple <SELECT> drop down control. This is pretty straightforward - just pass a value for the "size" attribute and the "multiple" keyword as elements of the array to the addElement() method.

This is followed by the definition of a "hidden" element - for the sake of completeness.

<?php

// snip

// creates a group of buttons to be displayed at the bottom of the form
$obj_submit[] = &HTML_QuickForm::createElement('submit', 'btnSubmit', 'Register');
$obj_submit[] = &HTML_QuickForm::createElement('reset', 'btnReset', 'Start Again');
$obj_registration_form->addGroup($obj_submit, '', '', '&nbsp;&nbsp');

// snip

?>

Above, I have grouped the two "button" controls in order to display them on a single line - once again using the ubiquitous "grouping" concept.

So far, I have manually added the different elements to a "group." However, the HTML_QuickForm() object also supports some controls that are "grouped" internally. The custom "date" element is one such example. This element is rendered by three drop down controls: one each for the day, month and year fields. The following statement will render an instance of the "date" element in a Web form:

<?php

// snip

$obj_registration_form->addElement('date', 'txtDateOfBirth', 'Date of Birth:');

// snip
?>

That was pretty simple, wasn't it?

Now, what’s next? Form validations, which is one concern that has yet to be addressed by the HTML_QuickForm() object. Not for long though,  as you shall soon see in the following section.