CGI::Fo...e::Fast(3)

🌸 NAME 🌸

okay bestie, welcome to the <pink>CGI::Fo...e::Fast(3)</pink> page — that's the manual name up in the header, filed under User Contributed Perl Documentation, iykyk. The module is CGI::FormBuilder::Template::Fast, and it's literally the FormBuilder interface to CGI::FastTemplate. 💅

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

Here's the setup, bestie — one CGI::FormBuilder->new call, and the template key is where the FastTemplate magic happens:

           my $form = CGI::FormBuilder->new(
               fields   => \@whatever,
               template => {
                   type => 'Fast',
                   root => '/path/to/templates',
                   # use external files
                   define => {
                       form           => 'form.txt',
                       field          => 'field.txt',
                       invalid_field  => 'invalid_field.txt',
                   },
                   # or define inline
                   define_nofile => {
                       form => '<html><head></head><body>$START_FORM
                                <table>$FIELDS</table>$SUBMIT $END_FORM</body></html>',
                       # etc.
                   },
               },
          );

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

Okay so this engine adapts FormBuilder to use CGI::FastTemplate. Please read these docs carefully, because the usage differs from other template adapters in several important ways. Not me warning you for fun — it's giving “read the whole thing” energy. 😭

You will need to define three templates: form, field, and invalid_field. You can use define to point to external files (which is the recommended CGI::FastTemplate style), or define_nofile/define_raw to define them inline. The templates in define_nofile take precedence over define_raw, and both of these take precedence over define. Precedence chain: slay, but also pay attention. 💅

           my $form = CGI::FormBuilder->new(
               # ...
               template => {
                   type => 'FastTemplate',
                   root => '/path/to/templates',
                   define => {
                       form           => 'form.txt',
                       field          => 'field.txt',
                       invalid_field  => 'invalid_field.txt',
                   },
                   # or, you can define templates directly
                   define_nofile => {
                       form => '<html><head></head><body>$START_FORM<table>'
                               '$FIELDS</table>$SUBMIT $END_FORM</body></html>',
                       # etc.
                   },
               },
               # ...
           );

If you use define with external templates, you will probably also want to define your template root directory with the root parameter. Yes, bestie, root is the main character here. 🌈

Within each of the field templates, the following variables are available:

$NAME         # $field->name
$FIELD        # $field->tag   (HTML input tag)
$VALUE        # $field->value (first value only!)
$LABEL        # $field->label
$COMMENT      # $field->comment
$ERROR        # $field->error
$REQUIRED     # $field->required ? 'required' : 'optional'

All the fields are processed in sequence; valid fields use the field template, and invalid fields use the invalid_field template. The result from each of these is appended into the $FIELDS variable, which you should use in your form template. In the form template, you also have access to these variables:

$TITLE        # title of the form
$START_FORM   # opening form tag
$SUBMIT       # the submit button
$RESET        # the reset button
$END_FORM     # closing form tag
$JS_HEAD      # validation JavaScript

Note that since CGI::FastTemplate doesn't use anything other than simple scalar variables, there are no variables corresponding to the lists that other engines have (e.g. "fields" or "options" lists in "TT2" or "Text::Template"). No cap, just scalars. 🫶

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🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

Go read these next, bestie:

• CGI::FormBuilder
• CGI::FormBuilder::Template
• CGI::FastTemplate

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👑 AUTHOR 👑

Copyright (c) 2005-2006 Peter Eichman <peichman@cpan.org>. All Rights Reserved.

Maintained as part of CGI::FormBuilder by Nate Wiger <nate@wiger.org>.

This module is free software; you may copy this under the terms of the GNU General Public License, or the Artistic License, copies of which should have accompanied your Perl kit.

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okay that's the whole vibe check. This page is from perl v5.42.2, dated 2024-09-19, and the footer still calls it CGI::Fo...e::Fast(3) — periodt, mwah 💋✨