---
name: "Class::DBI::AsForm"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libclass-dbi-asform-perl"
version: "2.42-8"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Class::DBI::AsForm"
---

# Class::DBI::AsForm(3pm)

Produce HTML form elements for database columns

## NAME

Class::DBI::AsForm - Produce HTML form elements for database columns

## SYNOPSIS

```
    package Music::CD;
    use Class::DBI::AsForm;
    use base 'Class::DBI';
    use CGI;
    ...
    sub create_or_edit {
        my $class = shift;
        my %cgi_field = $class->to_cgi;
        return start_form,
               (map { "<b>$_</b>: ". $cgi_field{$_}->as_HTML." <br>" }
                    $class->Columns),
               end_form;
    }
    # <form method="post"...>
    # Title: <input type="text" name="Title" /> <br>
    # Artist: <select name="Artist">
    #           <option value=1>Grateful Dead</option>
    #           ...
    #         </select>
    # ...
    # </form>
```

## DESCRIPTION

This module helps to generate HTML forms for creating new database rows or editing existing rows. It maps column names in a database table to HTML form elements which fit the schema. Large text fields are turned into textareas, and fields with a has-a relationship to other `"Class::DBI"` tables are turned into select drop-downs populated with objects from the joined class.

## METHODS

The module is a mix-in which adds two additional methods to your `"Class::DBI"`-derived class.

### to\_cgi

This returns a hash mapping all the column names of the class to HTML::Element objects representing form widgets.

### to\_field($field \[, $how\])

This maps an individual column to a form element. The `"how"` argument can be used to force the field type into one of `"textfield"`, `"textarea"` or `"select"`; you can use this is you want to avoid the automatic detection of has-a relationships.

## CHANGES

Version 1.x of this module returned raw HTML instead of `"HTML::Element"` objects, which made it harder to manipulate the HTML before sending it out. If you depend on the old behaviour, set `$Class::DBI::AsForm::OLD_STYLE` to a true value.

## MAINTAINER

Tony Bowden

## ORIGINAL AUTHOR

Simon Cozens

## BUGS and QUERIES

Please direct all correspondence regarding this module to:\
   bug-Class-DBI-AsForm@rt.cpan.org

## COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

Copyright 2003-2004 by Simon Cozens / Tony Bowden

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

## SEE ALSO

Class::DBI, Class::DBI::FromCGI, HTML::Element.