2001-06-04 Darren Duncan <perl@DarrenDuncan.net>
* Release 2.01.
* Fixed bug related to organizing field groups into tables. Previously the
field definition attributes [table_rows/rows, table_cols/cols, table_acrf]
were not fetched properly, causing strange effects like having a single
table column when two were requested. The table feature now works properly.
* Removed a small design flaw where the "type" attribute of field definitions
had needed to be a certain typecase in order to be recognized, due to some
chicken-and-egg scenario where normal definition parsing could only be done
once we knew what field type to parse it as, but to know the type you had to
parse. The new version removes that restriction so now you can mix the
typecase of "type" as much as any other attribute as is your wish.
* Small update to the make_table_from_list() method where the HTML code for
each table cell now appears on its own line for greater readability.
* The module POD was updated, mostly in Name, Synopsis, Properties.
2001-04-03 Darren Duncan <perl@DarrenDuncan.net>
* Release 2.0.
* This release marks the largest update of this module since it was first
released on CPAN; at least half of the code and documentation was re-written.
Many things were added and a few things were removed; those that were not
removed should be backwards-compatible with release 1.05.
* HTML::FormTemplate is no longer subclassed from HTML::EasyTags, which
means you can no longer call the latter's methods from an object of the
former. Prime examples of these are the autoloaded methods named after HTML
tags. Also no longer available are: groups_by_default(), prologue_tag(),
comment_tag(), make_html_tag(), make_html_tag_group(), start_html(),
end_html(). If you want to use any of those then you need to instantiate
an HTML::EasyTags object yourself to call them from. HTML::FormTemplate
does still *use* the other class internally of course. This change was made
largely to address a glaring usability issue that is inherent with
autoloading. That is, a user could mis-spell a method name and they would
not get an appropriate run-time error because an autoloaded HTML-making
method got called instead.
* Autoloading was completely removed and now there is an explicit method for
each one of the form field types; the method has the same name as the type.
However, these are shims, and the real work is still done elsewhere.
* The lower-level methods that do the actual making of form field HTML saw
the most changes and were completely rewritten. As part of the rewrite,
functionality that was crammed into 3 methods is now handled by 9 which are
more specialized.
* All ten single field types now have group counterparts. Although the
usefulness of some of these may vary, you at least now have the choice.
Added are: reset_group, submit_group, popup_menu_group, scrolling_list_group.
The latter two cases differ from their single-field equivalents by
distributing any default values so that each group member gets one rather
than one field getting all. The most useful is probably popup_menu_group.
* All field definition attributes are now the same between corresponding
single and group fields, except for group-only ones, so you can use the
singular or plural names for definition attributes interchangeably.
* The POD documentation was greatly improved. It is now more informative,
better organized, and it's easier to understand what's going on. The
methods are now arranged in a different order, with logically related ones
appearing together. Each field-type method now has a full description,
including what positional and named parameters work with it (each is
backwards-compatible with CGI.pm's methods of the same names). Each
definition parameter has its own description and they are all grouped by
related usage. Release 1.05 had incomplete information in the above
regards and it was organized haphazardly.
* These methods are no longer available: make_input_tag(),
make_input_tag_group(), make_attribute_definition(). The first two
were among those completely rewritten and the new versions are private.
The third one was too proprietary and should be handled by calling code
instead.
* Several values that were hardwired constants in the previous release are
now variable and can be changed with appropriate new or updated methods:
new_form_determinant(), default_field_type(), default_field_name(),
bad_input_marker(), required_field_marker(), private_field_marker(). The
hardwired constants of old are now default values for object properties.
* Another new methods include field_html_from_defin(), which acts sort of
like the field_html() method in that it returns rendered HTML for single
fields, except with the new one you provide a definition as an argument
instead of giving the name of a stored definition.
* Also new is the utility method make_table_from_list() which will take a
list of elements and arrange them into an HTML table of the dimensions you
specify (either N columns or N rows), either down first or across first.
* These form field attributes are new: tag_attr, min_grp_count, table_cols,
table_rows, table_acrf, req_min_count, req_max_count, req_opt_match,
str_above_input, str_below_input. The first five are used when making field
HTML (all but the first one being for groups only), the next three are used
with input validation, and the last two are used when making whole forms.
* New field attributes allow field groups to be arranged into tables instead
of merely being linebreak-delimited.
* New field attributes allow you to validate user input based on the number
of group elements that were filled in (eg: must choose three options). Also
there is validation that user input from selection fields matches the
available options, so you know if they manually changed values.
* New field attributes place literal HTML above and below rendered fields
so you can do things like applying <DIV> formats.
* The handling of form field definition parameters is now greatly improved
so now they are much more flexible to your needs regardless of whether you
feed them to the class using field-type methods or field_definitions().
In general you can name your parameters anything that Class::ParamParser
can interpret. But the TYPE parameter is an exception; see its POD.
* Data::MultiValuedHash objects are always used internally to store
definitions for fields, which means you can use either scalars or array
refs however you like for definition parameter values without choking
the class. User-input is stored in CGI::MultiValuedHash objects, which
are subclassed from the first type in case you want to provide a raw
query string to user_input(). The two types of MVH objects are
interchangeable as far as you providing them as a method arguments.
* Due to the different way that field definition parameters are handled
internally, you can now add new ones easily without having to change the
code that doesn't use them.
* Numerous old bugs were fixed and it is quite possible that new ones
have come up. However, the new code is also a *lot* easier to understand
than the old code, so it is easier to fix and add new features.
* Note that "test.pl" is incomplete; it only tests that this module will
compile but not that the methods work; it is included so that people can use
the Makefile in the standard way during installation. This file will be
fleshed out when I have the chance.
* The module is now 106K including POD, up from the 76K it was before.
2001-03-18 Darren Duncan <perl@DarrenDuncan.net>
* Release 1.05.
* This release is the first one that includes the CPAN standard files
"Makefile.PL", "test.pl", and "MANIFEST", which were all created following
the previous release. The content of "Manifest" was previously inside the
"ReadMe" file. Improved the install instructions in my ReadMe file.
* Note that "test.pl" is incomplete; it only tests that this module will
compile but not that the methods work; it is included so that people can use
the Makefile in the standard way during installation. "test.pl" will be
fleshed out during major release 2.0 of this module, coming soon.
* This class now requires Class::ParamParser 1.03, HTML::EasyTags 1.0301,
Data::MultiValuedHash 1.06, and CGI::MultiValuedHash 1.06. I consider the
first three modules to be stable and well tested, as well as unlikely to
change. The fourth module is partially tested, but production use of the
other functionality finds it to be working properly.
2001-02-16 Darren Duncan <perl@DarrenDuncan.net>
* Release 1.04.
* This release is entirely to maintain compatability with HTML::EasyTags
1.03, which is a parent class. Specifically, one of the class properties
and its associated accessor method, positional_by_default(), was removed from
HTML::EasyTags because it was no longer needed there. However, since some
methods of HTML::FormTemplate do use this property, it and the associated
method has been added to HTML::FormTemplate itself.
* This class now requires versions 1.03 each of Class::ParamParser and
HTML::EasyTags, so you will need to have them installed. Note that I
consider those two releases to be complete and stable, so they are unlikely
to be changed in the forseeable future.
2001-01-30 Darren Duncan <perl@DarrenDuncan.net>
* Release 1.03.
* This release is entirely for fixing bugs in the coding and the POD.
* Fixed bug where providing a Hash ref as a "labels" parameter for
radio/field groups doesn't work (acts like explicit labels not provided and
uses values as labels). Fixed a similar bug that afflicted the "defaults"
parameter. This is the last of the "bugs" that I know of.
* Fixed bugs in POD that caused display problems with it, including:
- Description section too long; now split into itself and Overview.
- Ensured a blank line between Synopsis and Description.
- Likewise between "HTML Code..." and "Field Types...".
- Changed several bulleted lists whose first word of text was boldfaced
into numbered lists; before, some strangeness caused all the text of the
bulleted lists to be boldfaced and in one paragraph and/or strangely
indented in CPAN's HTML version; these should be fixed.
* Thanks to Geir Johannessen <geir.johannessen@nextra.com> for alerting me to
several obscure bugs in my POD (the first three); these only showed up when
manifying, whereas MacPerl's Shuck and CPAN's HTMLizer rendered it properly.
2001-01-05 Darren Duncan <perl@DarrenDuncan.net>
* Release 1.02.
* This release is the first one following official registrations with
"The Perl 5 Module List". The updated entry would look like this:
HTML::
::FormTemplate adpO Store definition, make persist forms, report DUNCAND
* This release contains my "HTML::FormTemplate" module, which was previously
a part of the following distributions under the temporary name of
"HTML::FormMaker":
- "libdwg": v1.0 r2000-07-23, v1.11 r2000-08-23
- "CGI-FormGenerator": v0.9 r2000-09-04, v0.9201 r2000-12-26
* This module requires Perl version 5.004.
It also requires HTML::EasyTags 1.02, and CGI::MultiValuedHash 1.03.
* Code changes since HTML::FormMaker consist mainly in accounting for
changes to the other modules that this one uses. Its public interface is
mostly unchanged. What did change is that user input and field definitions
can now be passed in any format that CGI::MultiValuedHash can understand as
an initializer. Also, the inherited start_html() and end_html() methods no
longer exist as they were gratuitious.
* The POD also received significant updates, particlularly in the Synopsis
and "Parameters by Field Type" sections.
2000-12-26 Darren Duncan <perl@DarrenDuncan.net>
* CGI-FormGenerator 0.9201, the last version of any distribution to include
HTML::FormMaker, was released.
2000-07-23 Darren Duncan <perl@DarrenDuncan.net>
* libdwg 1.0, the first version of any distribution to include
HTML::FormMaker, was released on CPAN.
2000-04-21 Darren Duncan <perl@DarrenDuncan.net>
* Completed primary development on this module.
2000-01-30 Darren Duncan <perl@DarrenDuncan.net>
* Began development on the final version of this module.
* Module based on a template created by h2xs 1.18.
1999-07 thru 1999-12
* Worked on second prototype of code that ended up in this module.
1999-02 thru 1999-05
* Created first prototypes of code that ended up in this module, which were
used in a production environment as part of modules dedicated to doing
either e-mail forms or guest books or threaded discussion boards.