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New Features and Bug Fixes
To get the latest scoop on what's new in FormBuilder, you should visit
the download section and read the release notes.
FormBuilder Features
This module was created because I just plain hate form generation and
validation, as the majority of the process is tedious and mindless. In
addition to being boring, there is too much room for simple error, which
could render your application insecure or even useless.
FormBuilder gets rid of the repetitive parts, leaving you to
concentrate on the high-level tasks. It generates flawless HTML and
JavaScript, and has been endlessly tested for security holes. It is
the culimation of several years of development and use. Here are some
of its main features:
- DWIMmery
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This module tries to "Do What I Mean". Tell it the fields you care
about, and it takes care of all the stupid HTML and JavaScript
generation and processing for you. It also gives you back the correct
values that you want. It will even label your fields automatically
with human-readable names.
- Input field abstraction
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You simply define your fields and their options, and FormBuilder will
take care of figuring out what the best HTML representation is. It will then
generate the appropriate input fields (text, select, radio, etc), even
changing any JavaScript actions appropriately.
- Easy handling of defaults
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Just specify a hash of values to use as the defaults for your fields.
This will be searched case-insensitively and displayed in the form.
What's more, if the user enters something via the CGI that overrides a
default, when you use the
field() method to get the data you'll get
the correct value.
- Correct stickiness
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Stickiness is a PITA. FormBuilder correctly handles even multiple values
selected in a multiple select list, completely integrated with proper handling
of defaults.
- Robust field validation
-
Form validation sucks, and this is where FormBuilder is a big help. It
has tons of builtin patterns, and will even generate gobs of JavaScript
validation code for you. You can specify your own regexps as well, and
FormBuilder will even check multivalued select lists correctly. See
the full list of built-in patterns.
- Multiple submit mode support
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FormBuilder allows you to reliably tell whether the person clicked on
the "Update" or "Delete" button of your form, normally a big pain.
- Template driver support
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FormBuilder can natively "drive" several major templating engines:
If you want to build a complete form application with a template in less that
20 lines of Perl, FormBuilder is for you.
- Internationalized, Customizable Messaging
-
Sick of US-centric modules? You can customize every single message that
FormBuilder outputs for your locale. See the full messages list.
- Simple Interface
-
Heck, I specialized in User Interface Design for my degree!
- Extensive Documentation
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In case you haven't figured it out yet, there's a whole website devoted
to FormBuilder. :-)
If you like the sound of FormBuilder, you should download the latest
version, then go through the online tutorial.
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