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PHP

Building a PHP 5 Form Processor: Using the Form Processor Package
By: Alejandro Gervasio
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    2006-01-30


    Table of Contents:
  • Building a PHP 5 Form Processor: Using the Form Processor Package
  • Getting started: constructing programmatically an online form
  • Performing server-side validation: implementing the “validator” module
  • Gluing the pieces: putting the form processing modules to work together
  • The complete application at a glance: listing the complete code of the form processor

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    Building a PHP 5 Form Processor: Using the Form Processor Package - The complete application at a glance: listing the complete code of the form processor
    (Page 5 of 5 )

    To summarize, here’s the complete source code for the form processing package:

    // class formElement
    // creates form elements
    class formElement{
        private $html='';
        public function __construct($type='text',$attributes=array
    ('name'=>'default'),$options=array()){
            // check for <input> elements
            if(preg_match("/^
    (text|radio|checkbox|password|hidden|submit|reset|button|image|
    file)$/",$type)){
                $openTag='<input type="'.$type.'" ';
                $closeChar=' ';
                $closeTag='/>';
            }
            // check for <textarea> and <select> elements
            else if(preg_match("/^(textarea|select)$/",$type)){
                $openTag='<'.$type.' ';
                $closeChar='>';
                $closeTag='</'.$type.'>';
            }
            else{
                throw new Exception('Invalid element type');
            }
            if(!is_array($attributes)||count($attributes)<1){
                throw new Exception('Invalid number of attributes for
    <'.type.'> element');
            }
            // loop over element attributes
            $elemAttributes='';
            foreach($attributes as $attribute=>$value){
                if(empty($attribute)||empty($value)){
                    throw new Exception('Invalid attribute or value
    for <'.type.'> element');
                }
                // check for 'required' attribute - add client-side
    validation
                $attribute=='required'?JSGenerator::addValidation
    ($attributes
    ['name'],$value):$elemAttributes.=$attribute.'="'.$value.'" ';
            }
            // check for <select> options
            $selOptions='';
            if(count($options)>0){
                foreach($options as $value=>$text){
                    if(empty($value)||empty($text)){
                        throw new Exception('Invalid value or text
    for <'.type.'> element');
                    }
                    $selOptions.='<option value="'.$value.'">'.$text.'</option>';
                }
            }
            // build form element(X)HTML output
            $this->html.=$openTag.trim
    ($elemAttributes).$closeChar.$selOptions.$closeTag;
        }
        // return complete (X)HTML
        public function getHTML(){
            return $this->html;
        }
    }
    // class JSGenerator
    // generates client-side validation functions
    abstract class JSGenerator{
        private static $js=array();
        // load external JavaScript validating functions
        public function initializeFunctions(){
            self::$js['ext']='<script language="javascript"
    src="functions.js"></script>';
        }
        // add JavaScript validating function to selected field
        public function addValidation($fieldName,$valData){
            if(!is_array($valData)){
                throw new Exception('Invalid client-side validation
    array');
            }
            $obj='document.getElementsByTagName("form")[0].elements
    ["'.$fieldName.'"]';
            // obtain client-side validating function & error message
            list($valFunction,$errorMessage)=$valData;
            self::$js['int'].='if
    (!'.$valFunction.'('.$obj.',"'.$errorMessage.'")){'.$obj.'.focus
    ();return false};';
        }
        // return JavaScript code
        public function getCode(){
            return self::$js['ext'].'<script
    language="javascript">function validate(){'.self::$js['int'].'}</script>';
        }
    }
    // class formValidator
    // performs server-side form validation
    class formValidator{
        private $errors=array();
        public function __construct(){}
        // validate empty field
        public function validateEmpty($field,$errorMessage,$min=4,$max=32){
            if(!isset($_POST[$field])||trim($_POST[$field])
    ==''||strlen($_POST[$field])<$min||strlen($_POST[$field])>$max){
                $this->errors[]=$errorMessage;
            }
        }
        // validate integer field
        public function validateInt($field,$errorMessage){
            if(!isset($_POST[$field])||!is_numeric($_POST[$field])
    ||intval($_POST[$field])!=$_POST[$field]){
                $this->errors[]=$errorMessage;
            }
        }
        // validate numeric field
        public function validateNumber($field,$errorMessage){
            if(!isset($_POST[$field])||!is_numeric($_POST[$field])){
                $this->errors[]=$errorMessage;
            }
        }
        // validate if field is within a range
        public function validateRange($field,$errorMessage,$min=1,$max=99){
            if(!isset($_POST[$field])||$_POST[$field]<$min||$_POST
    [$field]>$max){
                $this->errors[]=$errorMessage;
            }
        }
        // validate alphabetic field
        public function validateAlphabetic($field,$errorMessage){
            if(!isset($_POST[$field])||!preg_match("/^[a-zA-Z]
    +$/",$_POST[$field])){
                $this->errors[]=$errorMessage;
            }
        }
        // validate alphanumeric field
        public function validateAlphanum($field,$errorMessage){
            if(!isset($_POST[$field])||!preg_match("/^[a-zA-Z0-9]
    +$/",$_POST[$field])){
                $this->errors[]=$errorMessage;
            }
        }
        // validate email
        public function validateEmail($field,$errorMessage){
            if(!isset($_POST[$field])||!preg_match
    ("/.+@.+\..+./",$_POST[$field])||!checkdnsrr(array_pop(explode
    ("@",$_POST[$field])),"MX")){
                $this->errors[]=$errorMessage;
            }
        }
        // private method 'windnsrr()' for Windows systems
        private function windnsrr($hostName,$recType=''){
            if(!empty($hostName)){
                if($recType=='')$recType="MX";
                exec("nslookup -type=$recType $hostName",$result);
                foreach($result as $line){
                    if(preg_match("/^$hostName/",$line)){
                        return true;
                    }
                }
                return false;
            }
            return false;
        }
        // check for errors
        public function checkErrors(){
            if(count($this->errors)>0){
                return true;
            }
            return false;
        }
        // return errors
        public function displayErrors(){
            $errorOutput='<ul>';
            foreach($this->errors as $err){
                $errorOutput.='<li>'.$err.'</li>';
            }
            $errorOutput.='</ul>';
            return $errorOutput;
        }
    }
    // class formGenerator
    // builds up the web form
    class formGenerator{
        private $html=array();
        private $action;
        private $method;
        public function __construct($action='',$method='post'){
            // setup form attributes
            $this->action=empty($action)?$_SERVER
    ['PHP_SELF']:$action;
            $this->method=$method!='post'||$method!
    ='get'?'post':$method;
        }
        // add form element
        public function addElement($type='text',$attributes=array
    ('name'=>'default'),$options=array()){
            if(!$elem=new formElement($type,$attributes,$options)){
                throw new Exception('Failed to instantiate '.$type.'
    object');
            }
            $this->html[]=$elem->getHTML();
        }
        // add form part
        public function addFormPart($formPart='<br />'){
            $this->html[]=trim($formPart)==''?'<br />':$formPart;
        }
        // display form
        public function display(){
            $formOutput='<form action="'.$this->action.'"
    method="'.$this->method.'">';
            foreach($this->html as $html){
                $formOutput.=$html;
            }
            $formOutput.='</form>';
            // load global JavaScript checking functions
            JSGenerator::initializeFunctions();
            // append JavaScript code to general (X)HTML output
            $formOutput.=JSGenerator::getCode();
            return $formOutput;
        }
    }

    Wrapping up

    In this article, I went through the makings of an extensible form processing library, for use either in PHP 5, or –- with minor modifications -- in PHP 4. If you’re serious about taking PHP to more complex levels of development, I encourage you to grab the proper theory behind processing forms through the object-oriented paradigm, and then make your own way, either by extending the package I developed or by picking up an existing one. As always, the choice is up to you. Meet you in the next PHP tutorial!



     
     
    >>> More PHP Articles          >>> More By Alejandro Gervasio
     

       

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