How to Create Standard Moodle Forms (moodle plugins chapter 4)

 All web developers must already know how to create forms with html, namely by using the <form> tag. But moodle has provided a library to make the form not input html script but this uses php, by calling the formlib.php library.

require_once("$CFG->libdir/formslib.php");

I'm telling you this is a continuation of the previous chapter so we will still be coding in the same directory.

1. Create a folder with the name "form" then create basicform.php in the form folder. Also create form.php in the myplugin folder then the directory structure will be like this.

myplugin/
├─ templates/
├─ lang/
├─ db/
├─ form/
│  ├─ basicform.php
├─ index.php
├─ lib.php
├─ version.php
├─ form.php
├─ template.php

2. Put this code in basicform.php

<?php
//moodleform is defined in formslib.php

require_once("$CFG->libdir/formslib.php");

Class basicform extends moodleform {
    //Add elements to form
    public function definition() {
        global $CFG,$COURSE;

        $mform = $this->_form; // Don't forget the underscore! 

        /** name input **/

        $mform->addElement('text', 'name', get_string('name')); // Add elements to your form.
        $mform->setType('name', PARAM_NOTAGS);                   // Set type of element.
        $mform->setDefault('name', '');        // Default value.


        /** gender form input **/
        $options = array(
            'male' => 'Male',
            'female' => 'Female'
        );
        $select = $mform->addElement('select', 'gender', 'Sex', $options);
// This will select the male.
        $select->setSelected('male');

        /** address form input **/

         $mform->addElement('editor', 'address', get_string('address')); // Add elements to your form.
        $mform->setType('address', PARAM_NOTAGS);                   // Set type of element.
        $mform->setDefault('address', '');        // Default value.

        /** file input **/

        $mform->addElement('filepicker', 'userfile', get_string('file'), null,
         array('maxbytes' => $maxbytes, 'accepted_types' => '*'));


        $this->add_action_buttons();

        
    }
    //Custom validation should be added here
    function validation($data, $files) {
        return array();
    }
}

Look at the code above, we have 4 input forms namely name with type text, gender with type option select, address with type texteditor, userfile with type file input. You can see other elements on the official website .

3. Next we will call basicform.php in form.php

//CALL FORM FUNCTION
require_once('form/basicform.php');

For the whole script

<?php

/**
 * @package     local_myplugin
 * @author      Deril Lab
 * @license     http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU GPL v3 or later
 */

//CALL CONFIG.PHP
require_once(__DIR__ . '/../../config.php');

//CALL FORM FUNCTION
require_once('form/basicform.php');

$PAGE->set_url(new moodle_url('/local/myplugin/index.php'));

//SET TITLE PAGE
$PAGE->set_title(get_string("pluginname", "local_myplugin"));
$PAGE->set_heading(get_string("pluginname", "local_myplugin"));


$page         = optional_param('page', 0, PARAM_INT);
$perpage      = optional_param('perpage', 5, PARAM_INT);

GLOBAL $DB;
GLOBAL $CFG;
GLOBAL $USER;

//PRIVATE PAGE FOR PUBLIC
require_login();

//SET BREADCRHUM
$PAGE->navbar->add(get_string("pluginname", "local_myplugin"));

//GET HEADER
echo $OUTPUT->header();

/** FORM EXAMPLE **/

// Declare form function
$mform = new basicform();

//Form processing and displaying is done here
if ($mform->is_cancelled()) {
			//Handle form cancel operation, if cancel button is present on form
} else if ($fromform = $mform->get_data()) {
			//In this case you process validated data. $mform->get_data() returns data posted in form.
	print_r($fromform);
} else {
			// this branch is executed if the form is submitted but the data doesn't validate and the form should be redisplayed
			// or on the first display of the form.

			//Set default data (if any)
	$toform = array(
		'name'=>'Deril',
		'gender'=>'male'

	);
	$mform->set_data($toform);

			//displays the form
	$mform->display();
}

/** END FORM **/

//GET FOOTER
echo $OUTPUT->footer();


?>

I've put a comment to the code section for explanation, now just run form.php