Write a object oriented UI library #968
Description
It's high time to phase out most/all of txplib_forms.php and parts of txplib_html.php. To achieve this, we should build an extensible OO user interface library using inheritance and interfaces.
Benefits:
- Removal of the stupid overloaded parameter function signatures (like
fInput()with 12 params!) in favour of clean constructors with setters. - Additional attributes can be catered - e.g.
data-attributes. - Cascading and compound UI elements can be built more easily from the base components - in core and in plugins - reducing code.
- Potential to construct one or more tags that output elements, which allows forms to be built.
- Potential to use the tags to build the admin-side UI from templates, which offers endless workflow customization options or easily buildable dashboards for people that know what they're doing.
Downsides:
- It's OO, so possibly slower than raw function calls. Needs to be optimised to maintain speed.
- Bigger product footprint overall because each discrete file has preamble text.
So far:
| Class | Notes | Proposed names |
|---|---|---|
| AdminAction | Replaces eInput(), sInput(), tInput() |
- |
| AdminAnchor | Replaces aLink(), eLink, sLink(), wLink() |
- |
| AdminDelete | Replaces dLink() |
- |
| Anchor | Replaces href() |
- |
| Checkbox | A single <input type="checkbox" /> tag |
- |
| CheckboxSet | An <input type="checkbox" /> tag inline set with labels |
- |
| Disclosure | A twistable panel behind an anchor, which replaces our current wrapGroup and wrapRegion |
- |
| Form | A <form /> tag |
- |
| Input | An <input /> tag |
- |
| InputLabel | An <input /> tag and associated label |
- |
| InputSet | An <input /> tag set. Primarily of use for creating a series of hidden inputs |
- |
| Label | A single <label /> tag |
- |
| Number | A numeric <input /> tag |
- |
| OnOffRadioSet | An <input type="radio" /> tag set with on/off options |
- |
| OptGroup | An <optgroup /> tag and collection of options |
- |
| Option | An <option /> tag |
- |
| Para | A <p /> tag. Replaces graf() |
- |
| Radio | A single <input type="radio" /> tag |
- |
| RadioSet | An <input type="radio" /> tag inline set with labels |
- |
| Script | A CSP-aware <script /> tag |
- |
| Select | A <select /> list tag |
- |
| SelectTree | A <select /> list tag built from a tree-based record set |
- |
| Span | A <span /> tag. Replaces span() |
- |
| Style | A CSP-aware <style /> or <link /> tag |
- |
| Tag | Base widget - a tag for creating custom widgets | - |
| TagCollection | Useful for creating a custom collection of widgets | - |
| Textarea | A <textarea /> tag |
- |
| Token | A hidden <input /> tag containing a CSRF token |
- |
| UploadForm | A file upload <form /> tag |
- |
| YesNoRadioSet | An <input type="radio" /> tag set with yes/no options |
- |