Developing Forms
Developing Forms
Overview / Adobe Experience Manager / Adobe Experience Manager 6.0 / Developing / Components /
The basic structure of a form is:
• Form start
• Form elements
• Form end
All of these are realised with a series of default Form components, available in a standard CQ installation.
In addition to developing new components for use on your forms you can also:
• preload your form with values
• preload (certain) fields with multiple values
• develop new actions
• develop new constraints
• show or hide specific form fields
Using scripts to extend functionality where necessary.
PRELOADING FORM VALUES
The form start component provides a field for the Load Path, an optional path that points to a node in the
repository.
The Load Path is the path to node properties that is used to load predefined values into multiple fields on the
form.
This is an optional field that specifies the path to a node in the repository. When this node has properties
that match the field names, then the appropriate fields on the form are preloaded with the value of those
properties. If no match exists, then the field contains the default value.
NOTE
A form action can also set the resource from which to load the initial values. This is done using
FormsHelper#setFormLoadResource inside init.jsp.
Only if that is not set, will the form be populated from the path set in the start form component by
the author.
PRELOADING FORM FIELDS WITH MULTIPLE VALUES
Various form fields also have the Items Load Path, again an optional path that points to a node in the
repository.
The Items Load Path is the path to node properties that is used to load predefined values into that specific
field on the form; for example, a drop down list, check box group or radio group.
Example - Preloading A Dropdown List with Multiple Values
A drop down list can be configured with your range of values for selection.
The Items Load Path can be used to access a list from a folder in the repository and preload these into the
field:
1. Create a new sling folder (sling:Folder)
for example, /etc/designs/<myDesign>/formlistvalues
2. Add a new property (for example, myList) of type multi-value string (String[]) to contain the list of drop
down items; content can also be imported using a script; for example, either a JSP script or curl in a shell
script.
3. Use the full path in the Items Load Path field:
for example, /etc/designs/geometrixx/formlistvalues/myList
Note that if the values in the String[] are of the formatted like this:
• AL=Alabama
• AK=Alaska
• etc.
then CQ will generate the list as:
• <option value="AL">Alabama</option>
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Developing Forms
• <option value="AK">Alaska</option>
This feature can, for example, be put to good use in a multi-language setting.
DEVELOPING YOUR OWN FORM ACTIONS
A form needs an action. An action defines the operation that is executed when the form is submitted with the
user data.
A range of actions are provided with a standard CQ installation, these can be seen under:
/libs/foundation/components/form/actions
and in the Action Type list of the Form component:
This section covers how you can develop your own form action for inclusion in this list.
You can add your own action under /apps as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Create a node of type sling:Folder; preferable specify a name that reflects the action to be
implemented.
For example:
/apps/myProject/components/customFormAction
On this node define the following properties, then click Save All to persist your changes:
• sling:resourceType - set as foundation/components/form/action
• componentGroup - define as .hidden
• Optionally:
• jcr:title - specify a title of your choice, this will show in the drop-down selection list; if not set
then the node name is shown
• jcr:description - enter a description of your choice
In the folder create a dialog node:
1. Add fields so that the author can edit the forms dialog once the action is chosen.
In the folder create either:
1. A post script.
The name of the script is post.POST.<extension>; e.g. post.POST.jsp
The post script is invoked when a form is submitted to process the form, it contains the code that
handles the data arriving from the form POST.
2. Add a forward script which is invoked when the form is submitted.
The name of the script is forward.<extension>; e.g. forward.jsp
This script can define a path. The current request is then forwarded to the specified path.
The necessary call is FormsHelper#setForwardPath (2 variants). A typical case is to perform some
validation, or logic, to find the target path and then forward to that path, letting the default Sling POST
servlet do the actual storage in JCR.
There could also be another servlet that does the actual processing, in such a case the form action
and the forward.jsp would only act as the "glue" code. An example of this is the mail action at /libs/
foundation/components/form/actions/mail, which forwards details to <currentpath>.mail.html where a
mail servlet sits.
So:
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Developing Forms
5.
6.
• a post.POST.jsp is useful for small operations that are fully done by the action itself
• while the forward.jsp is useful when only delegation is required.
The order of execution for the scripts is:
• Upon rendering the form (GET):
1. init.jsp
2. for all field's constraints: clientvalidation.jsp
3. form's validationRT: clientvalidation.jsp
4. form is loaded via load resource if set
5. addfields.jsp while inside rendering <form></form>
• upon handling a form POST:
1. init.jsp
2. for all field's constraints: servervalidation.jsp
3. form's validationRT: servervalidation.jsp
4. forward.jsp
5. if a forward path was set (FormsHelper.setForwardPath), forward the request; then call
cleanup.jsp
6. if no forward path was set, call post.POST.jsp (ends here, no cleanup.jsp called)
Again in the folder optionally add:
1. A script for adding fields.
The name of the script is addfields.<extension>; e.g. addfields.jsp
An addfields script is invoked immediately after the HTML for the form start is written. This allows
the action to add custom input fields or other such HTML inside the form.
2. An initialization script.
The name of the script is init.<extension>; e.g. init.jsp
This script is invoked when the form is rendered. It can be used to initialize action specifics.
3. A cleanup script.
The name of the script is cleanup.<extension>; e.g. cleanup.jsp
This script can be used to perform cleanup.
Use the Forms component in a parsys. The Action Type drop down will now include your new action.
NOTE
To see default actions that are part of the product:
/libs/foundation/components/form/actions
DEVELOPING YOUR OWN FORM CONSTRAINTS
Constraints can be imposed at two levels:
• for individual fields (see the following procedure)
• also as form-global validation
Constraints for Individual Fields
You can add your own constraints for an individual field (under /apps) as follows:
1.
Create a node of type sling:Folder; preferable specify a name that reflects the constraint to be
implemented.
For example:
/apps/myProject/components/customFormConstraint
2.
On this node define the following properties, then click Save All to persist your changes:
• sling:resourceType - set to foundation/components/form/constraint
• constraintMessage - a customized message that will be shown if the field is not valid, according to
the constraint, when the form is submitted
• Optionally:
• jcr:title - specify a title of your choice, this will show in the selection list; if not set then the node
name is shown
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Developing Forms
3.
• hint - additional information, for the user, on how to use the field
Inside this folder, you can need the following scripts:
• A client validation script:
The name of the script is clientvalidation.<extension>; e.g. clientvalidation.jsp
This is invoked when the form field is rendered. It can be used to create client javascript to validate
the field on the client.
• A server validation script:
The name of the script is servervalidation.<extension>; e.g. servervalidation.jsp
This is invoked when the form is submitted. It can be used to validate the field on the server after it
is submitted.
NOTE
Sample constraints can be seen under:
/libs/foundation/components/form/constraints
Form-Global Constraints
The form-global validation is specified by configuring a resource type in the start form component
(validationRT). For example:
apps/myProject/components/form/validation
You can then define:
• a clientvalidation.jsp - injected after the field's client validation scripts
• and a servervalidation.jsp - also called after the individual field server validations upon a POST.
SHOWING AND HIDING FORM COMPONENTS
You can configure your form to show or hide form components according to the value of other fields in the
form.
Changing the visibility of a form field is useful when the field is needed only under specific conditions. For
example, on a feedback form a question asks customers if they want product information sent to them in
email. Upon selecting yes, a text field appears to enable the customer to type their email address.
Use the Edit Show/Hide Rules dialog box to specify the conditions under which a form component is shown
or hidden.
Use the fields at the top of the dialog box to specify the following information:
• Whether you are specifying conditions for hiding or showing the component.
• Whether any or all of the conditions need to be true to show or hide the component.
One or more conditions appear below these fields. A condition compares the value of another form
component (on the same form) to a value. If the actual value in the field satisfies the condition, the condition
evaluates to true. Conditions include the following information:
• The Title of the form field that is tested.
• An operator.
• A value against with the field value is compared.
For example, a Radio Group component with the title Receive email notifications? contains Yes and No
radio buttons. A Text Field component with the title of Email Address uses the following condition so that it is
visible if Yes is selected:
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In Javascript, conditions use the value of the Element Name property to refer to fields. In the previous
example, the Element Name property of the Radio Group component is contact. The following code is the
equivalent Javascript code for that example:
((contact == "Yes"))
To show or hide a form component:
1.
Edit the specific form component.
2.
Select Show / Hide to open the Edit Show / Hide Rules dialog:
• In the first drop down list select either Show or Hide to specify whether your conditions determine
whether to show or hide the component.
• In the drop down list at the end of the top line select:
• all - if all conditions must be true to show or hide the component
• any - if only one or more conditions must be true to show or hide the component
• In the condition line (one is presented as default) select a component, operator, and then specify a
value.
• Add more conditions if needed by clicking Add Condition.
For example:
3.
Click OK to save the definition.
4.
After you saved your definition, an Edit Rules link appears next to the Show / Hide option in the form
component properties. Click this link to open the Edit Show / Hide Rules dialog box to make changes.
Click OK to save all changes.
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Developing Forms
CAUTION
The effects of Show / Hide definitions can be seen and tested:
• in Preview mode on the author environment (needs a page reload when first
switching to preview)
• on the publish environment
Handling broken component references
Show/hide conditions use the value of the Element Name property to reference other components in the
form. The Show/Hide configuration is invalid when any of the conditions refer to a component that is
deleted or has had the Element Name property changed. When this situation occurs, you need to manually
update the conditions or an error occurs when the form loads.
When the Show/Hide configuration is invalid, the configuration is provided only as JavaScript code. Edit
the code to correct the problems.The code uses the Element Name property that was originally used to
reference the components.
DEVELOPING SCRIPTS FOR USE WITH FORMS
For more information about the API elements that can be used when writing scripts see the javadocs related
to forms.
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated.
All rights reserved.
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Created on 2014-11-11