Forms & HTML

• Opening A Form
• CSRF Protection
• Form Model Binding
• Labels
• Text, Text Area, Password & Hidden Fields
• Checkboxes and Radio Buttons
• File Input
• Number Input
• Drop-Down Lists
• Buttons
• Custom Macros
• Generating URLs

Opening A Form

Opening A Form

1{{ Form::open(array('url' => 'foo/bar')) }}
2    //
3{{ Form::close() }}

By default, a POST method will be assumed; however, you are free to specify another method:

1echo Form::open(array('url' => 'foo/bar', 'method' => 'put'))

You may also open forms that point to named routes or controller actions:

1echo Form::open(array('route' => 'route.name'))
2 
3echo Form::open(array('action' => 'Controller@method'))

You may pass in route parameters as well:

1echo Form::open(array('route' => array('route.name', $user->id)))
2 
3echo Form::open(array('action' => array('Controller@method', $user->id)))

If your form is going to accept file uploads, add a files option to your array:

1echo Form::open(array('url' => 'foo/bar', 'files' => true))

CSRF Protection

Adding The CSRF Token To A Form

Laravel provides an easy method of protecting your application from cross-site request forgeries. First, a random token is placed in your user's session. If you use the Form::open method with POST, PUT or DELETE the CSRF token will be added to your forms as a hidden field automatically. Alternatively, if you wish to generate the HTML for the hidden CSRF field, you may use the token method:

1echo Form::token();

Attaching The CSRF Filter To A Route

1Route::post('profile', array('before' => 'csrf', function()
2{
3    //
4}));

Form Model Binding

Opening A Model Form

Often, you will want to populate a form based on the contents of a model. To do so, use the Form::model method:

1echo Form::model($user, array('route' => array('user.update', $user->id)))

Now, when you generate a form element, like a text input, the model's value matching the field's name will automatically be set as the field value. So, for example, for a text input named email, the user model's email attribute would be set as the value. However, there's more! If there is an item in the Session flash data matching the input name, that will take precedence over the model's value. So, the priority looks like this:

1. Session Flash Data (Old Input)
2. Explicitly Passed Value
3. Model Attribute Data

This allows you to quickly build forms that not only bind to model values, but easily re-populate if there is a validation error on the server!

Labels

Generating A Label Element

1echo Form::label('email', 'E-Mail Address');

Specifying Extra HTML Attributes

1echo Form::label('email', 'E-Mail Address', array('class' => 'awesome'));

Text, Text Area, Password & Hidden Fields

Generating A Text Input

1echo Form::text('username');

Specifying A Default Value

1echo Form::text('email', '[email protected]');

Generating A Password Input

1echo Form::password('password');

Generating Other Inputs

1echo Form::email($name, $value = null, $attributes = array());
2echo Form::file($name, $attributes = array());

Checkboxes and Radio Buttons

Generating A Checkbox Or Radio Input

1echo Form::checkbox('name', 'value');
2 
3echo Form::radio('name', 'value');

Generating A Checkbox Or Radio Input That Is Checked

1echo Form::checkbox('name', 'value', true);
2 
3echo Form::radio('name', 'value', true);

Number

Generating A Number Input

1echo Form::number('name', 'value');

File Input

Generating A File Input

1echo Form::file('image');

Drop-Down Lists

Generating A Drop-Down List

1echo Form::select('size', array('L' => 'Large', 'S' => 'Small'));

Generating A Drop-Down List With Selected Default

1echo Form::select('size', array('L' => 'Large', 'S' => 'Small'), 'S');

Generating A Grouped List

1echo Form::select('animal', array(
2    'Cats' => array('leopard' => 'Leopard'),
3    'Dogs' => array('spaniel' => 'Spaniel'),
4));

Generating A Drop-Down List With A Range

1echo Form::selectRange('number', 10, 20);

Generating A List With Month Names

1echo Form::selectMonth('month');

Buttons

Generating A Submit Button

1echo Form::submit('Click Me!');

Custom Macros

Registering A Form Macro

It's easy to define your own custom Form class helpers called "macros". Here's how it works. First, simply register the macro with a given name and a Closure:

1Form::macro('myField', function()
2{
3    return '<input type="awesome">';
4});

Now you can call your macro using its name:

Calling A Custom Form Macro

1echo Form::myField();

Generating URLs

For more information on generating URL's, check out the documentation on helpers.