Form-based input in topics, with name/value pairs stored as Meta Data variables; choose one of multiple forms per web & topic
By adding form-based input to freeform content, you can structure topics with unlimited, easily searchable categories. When forms are enabled for a web and selected in a topic, a single form appears in edit mode, and the contents are rendered as a table when viewed on the display page. You can define unlimited forms per web. For each topic, you can select a template if more than one is defined, or remove forms entirely. Form input values are stored as TWikiMetaData; all data is saved.
Form Templates replace TWikiCategoryTables from the 01-Dec-2000 version of TWiki.
The Form Template system is a more powerful, flexible replacement for the original TWikiCategoryTable. Data from existing category tables can be imported directly.
Form Templates | Category Tables |
---|---|
defined in topics | defined in templates |
many forms per web | one table per web |
saved as Meta Data | saved as HTML |
Change & Add Form buttons | UseCategory radio button |
On upgrading from the previous TWiki, a Form Template topic has to be built for each web that used a Category Table, recreating the fields and values from the old twikicatitems.tmpl
. The replacement Form Template must be set as the first item in the WebPreferences variable WEBFORMS
. If missing, pages will display, but attempting to edit results in an error message.
The new Form Template system should work with old Category Table data with no special conversion. Data is assigned to Meta variables the first time an imported topic is edited and saved in the new system.
NOTE: If things aren't working correctly, there may be useful entries in data/warning.txt
.
A Form Template is simply a page containing your form, defined as a table where each row is one form field.
YourForm
, ExpenseReport
, InfoCategory
, RecordReview
, whatever you need.
Name
, Type
, Size
, Values
, and Tooltip message
(see sample below).
Example:WebForm
| *Name* | *Type* | *Size* | *Values* | *Tooltip message* | | Know.TopicClassification | select | 1 | Know.NoDisclosure, Know.PublicSupported, Know.PublicFAQ | blah blah... | | Know.OperatingSystem | checkbox | 3 | Know.OsHPUX, Know.OsLinux, Know.OsSolaris, Know.OsWin | blah blah... | | Know.OsVersion | text | 16 | | blah blah... |
Name Type Size Values Tooltip message TopicClassification select 1 NoDisclosure, PublicSupported, PublicFAQ blah blah... OperatingSystem checkbox 3 OsHPUX, OsLinux, OsSolaris, OsWin blah blah... OsVersion text 16 blah blah...
Forms can also be defined by using form templates that retrieve field values from one or more separate topics:
FormTemplate
topic defines the Form, ex: YourFormTemplate
.
Example: WebFormTemplate
- Know.WebFormTemplate main definition:
Name Type Size Values Tooltip message TopicClassification select 1 blah blah... OperatingSystem checkbox 3 blah blah... OsVersion text 16 blah blah...
Leave theValues
field blank.
- Know.TopicClassification field value definition:
Name Type Tooltip message NoDisclosure option blah blah... PublicSupported option blah blah... PublicFAQ option blah blah...
[[...]]
links can be used to force a link (at present, the [[...][...]]
format is not supported).
Tooltip message
column is used as a tooltip for the field name (only if field name is a WikiName) - you only see the tooltip In edit.
WebTopicEditTemplate
, with field=value
, or, for checkboxes, field=1
.
Forms are enabled on a per web basis. The WEBFORMS
variable in WebPreferences is optional and defines a list of possible form templates. Example:
WEBFORMS
enabled, an extra button is added to the edit view. If the topic doesn't have a Form, an Add Form button appears at the end of the topic. If a Form is present, a Change button appears in the top row of the Form. The buttons open a screen that enables selection of a form specified in WEBFORMS
, or the No form option.
WebTopicEditTemplate
topic in a web and adding a form to it. Initial Form values can be set there.
formtemplate
parameter in the URL. Initial values can then be provided in the URLs or as form values:
name
, ex: ?BugPriority=1
namevalue=1
, ex: ?ColourRed=1
.
WEBFORMS
variable defines alternative forms that can be selected by pressing Change in edit mode.
SubmitExpenseReport
topic where you can create new expense reports, a SubmitVacationRequest
topic, and so on. These can specify the required template topic with its associated form.
The form topic name, fields and values are stored as TWikiMetaData - the order of the field/value pairs is the same as in the template.
SEARCH
and METASEARCH
variables in TWikiVariables, and TWiki Formatted Search for various options.
-- JohnTalintyre - 16 Aug 2001
-- MikeMannix - 05 Jan 2002
Topic TWikiForms . { Edit | Attach | Ref-By | Printable | Diffs | r1.16 | > | r1.15 | > | r1.14 | More } |
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