Changes

3.10, 2016-08-17

David Precious (BIGPRESH) taking over maintainership, kind thanks to Nate
(NWIGER) for handing over the reins.

[ BUG FIXES]

  - Avoid CGI.pm warning if param() used in list context (GH-5, netangel)


---

David Precious (BIGPRESH) took over maintainership at this point.

The current version on CPAN at that time was 3.09, but there were no changelog
entries for versions between 3.06 and 3.09.

---
VERSION 3.06
    Maintenance release with a couple new features: support for "charset:
    utf8" in "Source::File", add_before_option/add_after_option c/o Victor
    Porton, and support for HTML5 type names c/o Wolfgang Radke.

VERSION 3.0501
    Bugfix release to repair a memory leak and a few "other" field edge
    cases.

VERSION 3.05
    Just a short time after 3.04, several new features evolved very quickly:

  Fieldset support
    A new "fieldsets" option to "new()" and a "fieldset" option to the
    "field()" method can be used to organize your form into sections.
    Currently works with the built-in "<table>" and new "<div>" renderer
    only, but template support is in the works.

  Div rendering
    In addition to the builtin "<table>" rendering module, a new "Div"
    rendering template has been included as well. If you select this, you
    get a table-free form which you can manipulate using stylesheets:

        $form->new(template => {type => 'div'});

    This provides a couple additional benefits, like separate divs for every
    submit button.

  Additional classes
    A couple additional CSS classes were added, wrapping around the fields
    as a unit for better styling. The "<form>" tag now gets a ".fb_form"
    style as well.

  Fixed HTML::Template support
    A couple bugs were introduced in 3.04 that have been fixed, and more
    tests added.

VERSION 3.04
    In addition to the below features, a new Catalyst FormBuilder plugin is
    available on CPAN, "Catalyst::Plugin::FormBuilder".

  New $form->prepare() method
    You can now use "$form->prepare()" to get back an expanded hashref just
    before "$form->render()" is called. This allows you to use FormBuilder
    with Catalyst or other frameworks more easily, where the rendering is
    done elsewhere:

        my %expansion = $form->prepare;

    This could be passed directly to, say, Template Toolkit without having
    to use FormBuilder's Template Toolkit support.

  New "inflate" option to field()
    This is used the convert fields on the fly into objects or other values.
    For example, you could convert a "date" field into a DateTime object.
    Nice patch from Mark Hedges, check it out.

  Turkish messages
    Thanks to Recai Oktas.

  Added "missing" property for fields
    This can be queried in templates. To see if a field is missing
    altogether, you can check "field.missing" or "missing-field" depending
    on your template engine of choice.

  Removal of custom "puke" and "belch"
    FormBuilder now uses "Carp" and @CARP_NOT to handle its errors. As such,
    you will probably notice some differences in error output. The benefit
    is that setting "debug" will give you a stack trace on fatal errors.

  CGI::FormBuilder::Template::Builtin
    Moved the "render_builtin()" method to the above module, to unify the
    rendering schemes.

  New FORMBUILDER_DEBUG environment variable
    Setting this has the same effect as using the "debug" option.

  Removal of excess documentation
    Removed all the stub docs from "Field::*" and "Messages::*" to make CPAN
    happy.

VERSION 3.0302
    This is a bugfix release to repair these main items:

        - optgroups bugfix for complex arrays
        - removal of HTML::Entities support due to utf8 issues
        - new es_ES Messages module with better translations
        - a patch from Mark Hedges to enable plugin modules for mailresults()

    The rest of the features remain the same as below.

VERSION 3.03
  Subclassable Fields
    Each field is now rendered by its own class, named for the field type.
    For example, text fields are rendered by
    "CGI::FormBuilder::Field::text". This allows you to create custom field
    types and plugging them in by creating your own
    "CGI::FormBuilder::Field::whatever_you_want" module. Thanks to Peter
    Eichman for his contributions to this scheme.

  Messages Localization
    All messages are now handled in a similar way to field types: They are
    delegated to "CGI::FormBuilder::Messages::locale" where "locale" is the
    appropriate string such as "en_US" or "da_DK". A number of localizations
    are included as part of the standard distribution.

    There are two ways to use these messages: Either the 'auto' messages
    mode or by specifying a specific locale:

        my $form = CGI::FormBuilder->new(messages => 'auto');   # check client
        my $form = CGI::FormBuilder->new(messages => ':da_DK'); # specified

    You can create your own messages by copying "_example.pm" and modifying
    it for your language. When using messages in this way, the HTTP Charset
    is changed to "utf-8".

  Select optgroup support
    By using the "field()" option "optgroups", you can now cause select
    fields to automatically generate optgroup tags:

        $form->field(name => 'browser', options => \@opt, optgroups => 1);

    See the documentation on "optgroups" for more details.

  Data::FormValidator Support
    Thanks to another great patch from Peter Eichman, "Data::FormValidator"
    is supported as a validation option to "new()", just by passing it in as
    an object. See the documentation on "validate" for more information.

  Option sorting by LABELNAME or LABELNUM
    You can now sort options by "LABELNAME" or "LABELNUM", similar to the
    value-based sorting of "NAME" and "NUM". See the documentation for more
    details.

  XHTML Compliance
    Generated code now validates against <http://validator.w3.org>. This
    includes stuff like lowercase "get" and "post" methods, lowercase
    "onchange" and "onsubmit" actions, and so on.

VERSION 3.02
  Multi-Page Form Support
    A new module, "CGI::FormBuilder::Multi", has been added to handle the
    navigation and state of multi-page forms. A multi-page form is actually
    composed of several individual forms, tied together with the special CGI
    param "_page":

        my $multi = CGI::FormBuilder::Multi->new(
                         # first args are hashrefs per-form
                         \%form1_opts,
                         \%form2_opts,
                         \%form3_opts,

                         # remaining options apply to all forms
                         header => 1,
                         method => 'POST',
                    );

        my $form = $multi->form;    # current form

        if ($form->submitted && $form->validate) {

            # you write this
            do_data_update($form->fields);

            # last page?
            if ($multi->page == $multi->pages) {
                print $form->confirm;
                exit;
            }

            $multi->page++;          # next page counter
            $form = $multi->form;    # fetch next page's form
        }
        print $form->render;

    For more details, see CGI::FormBuilder::Multi.

  External Source File
    Inspired by Peter Eichman's "Text::FormBuilder", the new "source" option
    has been added to "new()" which enables the use of an external config
    file to initialize FormBuilder. This file takes the format:

        # sample config file
        method: POST
        header: 1
        submit: Update, Delete

        fields:
            fname:
                label: First Name
                size:  50
                validate: NAME
            lname:
                label: Last Name
                size:  40
                validate: NAME
            sex:
                label:    Gender
                options:  M=Male, F=Female
                jsclick:  javascript:alert("Change your mind??");
                validate: M,F

        required: ALL

        messages:
            form_invalid_text:  Please correct the following fields:
            form_required_text: Please fill in all <b>bold</b> fields.

    You can even pre-parse this file, and generate a module from it which
    you can then reuse in multiple scripts using the "write_module()"
    function. For more details, see CGI::FormBuilder::Source::File.

  "Other" Fields
    The new "other" option has been added to "field()". If specified, a text
    box will be added to the right of the field, and its value will be used
    if the main field is not filled in. It will be subject to the same
    required and validation checks as the main field:

        $form->field(name     => 'favorite_color',
                     options  => [qw(Red Green Blue)],
                     validate => 'NAME',
                     other    => 1);     # allow "other"

    This would create HTML something like this:

        Favorite Color: []Red []Green []Blue []Other: [____________]

    The text "Other:" is controlled by the message "form_other_default".

  Growable Fields
    Thanks to a patch from Peter Eichman, "field()" now also accepts a
    "growable" option. This option enables some JavaScript hooks that add an
    "Additional [label]" button on text and file fields:

        Data File: [______________] [Additional Data File]

    When you click on the "Additional Data File" button, another box will be
    appended, allowing you to add more files. The values are then retrieved
    in the usual fashion:

        my @files = $form->field('data_file');

    Like "other" fields, all elements are subject to validation checks. The
    text "Additional %s" is controlled by the message "form_grow_default".

  Support for "CGI::FastTemplate"
    Thanks once again to Peter Eichman (busy guy), the module
    "CGI::FormBuilder::Template::Fast" has been included. This adds the
    template type "Fast" as an interface to "CGI::FastTemplate":

        my $form = CGI::FormBuilder->new(
                        template => {
                            type => 'Fast',
                            define => {
                                form  => 'form.tmpl',
                                field => 'field.tmpl',
                            }
                        }

    See CGI::FormBuilder::Template::Fast for more details. Thanks again
    Peter!

  Subclassable Templates and tmpl_param()
    The 2.x "tmpl_param()" method has been reimplemented finally. In
    addition, the included template modules are now completely subclassable,
    meaning that you can create an entire template engine with something
    like this:

        package My::HTML::Template;

        use CGI::FormBuilder::Template::HTML;
        use base 'CGI::FormBuilder::Template::HTML';

        # new() is inherited

        sub render {
            my $self = shift;
            my $form = shift;   # complete form object

            # do any special actions here

            $self->SUPER::render;
        }

    For more details, see CGI::FormBuilder::Template.

  Message Changes
    All messages were reworded to make them shorter and easier to read. The
    phrase "You must" was removed from all of them. To see the new messages,
    cut-and-paste this code:

        perl -MCGI::FormBuilder::Messages \
             -e 'CGI::FormBuilder::Messages->messages'

    In addition, the "form_submit_default" and "form_reset_default" messages
    were not even being used, and field labels were not being properly
    highlighted on error. These problems have been fixed.

  Autoloaded Fields
    The 2.x feature of "$form->$fieldname()" has been reimplemented, but
    using it requires the "fieldsubs" option:

        my $form = CGI::FormBuilder->new(fields => \@f, fieldsubs => 1);

    Read the docs for some caveats.

  Disabled Form
    Similar to a static form, you can set "disabled => 1" in "new()" or
    "render()" to display a form with grayed-out input boxes. You can also
    set this on a per-field basis using "field()".

  Verbatim HTML Options
    If you want to include HTML in your field options, set "cleanopts" to 0
    in "field()" (for one field) or "new()" (for all fields).

  Compatibility Methods
    For compatibility with other modules, FormBuilder now includes
    "param()", "query_string()", "self_url()", and "script_name()".

VERSION 3.01
    This was a bugfix release, including the following changes:

        - fixed major problems with keepextras, including a reversed ismember test
        - added debug messages to keepextras and changed a few other debugs
        - added patch from Peter Eichman to fix scalar $field->tag and $field->tag_value
        - converted most all XHTML generation methods to only returning scalars
        - fixed the columns option which was totally broken for radio buttons
        - added a feature to plop in {border => 0} in columns as well
        - added the 2.x 'override' alias for field() 'force' which was missing
        - also added a 'defaults' alias for field() 'value' for CGI.pm happiness
        - more tests since there were way too many bugs

    In addition there were many documentation updates and changes.

VERSION 3.00
  Internals
    The internals have been completely rewritten, nearly from the ground up.
    All of the major functions have been split into methods, and objects
    have been created for the form, fields, messages, CGI params, and so on.
    Several new sub-modules have been created, including:

        CGI::FormBuilder::Field
        CGI::FormBuilder::Messages
        CGI::FormBuilder::Template
        CGI::FormBuilder::Template::HTML
        CGI::FormBuilder::Template::Text
        CGI::FormBuilder::Template::TT2

    Many of these modules can be subclassed and overridden if desired. In
    addition, the template engine has been rewritten to allow "plugging in"
    of additional template modules, simply by specifying the name of the
    module to the 'template' option in new().

    For more details, see the man pages for the individual modules above.

  Style Sheets
    Stylesheets are now generated if the "stylesheet" option is specified to
    FormBuilder. This can either be 1 to turn it on, or a full path to a
    style sheet to include. When used, all tags are then output with a
    "class" attribute, named "styleclass" plus the name of the tag:

        my $form = CGI::FormBuilder->new(
                        fields => [qw/name email/],
                        styleclass => 'myFB',   # default is "fb_"
                        stylesheet => 1,        # turn on style
                   );
                
        print $form->render;

        # HTML will include
        #   <input class="myFBname" id="name" name="name" type="text" />
        #   <input class="myFBemail" id="email" name="email" type="text" />

  Compliant XHTML
    The output should be fully-compliant XHTML finally. Really. Maybe.

  Attributes and Field Objects
    Individual accessors have been added for every attribute that
    FormBuilder maintains. For example, here's a snippet of code to
    demonstrate:

        if ($form->stylesheet) {
            # loop thru fields, changing class
            for ($form->fields) {
                next if /_date$/;   # skip fields named "XXX_date"

                # each field is a stringifiable object with accessors
                if ($_->options) {
                    # has options
                    $_->class('my_opt_style');
                } else {
                    # plain text box
                    $_->class('my_text_style');
                }
            }
        }

    This code checks to see if the "stylesheet" property has been set on the
    main $form. If so, then it loops thru all the fields, skipping those
    named "XXX_date". Of the remaining fields, those that have options have
    their "class" attribute changed to "my_opt_style", and those without
    options have it set to "my_text_style".

    In addition, you can individually render every part of the form
    yourself. by calling the appropriate method. For example:

        print $form->header;      # just the header
        print $form->script;      # opening JavaScript
        print $form->title;       # form title
        print $form->start;       # opening <form> tag
        for ($form->fields) {
            print $_->label;      # each field's human label
            print $_->tag;        # each field's <input> tag
        }
        print $form->end;         # closing </form> tag

    For a complete list of accessors, see the documentation for both
    CGI::FormBuilder and CGI::FormBuilder::Field.

  Messages
    Many messages have been reworded, and several new messages were added to
    make it easier to customize individual text. In addition, you can now
    specify messages to individual fields:

        $form->field(name => 'email',
                     message => 'Please enter a valid email address');

    For more details, see "CGI::FormBuilder::Messages".

  HTML::Entities encoding
    HTML character encoding is now dispatched to "HTML::Entities", if
    available. This can be downloaded as part of the "HTML::Parser" module
    set on CPAN.

  Documentation
    Documentation has been updated and somewhat reorganized, which was long
    overdue.

AUTHOR
    Copyright (c) Nate Wiger <http://nateware.com>. All Rights Reserved.

    This module is free software; you may copy this under the terms of the
    GNU General Public License, or the Artistic License, copies of which
    should have accompanied your Perl kit.