• • select - drop-down menu or scrollable box
  • checkbox - one or more checkboxes
  • checkbox+buttons - one or more checkboxes, plus Set and Clear buttons
  • radio - one or more radio buttons
  • text - a one-line text field
  • textarea - a text box; size is 40x10 (columns x rows)

Main Changes from Category Tables

The Form Template system is a more powerful, flexible replacement for the original TWikiCategoryTable. Data from existing category tables can be imported directly.

Importing Category Table Data

On upgrading from the previous TWiki, a Form Template topic has to be built for each web that used a Category Table, recreating the fields and values from the old twikicatitems.tmpl. The replacement Form Template must be set as the first item in the WebPreferences variable WEBFORMS. If missing, pages will display, but attempting to edit results in an error message.

The new Form Template system should work with old Category Table data with no special conversion. Data is assigned to Meta variables the first time an imported topic is edited and saved in the new system.

NOTE: If things aren't working correctly, there may be useful entries in data/warning.txt.

Including Forms in New Topics

When you create a new topic in a web that has the WEBFORMS Preferences variable set, an Add Form button appears at the bottom of the page. You can start all new topics with forms enabled, and pre-select a form if there's more than one available:

1. Edit the WebTopicEditTemplate topic, adding the name of an available Form.
2. Create a new topic to check - the Form should appear with values set.
   • Click Change to switch or remove Forms.

A form embedded in a topic also appears in a new topic. This is done by specifying the formtemplate parameter in the URL.

1. Create a TWiki table, with each column head representing one element of an entry field: Name, Type, Size, Values, and Tooltip msessage (see sample below).

• • A web can use one or more form templates.
• form - A topic containing additional meta-data (besides the free form TEXTAREA) which categorizes the content. (replaces category table)
  • A topic has zero or one of the defined forms. So there are topics with a form or without.

1. Create a new topic with your Form name: MyForm, ExpenseReport, InfoCategory, RecordReview, whatever you need.
2. Create a TWiki table, with each column representing one element of an entry field: Name, Type, Size, Values, and Tooltip msessage (see sample below).

1. Save the topic.

• A Form Template topic defines the Form.
• Fields that have more then one value - radio, select, checkbox - can be defined in individual field value topics.

• Know.WebFormTemplate Form main definition:
   

• • The topic can be protected in the usual manner so that not everybody can change the form template - see TWikiAccessControl
  • [[...]] links can be used for force a link, at present [[...][...]] format is not supported.
  • The "Tooltip message" column is used as a tool tip for the field name (only if field name is a WikiName) - you only see the tooltip on edit.
  • The first item in the list is the default item. Alternative initial values can be given in a topic template such as WebTopicEditTemplate or using field=value or for checkboxes field=1.

• With WEBFORMS enabled, an extra button is added to the edit view. If the topic doesn't have a Form, an Add Form button appears at the end of the topic. If a Form is present, a Change button appears in the top row of the Form. The buttons open a screen that enables selection of a form specified in WEBFORMS, or the No form option.

• • other than checkboxes: name, ex: ?BugPriority=1
  • checkbox: namevalue=1, ex: ?ColourRed=1.
    Boxes with a tick must be specified.

• The optional WEBFORMS variable defines alternative Form Templates that can be selected by pressing Change in edit mode.

• A Template topic can use any Form Template.

• New topics with a Form are created by simple HTML forms asking for a topic name. For example, you can have a SubmitExpenseReport topic where you can create new expense reports - a SubmitVacationRequest topic and so on. These can specify the required template topic with its associated Form.

Form Template Data Storage