Installation
Begin by installing this package through Composer. Run the following from the terminal:
composerrequire"laravelcollective/html":"^5.3.0"
Next, add your new provider to theprovidersarray ofconfig/app.php:
'providers'=>[// ...Collective\Html\HtmlServiceProvider::class,// ...],
Finally, add two class aliases to thealiasesarray ofconfig/app.php:
'aliases'=>[// ...'Form'=>Collective\Html\FormFacade::class,'Html'=>Collective\Html\HtmlFacade::class,// ...],
Looking to install this package inLumen? First of all, making this package compatible with Lumen will require some core changes to Lumen, which we believe would dampen the effectiveness of having Lumen in the first place. Secondly, it is our belief that if you need this package in your application, then you should be using Laravel anyway.
Opening A Form
Opening A Form
{!!Form::open(['url'=>'foo/bar'])!!}//{!!Form::close()!!}
By default, aPOSTmethod will be assumed; however, you are free to specify another method:
echoForm::open(['url'=>'foo/bar','method'=>'put'])
Note:Since HTML forms only supportPOSTandGET,PUTandDELETEmethods will be spoofed by automatically adding a_methodhidden field to your form.
You may also open forms that point to named routes or controller actions:
echoForm::open(['route'=>'route.name'])echoForm::open(['action'=>'Controller@method'])
You may pass in route parameters as well:
echoForm::open(['route'=>['route.name',$user->id]])echoForm::open(['action'=>['Controller@method',$user->id]])
If your form is going to accept file uploads, add afilesoption to your array:
echoForm::open(['url'=>'foo/bar','files'=>true])
Form Model Binding
Opening A Model Form
Often, you will want to populate a form based on the contents of a model. To do so, use theForm::modelmethod:
echoForm::model($user,['route'=>['user.update',$user->id]])
Now, when you generate a form element, like a text input, the model's value matching the field's name will automatically be set as the field value. So, for example, for a text input namedemail, the user model'semailattribute would be set as the value. However, there's more! If there is an item in the Session flash data matching the input name, that will take precedence over the model's value. So, the priority looks like this:
Session Flash Data (Old Input)
Explicitly Passed Value
Model Attribute Data
This allows you to quickly build forms that not only bind to model values, but easily re-populate if there is a validation error on the server!
Note:When usingForm::model, be sure to close your form withForm::close!
Form Model Accessors
Laravel’sEloquent Accessorallow you to manipulate a model attribute before returning it. This can be extremely useful for defining global date formats, for example. However, the date format used for display might not match the date format used for form elements. You can solve this by creating two separate accessors: a standard accessor,and/ora form accessor.
To use form accessors, first include theFormAccessibletrait in the model then create aformFooAttributemethod on your model whereFoois the “camel-cased” name of the column you wish to access. In this example, we’ll define an accessor for thedate_of_birthattribute. The accessor will automatically be called by the HTML Form Builder when attempting to pre-fill a form field whenForm::model()is used.
* Get the user’s date of birth.
*
* @param string $value
* @return string
*/publicfunctiongetDateOfBirthAttribute($value){returnCarbon::parse($value)->format('m/d/Y');}/**
* Get the user's date of birth for forms.
*
* @param string $value
* @return string
*/publicfunctionformDateOfBirthAttribute($value){returnCarbon::parse($value)->format('Y-m-d');}}
CSRF Protection
If you use theForm::openorForm::modelmethod withPOST,PUTorDELETEthe CSRF token used by Laravel for CSRF protection will be added to your forms as a hidden field automatically. Alternatively, if you wish to generate the HTML for the hidden CSRF field, you may use thetokenmethod:
echoForm::token();
For more information on Laravel’s CSRF protection, seethe relevant section in Laravel’s documentation.
Labels
Generating A Label Element
echoForm::label('email','E-Mail Address');
Specifying Extra HTML Attributes
echoForm::label('email','E-Mail Address',['class'=>'awesome']);
Note:After creating a label, any form element you create with a name matching the label name will automatically receive an ID matching the label name as well.
Text, Text Area, Password & Hidden Fields
Generating A Text Input
echoForm::text('username');
Specifying A Default Value
echoForm::text('email','[email protected]');
Note:Thehiddenandtextareamethods have the same signature as thetextmethod.
Generating A Password Input
echoForm::password('password',['class'=>'awesome']);
Generating Other Inputs
echoForm::email($name,$value=null,$attributes=[]);echoForm::file($name,$attributes=[]);
Checkboxes and Radio Buttons
Generating A Checkbox Or Radio Input
echoForm::checkbox('name','value');echoForm::radio('name','value');
Generating A Checkbox Or Radio Input That Is Checked
echoForm::checkbox('name','value',true);echoForm::radio('name','value',true);
Number
Generating A Number Input
echoForm::number('name','value');
Date
Generating A Date Input
echoForm::date('name',\Carbon\Carbon::now());
File Input
Generating A File Input
echoForm::file('image');
Note:The form must have been opened with thefilesoption set totrue.
Drop-Down Lists
Generating A Drop-Down List
echoForm::select('size',['L'=>'Large','S'=>'Small']);
Generating A Drop-Down List With Selected Default
echoForm::select('size',['L'=>'Large','S'=>'Small'],'S');
Generating a Drop-Down List With an Empty Placeholder
This will create anelement with no value as the very first option of your drop-down.
echoForm::select('size',['L'=>'Large','S'=>'Small'],null,['placeholder'=>'Pick a size...']);
Generating a List With Multiple Selectable Options
echoForm::select('size',['L'=>'Large','S'=>'Small'],null,['multiple'=>true]);
Generating A Grouped List
echoForm::select('animal',['Cats'=>['leopard'=>'Leopard'],'Dogs'=>['spaniel'=>'Spaniel'],]);
Generating A Drop-Down List With A Range
echoForm::selectRange('number',10,20);
Generating A List With Month Names
echoForm::selectMonth('month');
Buttons
Generating A Submit Button
echoForm::submit('Click Me!');
Note:Need to create a button element? Try thebuttonmethod. It has the same signature assubmit.
Custom Macros
Registering A Form Macro
It's easy to define your own custom Form class helpers called "macros". Here's how it works. First, simply register the macro with a given name and a Closure:
Form::macro('myField',function(){return'';});
Now you can call your macro using its name:
Calling A Custom Form Macro
echoForm::myField();
Custom Components
Registering A Custom Component
Custom Components are similar to Custom Macros, however instead of using a closure to generate the resulting HTML, Components utilizeLaravel Blade Templates. Components can be incredibly useful for developers who useTwitter Bootstrap, or any other front-end framework, which requires additional markup to properly render forms.
Let's build a Form Component for a simple Bootstrap text input. You might consider registering your Components inside a Service Provider'sbootmethod.
Form::component('bsText','components.form.text',['name','value','attributes']);
Notice how we reference a view path ofcomponents.form.text. Also, the array we provided is a sort of method signature for your Component. This defines the names of the variables that will be passed to your view. Your view might look something like this:
// resources/views/components/form/text.blade.php{{Form::label($name,null,['class'=>'control-label'])}}{{Form::text($name,$value,array_merge(['class'=>'form-control'],$attributes))}}
Custom Components can also be created on theHtmlfacade in the same fashion as on theFormfacade.
Providing Default Values
When defining your Custom Component's method signature, you can provide default values simply by giving your array items values, like so:
Form::component('bsText','components.form.text',['name','value'=>null,'attributes'=>[]]);
Calling A Custom Form Component
Using our example from above (specifically, the one with default values provided), you can call your Custom Component like so:
{{Form::bsText('first_name')}}
This would result in something like the following HTML output:
First Name
Generating URLs
link_to
Generate a HTML link to the given URL.
echolink_to('foo/bar',$title=null,$attributes=[],$secure=null);
link_to_asset
Generate a HTML link to the given asset.
echolink_to_asset('foo/bar.zip',$title=null,$attributes=[],$secure=null);
link_to_route
Generate a HTML link to the given named route.
echolink_to_route('route.name',$title=null,$parameters=[],$attributes=[]);
link_to_action
Generate a HTML link to the given controller action.
echolink_to_action('HomeController@getIndex',$title=null,$parameters=[],$attributes=[])