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Form fields are fields in a HTML <form>
. Joomla! 2.5 and newer supply the JForm class to conveniently and flexibly create forms with a large amount of form fields. Each form field type is a subclass of JFormField.
In addition to being a flexible page creation tool, JFormFields are used by Joomla! to allow administrators to configure Joomla! or its extensions without changing the underlying code. In Joomla! 1.5, this was handled by the now deprecated JParameter and JElement classes.
To define form fields in the configuration of an extension, you must include them in a named fieldset, such as <fieldset name="basic">
, that is within the <fields name="params">
section of the <config>
element in your XML manifest file.
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Joomla has client-side and server-side form validation capabilities.
Server side validation is the minimum since everything before that can be overridden on the user side. But client-side is the most user-friendly one, so using both is not a bad idea (especially since the latter is unobtrusive and won't give problems on javascript-disabled or -problematic client browsers).
.. is done via javascript while the user is filling in the form fields.
It uses the HTML classes required and validate-[xxx] (with [xxx] being a joomla or custom rule; e.g. validate-numeric)
More here: Client-side form validation
.. is done after having submitted the form and will normally return to the form when not validated with some extra messages.
It used the HTML attributes required ("true" or "required") and validate (with value being a joomla or custom rule; e.g. validate="email")
More here: Server-side form validation </translate>
<translate> Numerous types of form field are built into Joomla!. The following table lists these standard types and their availability. Use the single-page reference if you want to print all existing form field documentation.
Please note that many of these fields are available as parameter types in Joomla! 1.5. For a list of parameter types, see J1.5:Standard parameter types. For a comparison between form field and parameter types, see Standard form field and parameter types.
Type | Description | Availability |
---|---|---|
accesslevel | provides a drop down list of viewing access levels. | ![]() |
cachehandler | provides a list of available cache handling options. | ![]() |
calendar | provides a text box for entry of a date. An icon next to the text box provides a link to a pop-up calendar, which can also be used to enter the date value. | ![]() |
captcha | provides a drop down list of the captcha plugins. | ![]() |
category | provides a drop down list of categories for an extension. | ![]() |
checkbox | provides a single checkbox to be checked or unchecked | ![]() |
checkboxes | provides unlimited checkboxes that can be used for multi-select. | ![]() |
Chrome Style | provides a list of template chrome style options grouped by template. | ![]() |
color | provides a color picker when clicking the input box. | ![]() |
Content Language | Provides a list of content languages. | ![]() |
Content Type | Provides a list of content types. | ![]() |
combo | provides a combo box field. | ![]() |
componentlayout | provides a grouped list of core and template alternate layouts for a component item. | ![]() |
contentlanguage | provides a list of installed content languages for use in conjunction with the language switcher plugin. | ![]() |
Database Connection | Provides a list of available database connections, optionally limiting to a given list. | ![]() |
editor | provides an editor area field. | ![]() |
editors | Provides a drop down list of the available WYSIWYG editors. Since ![]() |
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provides an email field. | ![]() | |
file | ![]() | |
filelist | provides a drop down list of files from a specified directory. | ![]() |
folderlist | provides a drop down list of folders from a specified directory. | ![]() |
groupedlist | provides a drop down list of items organized into groups. | ![]() |
header tag | provides a drop down list of the header tags (h1-h6). | ![]() |
helpsite | provides a drop down list of the help sites for your Joomla installation. | ![]() |
hidden | provides a hidden field for saving a form field whose value cannot be altered directly by a user in the Administrator (it can be altered in code or by editing the params.ini file). | ![]() |
imagelist | provides a drop down list of image files in a specified directory. | ![]() |
integer | provides a drop down list of integers between a minimum and maximum. | ![]() |
language | provides a drop down list of the installed languages for the Front-end or Back-end. | ![]() |
list | provides a drop down list of custom-defined entries. | ![]() |
media | provides modal access to the media manager for insertion of images with upload for users with appropriate permissions. | ![]() |
menu | provides a drop down list of the available menus from your Joomla site. | ![]() |
Menu Item | provides a drop down list of the available menu items from your Joomla site. | ![]() |
Module Layout | provides a list of alternative layout for a module grouped by core and template. | ![]() |
Module Order | Provides a drop down to set the ordering of module in a given position | ![]() |
Module Position | provides a text input to set the position of a module. | ![]() |
Module Tag | provides a list of html5 elements (used to wrap a module in). | ![]() |
note | supports a one line text field. | ![]() |
password | provides a text box for entry of a password. The password characters will be obscured as they are entered. | ![]() |
plugins | provides a list of plugins from a given folder. | ![]() |
radio | provides radio buttons to select different options. | ![]() |
rules | provides a matrix of group by action options for managing access control. Display depends on context. | ![]() |
sessionhandler | provides a drop down list of session handler options. | ![]() |
spacer | provides a visual separator between form fields. It is purely a visual aid and no value is stored. | ![]() |
sql | provides a drop down list of entries obtained by running a query on the Joomla Database. The first results column returned by the query provides the values for the drop down box. | ![]() |
tag | provides an entry point for tags (either AJAX or Nested). | ![]() |
tel | provides an input field for a telephone number. | ![]() |
templatestyle | provides a drop down list of template styles. | ![]() |
text | provides a text box for data entry. | ![]() |
textarea | provides a text area for entry of multi-line text. | ![]() |
timezone | provides a drop down list of time zones. | ![]() |
URL | provides a URL text input field. | ![]() |
user | provides a modal list of users. | ![]() |
usergroup | provides a drop down list of user groups. | ![]() |
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An extension can define its own form field types, which can then be used in its own forms or forms created by another extension. See Creating a custom form field type for instructions.
If you have a field with a lot of values that don't fit a selection box, you can always make a modal form field that will allow the user to pick an item from a modal page with a table, filtering options, etc. (jut like any administrator table, e.g. "Articles") See Creating a modal form field