NAME

HTML::FormFu::Model::DBIC - Integrate HTML::FormFu with DBIx::Class

SYNOPSIS

Set a forms' default values from a DBIx::Class row object:

my $row = $resultset->find( $id );

$form->defaults_from_model( $row );

Update the database from a submitted form:

if ( $form->submitted_and_valid ) {
    my $row = $resultset->find( $form->param('id') );
    
    $form->save_to_model( $row );
}

METHODS

defaults_from_model

Arguments: $dbic_row, [\%config]

Return Value: $form

Set a form's default values from a DBIx::Class row.

Any form fields with a name matching a column name will have their default value set with the column value.

might_have and has_one relationships

Set field values from a related row with a might_have or has_one relationship by placing the fields within a Block (or any element that inherits from Block, such as Fieldset) with its "nested_name" in HTML::FormFu set to the relationships name.

For the following DBIx::Class schemas:

package MySchema::Book;
use strict;
use warnings;

use base 'DBIx::Class';

__PACKAGE__->load_components(qw/ Core /);

__PACKAGE__->table("book");

__PACKAGE__->add_columns(
    id    => { data_type => "INTEGER" },
    title => { data_type => "TEXT" },
);

__PACKAGE__->set_primary_key("id");

__PACKAGE__->might_have( review => 'MySchema::Review', 'book' );

1;


package MySchema::Review;
use strict;
use warnings;

use base 'DBIx::Class';

__PACKAGE__->load_components(qw/ Core /);

__PACKAGE__->table("review");

__PACKAGE__->add_columns(
    book   => { data_type => "INTEGER" },
    review => { data_type => "TEXT" },
);

__PACKAGE__->set_primary_key("book");

__PACKAGE__->belongs_to( book => 'MySchema::Book' );

1;

A suitable form for this would be:

elements:
  - type: Hidden
    name: id
  
  - type: Text
    name: title
  
  - type: Block
    elements:
      - type: Text
        name: review

For might_have and has_one relationships, you generally shouldn't need to have a field for the related table's primary key, as DBIx::Class will handle retrieving the correct row automatically.

If you want the related row deleted if a particular field is empty, set set delete_if_empty on the field's db.

elements:
  - type: Hidden
    name: id
  
  - type: Text
    name: title
  
  - type: Block
    elements:
      - type: Text
        name: review
        db:
          delete_if_empty: 1

has_many and many_to_many relationships

To edit fields in related rows with has_many and many_to_many relationships, the fields must be placed within a Repeatable element. This will output a repetition of the entire block for each row returned. "increment_field_names" in HTML::FormFu::Element::Repeatable must be true (which is the default value).

The block's nested_name must be set to the name of the relationship.

If you want an extra, empty, copy of the block to be output, to allow the user to add a new row of data, set the new_empty_row key of the field's db hashref. The value must be a column name, or arrayref of column names that must be filled in for the row to be added.

---
element:
  - type: Repeatable
    nested_name: authors
    db: 
      new_empty_row: author
    
    elements:
      - type: Hidden
        name: id
      
      - type: Text
        name: author

If you want to provide a Checkbox or similar field, to allow the user to select whether given rows should be deleted (or, in the case of many_to_many relationships, unrelated), set delete_if_true on the block's db hashref to the name of that field.

---
element:
  - type: Repeatable
    nested_name: authors
    db: 
      delete_if_true: delete
    
    elements:
      - type: Hidden
        name: id
      
      - type: Text
        name: author
      
      - type: Checkbox
        name: delete

many_to_many selection

To select / deselect rows from a many_to_many relationship, you must use a multi-valued element, such as a Checkboxgroup or a Select with multiple set.

The field's name must be set to the name of the many_to_many relationship.

If you want to search / associate the related table by a column other it's primary key, set the default_column key on the field's db hashref.

---
element:
    - type: Checkboxgroup
      name: authors
      db:
        default_column: foo

non-column accessors

To make a form field correspond to a method in your DBIx::Class schema, that isn't a database column or relationship, set the accessor key of the field's db hashref.

---
element:
  - type: Text
    name: foo
    db:
      accessor: method_name

save_to_model

Arguments: $dbic_row, [\%config]

Return Value: $dbic_row

Update the database with the submitted form values. Uses update_or_insert.

See "defaults_from_model" for specifics about what relationships are supported and how to structure your forms.

FAQ

Add extra values not in the form

To save values to the database which weren't submitted to the form, you can first add them to the form with add_valid.

my $passwd = generate_passwd();

$form->add_valid( passwd => $passwd );

$form->save_to_model( $row );

add_valid works for fieldnames that don't exist in the form.

CAVEATS

To ensure your column's inflators and deflators are called, we have to get / set values using their named methods, and not with get_column / set_column.

Because of this, beware of having column names which clash with DBIx::Class built-in method-names, such as delete. - It will have obviously undesirable results!

SUPPORT

Project Page:

http://code.google.com/p/html-formfu/

Mailing list:

http://lists.scsys.co.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/html-formfu

Mailing list archives:

http://lists.scsys.co.uk/pipermail/html-formfu/

BUGS

Please submit bugs / feature requests to http://code.google.com/p/html-formfu/issues/list (preferred) or http://rt.perl.org.

SUBVERSION REPOSITORY

The publicly viewable subversion code repository is at http://html-formfu.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/HTML-FormFu-Model-DBIC.

If you wish to contribute, you'll need a GMAIL email address. Then just ask on the mailing list for commit access.

If you wish to contribute but for some reason really don't want to sign up for a GMAIL account, please post patches to the mailing list (although you'll have to wait for someone to commit them).

If you have commit permissions, use the HTTPS repository url: https://html-formfu.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/HTML-FormFu-Model-DBIC

SEE ALSO

HTML::FormFu, DBIx::Class, Catalyst::Controller::HTML::FormFu

AUTHOR

Carl Franks

CONTRIBUTORS

Based on the code of DBIx::Class::HTML::FormFu, which was contributed to by:

Adam Herzog

Daisuke Maki

Mario Minati

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

Copyright (C) 2007 by Carl Franks

Based on the original source code of DBIx::Class::HTMLWidget, copyright Thomas Klausner.

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself, either Perl version 5.8.8 or, at your option, any later version of Perl 5 you may have available.

cpanm HTML::FormFu

perl -MCPAN -e shell
install HTML::FormFu