Introduction

Quick Start

Basic Concepts

Understanding Routing

Intercepting Requests

Module Fundamentals

Database Operations

Templates

Helpers

Form Handling

Form Validation

Working With Files

Image Manipulation

Working With Dates & Times

Language Control

Security

Tips And Best Practices

Form Input Fields

Text-based form fields all work the same way in Trongate. Learn one, know them all.

The Pattern

Every input helper follows this structure:

PHP

form_[type]($name, $value, $attributes);

$name - the field name (required)
$value - the default value (optional)
$attributes - array of HTML attributes (optional)

Available Input Types

Function	HTML Type	Use Case
form_input()	`text`	General text input
form_email()	`email`	Email addresses
form_password()	`password`	Password fields
form_number()	`number`	Numeric input
form_search()	`search`	Search boxes
form_url()	`url`	URL / website addresses
form_hidden()	`hidden`	Hidden fields

Basic Examples

Text Input

PHP

echo form_input('username');
// Output: <input type="text" name="username">

With a Default Value

PHP

echo form_input('username', 'John Doe');
// Output: <input type="text" name="username" value="John Doe">

With Attributes

View File

$attributes = [
    'placeholder' => 'Enter your username',
    'maxlength' => '50'
];
echo form_input('username', '', $attributes);
// Output: <input type="text" name="username" value="" placeholder="Enter your username" maxlength="50">

Email Fields

Use form_email() for email addresses. Browsers will validate the format automatically:

View File

echo form_email('user_email', '', ['placeholder' => '[email protected]']);

Password Fields

Use form_password() for password input. The value is never displayed:

View File

echo form_password('password', '', ['placeholder' => 'Enter password']);

Never pass a default value to form_password() in production. Passwords should never pre-populate.

Number Fields

Use form_number() for numeric input with optional min, max, and step:

View File

$attributes = [
    'min' => '1',
    'max' => '100',
    'step' => '1'
];
echo form_number('quantity', '1', $attributes);

Search Fields

Use form_search() for search boxes. Some browsers add a clear button automatically:

View File

echo form_search('q', '', ['placeholder' => 'Search...']);

URL Fields

Use form_url() for website addresses. Browsers validate the URL format automatically:

View File

echo form_url('website', '', ['placeholder' => 'https://example.com']);

Hidden Fields

Use form_hidden() for data that needs to be submitted but not displayed:

View File

echo form_hidden('user_id', '42');
// Output: <input type="hidden" name="user_id" value="42">

How to Repopulate Forms After Validation Errors

When a form fails validation, you need to redisplay it with the user's entered values. In Trongate, this follows the MVC pattern:

Controller Example

PHP

public function create(): void {
    // Fetch posted values (returns empty strings if form hasn't been submitted)
    $data['product_code'] = post('product_code', true);
    $data['email'] = post('email', true);
    
    // Pass data to view
    $this->view('product_form', $data);
}

View Example

View File

<?php
echo form_open('products/submit');
echo form_label('Product Code');
echo form_input('product_code', $product_code);
echo form_label('Email');
echo form_email('email', $email);
echo form_submit('submit', 'Save');
echo form_close();
?>

The controller fetches the posted data using post(), then passes it to the view. The view receives these values as variables.

Real-World Example: User Registration Form

First, the controller prepares the data:

PHP

public function register(): void {
    $data['full_name'] = post('full_name', true);
    $data['email'] = post('email', true);
    $this->view('register_form', $data);
}

Then the view displays the form:

View File

echo form_open('users/submit_registration');

echo form_label('Full Name');
echo form_input('full_name', $full_name, ['placeholder' => 'John Smith', 'required' => 'required']);

echo form_label('Email Address');
echo form_email('email', $email, ['placeholder' => '[email protected]', 'required' => 'required']);

echo form_label('Password');
echo form_password('password', '', ['placeholder' => 'Minimum 8 characters', 'minlength' => '8']);

echo form_label('Confirm Password');
echo form_password('password_confirm', '', ['placeholder' => 'Re-enter password']);

echo form_submit('submit', 'Create Account');
echo form_close();

Common Attributes

Here are the most commonly used attributes:

Attribute	Purpose	Example
`placeholder`	Hint text	`['placeholder' => 'Enter name']`
`id`	Element ID	`['id' => 'username-field']`
`required`	HTML5 validation	`['required' => 'required']`
`maxlength`	Character limit	`['maxlength' => '50']`
`autocomplete`	Browser autocomplete	`['autocomplete' => 'email']`
`readonly`	Prevent editing	`['readonly' => 'readonly']`
`disabled`	Disable field	`['disabled' => 'disabled']`

Multiple Attributes Example

Controller:

PHP

public function create_product(): void {
    $data['product_code'] = post('product_code', true);
    $this->view('product_form', $data);
}

View:

View File

$attributes = [
    'id' => 'product-code',
    'placeholder' => 'e.g., PROD-001',
    'maxlength' => '20',
    'required' => 'required',
    'pattern' => '[A-Z0-9-]+'
];
echo form_input('product_code', $product_code, $attributes);

Working with Arrays

Field names can use array syntax for grouping related data. The controller handles the data extraction:

PHP

public function create_user(): void {
    // Use dot notation to access nested data
    $data['first_name'] = post('user.first_name', true);
    $data['last_name'] = post('user.last_name', true);
    $data['email'] = post('user.email', true);
    $this->view('user_form', $data);
}

View:

View File

echo form_input('user[first_name]', $first_name);
echo form_input('user[last_name]', $last_name);
echo form_email('user[email]', $email);

All input helpers automatically escape attribute values for XSS protection. You never have to worry about it.

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