reg form

Hi, I’m new to modx so forgive me if my question sounds really basic. I am more used to things like Smarty and am wondering how I can translate this into using modx.

I need a registration form (I will store this info in another database besides the modx db, I think I can handle this part).

I’ve been told the best way to go about it is to use code snippets that then call chunks for the HTML. But the part I don’t get is how to separate content from logic... the form tag should be like

<form method="POST" action="<?=$PHP_SE:LF?>">

or something similar. How do I get the document name in a chunk?

Also, the "sticky" values of the form elements...

<input type="text" name="last_name" value="<?=$_POST[’last_name’]?>" />

how would i do something like that in a chunk? Maybe template variables are supposed to come in here somewhere.

Whether I’m way or just a little off, I’d appreciate you pointing me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance.

Check the great eForm snippet..!

In a chunk, you can make a link to the current document like this

caveat: it won’t work if you are running the PHx plugin

Other, custom, template variables that you have assigned to your template can be written into a chunk like this:


Aside from template variables, there is a way to write other values from a snippet’s php code into chunks. Placeholders.
If you have your own snippet, you set a placeholder like this:


Then, in any chunk that comes after that snippet, you can do this:

thanks for the help. But how would I make a select (drop-down) field sticky from inside a chunk?

i guess i could have a group of variables with the one corresponding to the selected one having the value "selected" and use it like this

<select name="food">
<option name="potato" [*potato_selected*] />
<option name="tomato" [*tomato_selected*] />
</select>

?? any better ideas?

I used to do this by creating special placeholders in my snippet, but recently I’ve learned that PHx can make this much more elegant. (Note, above, where I recommended against using [~(*id*)~] as the "action" to your form when using PHx, maybe just replace (*id*) with the id of the document where your form is.)
Then, install the PHx plugin and have a look at the PHx documentation http://wiki.modxcms.com/index.php/PHx.
One example of how an html option can be coded using PHx, extending my previous example:

Caveat: I did not test this code, I hope the syntax is correct. And maybe there’s an even better way to do it. I’d love to see anyone’s variation or better use of PHx for this purpose.

thanks a lot... i’ll look into PHx.

I have a snippet named regForm and a chunk named regForm, in the chunk named regForm, I have something like this...

<?php

if ($_SERVER[’REQUEST_METHOD’] == "POST") {
$modx->setPlaceholder(’first_name’, $_POST[’first_name’]);
$modx->setPlaceholder(’last_name’, $_POST[’last_name’]);
$modx->setPlaceholder(’house_number’, $_POST[’house_number’]);
$modx->setPlaceholder(’street1’, $_POST[’street1’]);
$modx->setPlaceholder(’street2’, $_POST[’street2’]);
}

$modx->getChunk(’regForm’);
$modx->putChunk(’regForm’);

?>

==

The chunk regForm is the HTML form.

I have this in the page that loading the snippet.

test test [[regForm]]

All I’m seeing is the "test test"... Any ideas?

At the end of a snippet, you have to return a value, like you do from a function.
I would try:

BTW, the core code says that putChunk is deprecated. I don’t think you’d need anything else.
Two other ways you could do it:
1) NOT return anything from the snippet, and put the Chunk call right in your template
2) set another placeholder with the value of the chunk (something like $modx->setPlaceholder(’form’, $modx->getChunk(’regForm’)); for example) This allows you to allow the snippet to decide what will be shown on the page - can be handy if you want to display a thank-you message or something, or even a preview page instead of always just the form chunk)

I tried your suggestion of



but it’s not working... I also tried this...



It is displaying the POSTed variable, but the chunk isn’t getting there. I should note that my chunk and my snippet have the same name (but I assume that these are different namespaces and there’s no problem there.)

Any ideas why the chunk would be blank?