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FoxEntryMaskPages

Questions answered by this recipe

• How can I make web form elements retain their values for future visitors?
• How can I have users enter structured data on individual pages without confronting them with wiki syntax?
• How can I maintain personal preferences (one page per person)?
• How can I maintain a standard project status/description (one page per project)?
• How can I collaborate on timetables, appointments, task sharing (one page per week, task, etc.)?

Description

Fox can save the current content of form fields as Page Text Variables in the wiki mark-up and use them as default values when the form is viewed again. So this recipe is merely a specific usage of the more complex Fox form processor recipe. Since Fox has so many features, we emphasise here its basic feature of storing form contents away in the wiki page: "Non-techie" users will find it easier to express themselves by clicking radio buttons and filling in text fields question by question will, rather than by editing plain wiki mark-up.

Installation

Install Fox.

Possible configuration config.php

 
$group  = PageVar($pagename, '$Group');
if($group="MyPublicGroup") {      // enable only for a specific page group
  $FoxAuth = 'read';              // set to 'edit' if only editors may update the data
  $FoxPagePermissions['MyPublicGroup.*'] = 'all';   // see "Security"
  $EnablePostCaptchaRequired = 0; // only if captcha recipe enabled, but no captcha provided in form
  XLSDV('nl', array('Successful post to'=>'Opgeslagen in'));  // Translation into Dutch
  include_once("$FarmD/cookbook/fox/fox.php");
}

Security

Set $FoxAuth to read, if you want that anybody who is allowed to read the page can change the form. Set it to edit if you require editor rights (which then may prompt for a password if you have set one.)

Captcha

If you have protected your wikipages with the captcha recipe you need either to provide a captcha input field in your custom form, or disable captcha for that specific page or group in config.php. altogether. But beware, if your custom form happens to become popular in Internet search engines, it could attract automated spamming that would fill your form fields with e.g. advertising (which still be can be restored in the wiki history). If you don't want bother users with captcha codes, you can still let fox validate your form fields as numbers e.g. so that they would not accept url and other spam content.

Notes

• Issues with PmWiki < 2.2.9 (need fox redirect=1, double save to see current values of PVT)

Release Notes

See Also

• Fox
• FoxForum

Contributors

• Frank

Comments

See discussion at FoxEntryMaskPages-Talk?