PHP5

Used for creating HTML button elements, Zend_Form_Element_Button extends Zend_Form_Element_Submit, deriving its custom functionality. It specifies the 'formButton' view helper for decoration.

Like the submit element, it uses the element's label as the element value for display purposes; in other words, to set the text of the button, set the value of the element. The label will be translated if a translation adapter is present.

Because the label is used as part of the element, the button element uses only the ViewHelper and DtDdWrapper decorators.

After populating or validating a form, you can check if the given button was clicked using the isChecked() method.

HTML checkboxes allow you return a specific value, but basically operate as booleans: when it is checked, the value is submitted; when it's not checked, nothing is submitted. Internally, Zend_Form_Element_Checkbox enforces this state.

By default, the checked value is '1', and the unchecked value '0'. You can specify the values to use using the setCheckedValue() and setUncheckedValue() accessors, respectively. Internally, any time you set the value, if the provided value matches the checked value, then it is set, but any other value causes the unchecked value to be set.

Additionally, setting the value sets the checked property of the checkbox. You can query this using isChecked() or simply accessing the property. Using the setChecked($flag) method will both set the state of the flag as well as set the approriate checked or unchecked value in the element. Please use this method when setting the checked state of a checkbox element to ensure the value is set properly.

Zend_Form_Element_Checkbox uses the 'formCheckbox' view helper. The checked value is always used to populate it.

Hidden elements merely inject data that should be submitted, but which the user should not manipulate. Zend_Form_Element_Hidden accomplishes this through use of the 'formHidden' view helper.

This element provides protection from CSRF attacks on forms, ensuring the data is submitted by the user session that generated the form and not by a rogue script. Protection is achieved by adding a hash element to a form and verifying it when the form is submitted.

The name of the hash element should be unique. It is recommended to use the salt option for the element, two hashes with same names and different salts would not collide:

<?php
$form->addElement('hash', 'no_csrf_foo', array('salt' => 'unique'));
?>

You can set the salt later using the setSalt($salt) method.

Internally, the element stores a unique identifier using Zend_Session_Namespace, and checks for it at submission (checking that the TTL has not expired). The 'Identical' validator is then used to ensure the submitted hash matches the stored hash.

The 'formHidden' view helper is used to render the element in the form.

Images can be used as form elements, and allow you to specify graphical elements as form buttons.

Images need an image source. Zend_Form_Element_Image allows you to specify this by using the setImage() accessor (or 'image' configuration key). You can also optionally specify a value to use when submitting the image using the setImageValue() accessor (or 'imageValue' configuration key). When the value set for the element matches the imageValue, then the accessor isChecked() will return true.

The Image element uses the Image Decorator for rendering (as well as the standard Errors, HtmlTag, and Label decorators). You can optionally specify a tag to the Image decorator that will then wrap the image element.

Often you have a set of related checkboxes, and you wish to group the results. This is much like a Multiselect, but instead of them being in a dropdown list, you need to show checkbox/value pairs.

Zend_Form_Element_MultiCheckbox makes this a snap. Like all other elements extending the base Multi element, you can specify a list of options, and easily validate against that same list. The 'formMultiCheckbox' view helper ensures that these are returned as an array in the form submission.

You may manipulate the various checkbox options using the following methods:

XHTML select elements allow a 'multiple' attribute, indicating multiple options may be selected for submission, instead of the usual one. Zend_Form_Element_Multiselect extends Zend_Form_Element_Select, and sets the multiple attribute to 'multiple'. Like other classes that inherit from the base Zend_Form_Element_Multi class, you can manipulate the options for the select using:

If a translation adapter is registered with the form and/or element, option values will be translated for display purposes.

Password elements are basically normal text elements -- except that you typically do not want the submitted password displayed in error messages or the element itself when the form is re-displayed.

Zend_Form_Element_Password achieves this by calling setObscureValue(true) on each validator (ensuring that the password is obscured in validation error messages), and using the 'formPassword' view helper (which does not display the value passed to it).

Radio elements allow you to specify several options, of which you need a single value returned. Zend_Form_Element_Radio extends the base Zend_Form_Element_Multi class, allowing you to specify a number of options, and then uses the formRadio view helper to display these.

Like all elements extending the Multi element base class, the following methods may be used to manipulate the radio options displayed:

Reset buttons are typically used to clear a form, and are not part of submitted data. However, as they serve a purpose in the display, they are included in the standard elements.

Zend_Form_Element_Reset extends Zend_Form_Element_Submit. As such, the label is used for the button display, and will be translated if a translation adapter is present. It utilizes only the 'ViewHelper' and 'DtDdWrapper' decorators, as there should never be error messages for such elements, nor will a label be necessary.

Select boxes are a common way of limiting to specific choices for a given form datum. Zend_Form_Element_Select allows you to generate these quickly and easily.

As it extends the base Multi element, the following methods may be used to manipulate the select options:

Zend_Form_Element_Select uses the 'formSelect' view helper for decoration.

Submit buttons are used to submit a form. You may use multiple submit buttons; you can use the button used to submit the form to decide what action to take with the data submitted. Zend_Form_Element_Submit makes this decisioning easy, by adding a isChecked() method; as only one button element will be submitted by the form, after populating or validating the form, you can call this method on each submit button to determine which one was used.

Zend_Form_Element_Submit uses the label as the "value" of the submit button, translating it if a translation adapter is present. isChecked() checks the submitted value against the label in order to determine if the button was used.

The ViewHelper and DtDdWrapper decorators to render the element. No label decorator is used, as the button label is used when rendering the element; also, typically, you will not associate errors with a submit element.

By far the most prevalent type of form element is the text element, allowing for limited text entry; it's an ideal element for most data entry. Zend_Form_Element_Text simply uses the 'formText' view helper to display the element.

Textareas are used when large quantities of text are expected, and place no limits on the amount of text submitted (other than maximum size limits as dictated by your server or PHP). Zend_Form_Element_Textarea uses the 'textArea' view helper to display such elements, placing the value as the content of the element.