Help:Forms

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  1. Help:Forms
    1. Introduction

This page provides a comprehensive guide to creating and using Forms within MediaWiki 1.40. Forms are a powerful extension that allows you to create structured data input interfaces directly within wiki pages. This is incredibly useful for collecting information from users, creating surveys, building custom tools, and managing data within your wiki. This guide will cover everything from installation and basic usage to more advanced features and troubleshooting. We will assume a basic understanding of MediaWiki editing. If you're entirely new to wiki editing, please refer to the Help:Editing page first.

    1. What are Forms?

The Forms extension transforms wiki pages into interactive forms. Instead of relying on users to edit the raw wiki markup, Forms provides a user-friendly interface with pre-defined fields. Data submitted through these forms is then stored in a structured way, making it easily searchable, reportable, and usable for other wiki applications. Think of it as a simple database front-end integrated directly into your wiki.

Forms are particularly useful for:

  • **Data Collection:** Gathering information from users, such as contact details, feedback, or survey responses.
  • **Content Creation:** Allowing users to submit content that can be automatically formatted and added to the wiki.
  • **Database Interaction:** Creating interfaces for managing data stored in external databases (requires additional extensions and configuration).
  • **Custom Tools:** Building specialized tools tailored to your wiki's specific needs.
  • **Event Registration:** Managing sign-ups for events or workshops.
  • **Bug Reporting:** Providing a structured way for users to report bugs or issues.
    1. Installation and Configuration

Before you can use Forms, it must be installed and configured on your MediaWiki server. This typically requires administrator access.

1. **Download the Extension:** Download the latest version of the Forms extension from the official MediaWiki Extensions repository: [1](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Forms) 2. **Upload and Extract:** Upload the downloaded archive to your MediaWiki extensions directory (usually `/extensions/`). Extract the archive. 3. **Configure `LocalSettings.php`:** Edit your `LocalSettings.php` file and add the following line:

  ```php
  require_once "$IP/extensions/Forms/Forms.php";
  ```

4. **Database Setup (Optional):** Forms primarily stores data within wiki pages, but it can be configured to use a database for storage. This is generally recommended for larger datasets. Refer to the Forms documentation for detailed instructions: [2](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Forms/Database_storage) 5. **Permissions:** Ensure the web server user has write permissions to the extensions directory and any directories where Forms will store data.

    1. Basic Form Creation

Let's create a simple form to collect user names and email addresses.

1. **Create a Form Page:** Create a new wiki page (e.g., "Form:UserInformation"). The `Form:` namespace is crucial; Forms only recognizes pages within this namespace. 2. **Add Form Definition:** Use the following syntax to define the form fields:

  ```wiki
  <form>
  <label>Name:</label>
  <input type="text" name="name" />
  
<label>Email:</label> <input type="email" name="email" />
<submit type="submit" value="Submit" /> </form> ```
  * `<form>` and `</form>`:  Enclose the form definition.
  * `<label>`:  Displays a label for the input field.
  * `<input>`:  Defines the input field.
    * `type`: Specifies the type of input field (e.g., `text`, `email`, `number`, `textarea`).
    * `name`:  A unique identifier for the field. This is how the data will be referenced.
    * `value`: Sets a default value for the field.
  * `
`: Adds a line break. * `<submit>`: Creates the submit button. `value` specifies the text on the button.

3. **Save the Page:** Save the page. You should now see a functional form on the page.

    1. Form Field Types

Forms supports a variety of input field types:

  • **Text:** For single-line text input. `type="text"`
  • **Email:** For email address input. `type="email"` (performs basic validation)
  • **Number:** For numerical input. `type="number"` (can specify `min`, `max`, `step`)
  • **Password:** For password input (masked). `type="password"`
  • **Textarea:** For multi-line text input. `<textarea name="description" rows="4" cols="50"></textarea>`
  • **Checkbox:** For selecting one or more options. `<input type="checkbox" name="interests" value="programming" /> Programming`
  • **Radio:** For selecting a single option. `<input type="radio" name="gender" value="male" /> Male`
  • **Select:** For selecting an option from a dropdown list. `<select name="country"><option value="usa">USA</option><option value="canada">Canada</option></select>`
  • **Hidden:** For storing data that is not visible to the user. `<input type="hidden" name="user_id" value="{{{user_id}}}" />` (useful for passing data between forms)
  • **File:** For uploading files. `<input type="file" name="attachment" />` (requires appropriate MediaWiki configuration and permissions. See Help:Files)
  • **Date:** For date input. Requires the DateInput extension.
  • **Time:** For time input. Requires the DateInput extension.
  • **Datetime:** For date and time input. Requires the DateInput extension.
    1. Displaying Form Submissions

Forms stores submitted data as wiki pages. By default, each submission creates a new subpage of the form page. For example, if your form is at `Form:UserInformation`, submissions will be stored at pages like `Form:UserInformation/Submission1`, `Form:UserInformation/Submission2`, etc.

You can display form submissions in several ways:

  • **Directly Viewing Subpages:** Navigate directly to the submission subpages.
  • **Using Form Results:** The `{{#formresult}}` parser function allows you to display specific fields from form submissions within other wiki pages.
  ```wiki
  {{#formresult:Form:UserInformation/Submission1|name}}
  {{#formresult:Form:UserInformation/Submission1|email}}
  ```
  • **Creating Lists of Submissions:** You can use the `{{#formlist}}` parser function to create a list of all submissions.
  ```wiki
  {{#formlist:Form:UserInformation|format=table}}
  ```
  This will create a table listing all submissions, with each row representing a submission. You can customize the table format using various parameters.  See the Forms documentation for more details: [3](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Forms/Form_results)
    1. Advanced Features
  • **Conditional Fields:** Show or hide fields based on the values of other fields. This requires using JavaScript and the `data-conditional` attribute.
  • **Data Validation:** Ensure that users enter valid data. Forms supports basic validation using HTML5 attributes (e.g., `required`, `pattern`). You can also use custom validation scripts.
  • **Pre-population:** Automatically fill in form fields with existing data. This is useful for editing existing data or providing default values.
  • **Database Integration:** Store form data in an external database using extensions like Extension:ExternalData.
  • **Form Actions:** Perform actions after form submission, such as sending email notifications or updating other wiki pages.
  • **Templates:** Use templates to format form submissions consistently.
  • **Security:** Implement appropriate security measures to protect form data. This includes validating user input, sanitizing data, and restricting access to form submissions. Consider using CAPTCHA or other anti-spam measures.
  • **Dynamic Forms:** Create forms that change based on user input or other factors. This often involves using Lua scripting and the Scribunto extension.
    1. Troubleshooting
  • **Form Not Displaying:** Ensure the page is in the `Form:` namespace. Check your `LocalSettings.php` file to confirm that the Forms extension is enabled.
  • **Data Not Saving:** Verify that the web server user has write permissions to the wiki directory. Check the MediaWiki error logs for any errors.
  • **Parser Function Errors:** Double-check the syntax of your parser functions. Ensure that the form and submission IDs are correct.
  • **JavaScript Errors:** If you are using JavaScript, open your browser's developer console to check for errors.
  • **File Upload Issues:** Ensure that file uploads are enabled in your MediaWiki configuration. Check the file size limits and allowed file types.
    1. Best Practices
  • **Keep Forms Simple:** Avoid creating overly complex forms. Break down large forms into smaller, more manageable ones.
  • **Use Clear Labels:** Provide clear and concise labels for all form fields.
  • **Validate User Input:** Always validate user input to prevent errors and security vulnerabilities.
  • **Provide Feedback:** Give users feedback after they submit the form, such as a confirmation message or an error message.
  • **Document Your Forms:** Document the purpose of each form and the meaning of each field.
  • **Regularly Back Up Your Data:** Back up your wiki data regularly to protect against data loss.
    1. Resources

Help:Extension Installation Help:Page Namespaces Help:Editing Help:Templates Help:Parser Functions Help:Lua Extension:ExternalData Help:Files Help:Categories Manual:Configuration settings

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