Textareas and Dropdowns

Two more essential form elements: multi-line text and select menus.

Textareas

Use form_textarea() for multi-line text input:

Output:

With a Default Value

With Attributes

Repopulating After Validation Errors

In your controller:

If the form hasn't been submitted, this displays empty. If validation failed, it shows what the user typed.

Dropdowns (Select Menus)

Use form_dropdown() to create select menus. The pattern is slightly different:

• $name - the field name (required)
• $options - array of options (required)
• $selected - the selected value (optional)
• $attributes - array of HTML attributes (optional)

Basic Example

Output:

With a Selected Value

Controller prepares the data:

The appropriate option will be selected based on the $size variable.

With Attributes

Real-World Example: Status Selector

Building Options from a Database

The most common pattern is building dropdown options from database records. The controller builds the options array and passes it to the view:

Adding a Blank Option

Start with an empty or "please select" option:

Working with Create/Update Forms

Here's the standard pattern for dropdowns that work for both creating and updating records:

Multiple Selections

Allow users to select multiple options:

Important notes:

• The field name must end with [] to receive an array
• Add 'multiple' => 'multiple' to attributes
• On submission, post() returns an array of selected values

Pre-selecting Multiple Options

Common Textarea Attributes

Common Dropdown Attributes