Class FormHelper

__call()source public

__call( string $method , array $params )

Missing method handler - implements various simple input types. Is used to create inputs of various types. e.g. $this->Form->text(); will create <input type="text" /> while $this->Form->range(); will create <input type="range" />

Usage

$this->Form->search('User.query', array('value' => 'test'));

Will make an input like:

<input type="search" id="UserQuery" name="data[User][query]" value="test" />

The first argument to an input type should always be the fieldname, in Model.field format. The second argument should always be an array of attributes for the input.

Parameters

string $method

Method name / input type to make.

array $params

Parameters for the method call

Returns

string
Formatted input method.

Throws

CakeException
When there are no params for the method call.

Overrides

Helper::__call()

__construct()source public

__construct( View $View , array $settings array() )

Copies the validationErrors variable from the View object into this instance

Parameters

View $View

The View this helper is being attached to.

array $settings optional array()

Configuration settings for the helper.

Overrides

Helper::__construct()

_csrfField()source protected

_csrfField( )

Return a CSRF input if the _Token is present. Used to secure forms in conjunction with SecurityComponent

Returns

string

_dateTimeSelected()source protected

_dateTimeSelected( string $select , string $fieldName , array $attributes )

Selects values for dateTime selects.

Parameters

string $select

Name of element field. ex. 'day'

string $fieldName

Name of fieldName being generated ex. Model.created

array $attributes

Array of attributes, must contain 'empty' key.

Returns

array
Attributes array with currently selected value.

_divOptions()source protected

_divOptions( array $options )

Generate div options for input

Parameters

array $options

Options list.

Returns

array

_extractOption()source protected

_extractOption( string $name , array $options , mixed $default null )

Extracts a single option from an options array.

Parameters

string $name

The name of the option to pull out.

array $options

The array of options you want to extract.

mixed $default optional null

The default option value

Returns

mixed
the contents of the option or default

_generateOptions()source protected

_generateOptions( string $name , array $options array() )

Generates option lists for common menus

Parameters

string $name

List type name.

array $options optional array()

Options list.

Returns

array

_getDateTimeValue()source protected

_getDateTimeValue( string|array $value , integer $timeFormat )

Parse the value for a datetime selected value

Parameters

string|array $value

The selected value.

integer $timeFormat

The time format

Returns

array
Array of selected value.

_getFormat()source protected

_getFormat( array $options )

Generate format options

Parameters

array $options

Options list.

Returns

array

_getInput()source protected

_getInput( array $args )

Generates an input element

Parameters

array $args

The options for the input element

Returns

string
The generated input element

_getLabel()source protected

_getLabel( string $fieldName , array $options )

Generate label for input

Parameters

string $fieldName

Field name.

array $options

Options list.

Returns

boolean|string
false or Generated label element

_getModel()source protected

_getModel( string $model )

Guess the location for a model based on its name and tries to create a new instance or get an already created instance of the model

Parameters

string $model

Model name.

Returns

Model|null
Model instance

_initInputField()source protected

_initInputField( string $field , array $options array() )

Sets field defaults and adds field to form security input hash. Will also add a 'form-error' class if the field contains validation errors.

Options

• secure - boolean whether or not the field should be added to the security fields. Disabling the field using the disabled option, will also omit the field from being part of the hashed key.

This method will convert a numerically indexed 'disabled' into an associative value. FormHelper's internals expect associative options.

Parameters

string $field

Name of the field to initialize options for.

array $options optional array()

Array of options to append options into.

Returns

array
Array of options for the input.

Overrides

Helper::_initInputField()

_inputLabel()source protected

_inputLabel( string $fieldName , string|array $label , array $options )

Generate a label for an input() call.

$options can contain a hash of id overrides. These overrides will be used instead of the generated values if present.

Parameters

string $fieldName

Field name.

string|array $label

Label text or array with text and options.

array $options

Options for the label element. 'NONE' option is deprecated and will be removed in 3.0

Returns

string
Generated label element

_introspectModel()source protected

_introspectModel( string $model , string $key , string $field null )

Inspects the model properties to extract information from them. Currently it can extract information from the the fields, the primary key and required fields

The $key parameter accepts the following list of values:

• key: Returns the name of the primary key for the model
• fields: Returns the model schema
• validates: returns the list of fields that are required
• errors: returns the list of validation errors

If the $field parameter is passed if will return the information for that sole field.

$this->_introspectModel('Post', 'fields', 'title'); will return the schema information for title column

Parameters

string $model

name of the model to extract information from

string $key

name of the special information key to obtain (key, fields, validates, errors)

string $field optional null

name of the model field to get information from

Returns

mixed
information extracted for the special key and field in a model

_isRequiredField()source protected

_isRequiredField( CakeValidationSet $validationRules )

Returns if a field is required to be filled based on validation properties from the validating object.

Parameters

CakeValidationSet $validationRules

Validation rules set.

Returns

boolean
true if field is required to be filled, false otherwise

_lastAction()source protected

_lastAction( string|array $url )

Sets the last created form action.

Parameters

string|array $url

URL.

_magicOptions()source protected

_magicOptions( array $options )

Magically set option type and corresponding options

Parameters

array $options

Options list.

Returns

array

_maxLength()source protected

_maxLength( array $options )

Calculates maxlength option

Parameters

array $options

Options list.

Returns

array

_name()source protected

_name( array $options array() , string $field null , string $key 'name' )

Gets the input field name for the current tag

Parameters

array $options optional array()

Options list.

string $field optional null

Field name.

string $key optional 'name'

Key name.

Returns

array

Overrides

Helper::_name()

_optionsOptions()source protected

_optionsOptions( array $options )

Generates list of options for multiple select

Parameters

array $options

Options list.

Returns

array

_parseOptions()source protected

_parseOptions( array $options )

Generates input options array

Parameters

array $options

Options list.

Returns

array
Options

_secure()source protected

_secure( boolean $lock , string|array $field null , mixed $value null )

Determine which fields of a form should be used for hash. Populates $this->fields

Parameters

boolean $lock

Whether this field should be part of the validation or excluded as part of the unlockedFields.

string|array $field optional null

Reference to field to be secured. Should be dot separated to indicate nesting.

mixed $value optional null

Field value, if value should not be tampered with.

_secureFieldName()source protected

_secureFieldName( array $options )

Get the field name for use with _secure().

Parses the name attribute to create a dot separated name value for use in secured field hash.

Parameters

array $options

An array of options possibly containing a name key.

Returns

string|null

_selectOptions()source protected

_selectOptions( array $elements array() , array $parents array() , boolean $showParents null , array $attributes array() )

Returns an array of formatted OPTION/OPTGROUP elements

Parameters

array $elements optional array()

Elements to format.

array $parents optional array()

Parents for OPTGROUP.

boolean $showParents optional null

Whether to show parents.

array $attributes optional array()

HTML attributes.

Returns

array

button()source public

button( string $title , array $options array() )

Creates a <button> tag. The type attribute defaults to type="submit" You can change it to a different value by using $options['type'].

Options:

• escape - HTML entity encode the $title of the button. Defaults to false.

Parameters

string $title

The button's caption. Not automatically HTML encoded

array $options optional array()

Array of options and HTML attributes.

Returns

string
A HTML button tag.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::button

checkbox()source public

checkbox( string $fieldName , array $options array() )

Creates a checkbox input widget.

Options:

• value - the value of the checkbox
• checked - boolean indicate that this checkbox is checked.
• hiddenField - boolean to indicate if you want the results of checkbox() to include a hidden input with a value of ''.
• disabled - create a disabled input.
• default - Set the default value for the checkbox. This allows you to start checkboxes as checked, without having to check the POST data. A matching POST data value, will overwrite the default value.

Parameters

string $fieldName

Name of a field, like this "Modelname.fieldname"

array $options optional array()

Array of HTML attributes.

Returns

string
An HTML text input element.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#options-for-select-checkbox-and-radio-inputs

create()source public

create( mixed|null $model null , array $options array() )

Returns an HTML FORM element.

Options:

• type Form method defaults to POST
• action The controller action the form submits to, (optional). Deprecated since 2.8, use url.
• url The URL the form submits to. Can be a string or a URL array. If you use 'url' you should leave 'action' undefined.
• default Allows for the creation of AJAX forms. Set this to false to prevent the default event handler. Will create an onsubmit attribute if it doesn't not exist. If it does, default action suppression will be appended.
• onsubmit Used in conjunction with 'default' to create AJAX forms.
• inputDefaults set the default $options for FormHelper::input(). Any options that would be set when using FormHelper::input() can be set here. Options set with inputDefaults can be overridden when calling input()
• encoding Set the accept-charset encoding for the form. Defaults to Configure::read('App.encoding')

Parameters

mixed|null $model optional null

The model name for which the form is being defined. Should include the plugin name for plugin models. e.g. ContactManager.Contact. If an array is passed and $options argument is empty, the array will be used as options. If false no model is used.

array $options optional array()

An array of html attributes and options.

Returns

string
A formatted opening FORM tag.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#options-for-create

dateTime()source public

dateTime( string $fieldName , string $dateFormat 'DMY' , string $timeFormat '12' , array $attributes array() )

Returns a set of SELECT elements for a full datetime setup: day, month and year, and then time.

Attributes:

• monthNames If false, 2 digit numbers will be used instead of text. If an array, the given array will be used.
• minYear The lowest year to use in the year select
• maxYear The maximum year to use in the year select
• interval The interval for the minutes select. Defaults to 1
• separator The contents of the string between select elements. Defaults to '-'
• empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.
• round - Set to up or down if you want to force rounding in either direction. Defaults to null.
• value | default The default value to be used by the input. A value in $this->data matching the field name will override this value. If no default is provided time() will be used.

Parameters

string $fieldName

Prefix name for the SELECT element

string $dateFormat optional 'DMY'

DMY, MDY, YMD, or null to not generate date inputs.

string $timeFormat optional '12'

12, 24, or null to not generate time inputs.

array $attributes optional array()

Array of Attributes

Returns

string
Generated set of select boxes for the date and time formats chosen.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::dateTime

day()source public

day( string $fieldName null , array $attributes array() )

Returns a SELECT element for days.

Attributes:

• empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.
• value The selected value of the input.

Parameters

string $fieldName optional null

Prefix name for the SELECT element

array $attributes optional array()

HTML attributes for the select element

Returns

string
A generated day select box.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::day

domIdSuffix()source public

domIdSuffix( string $value , string $type 'html4' )

Generates a valid DOM ID suffix from a string. Also avoids collisions when multiple values are coverted to the same suffix by appending a numeric value.

For pre-HTML5 IDs only characters like a-z 0-9 - _ are valid. HTML5 doesn't have that limitation, but to avoid layout issues it still filters out some sensitive chars.

Parameters

string $value

The value that should be transferred into a DOM ID suffix.

string $type optional 'html4'

Doctype to use. Defaults to html4.

Returns

string
DOM ID

end()source public

end( string|array $options null , array $secureAttributes array() )

Closes an HTML form, cleans up values set by FormHelper::create(), and writes hidden input fields where appropriate.

If $options is set a form submit button will be created. Options can be either a string or an array.

array usage:

array('label' => 'save'); value="save"
array('label' => 'save', 'name' => 'Whatever'); value="save" name="Whatever"
array('name' => 'Whatever'); value="Submit" name="Whatever"
array('label' => 'save', 'name' => 'Whatever', 'div' => 'good') <div class="good"> value="save" name="Whatever"
array('label' => 'save', 'name' => 'Whatever', 'div' => array('class' => 'good')); <div class="good"> value="save" name="Whatever"

If $secureAttributes is set, these html attributes will be merged into the hidden input tags generated for the Security Component. This is especially useful to set HTML5 attributes like 'form'

Parameters

string|array $options optional null

as a string will use $options as the value of button,

array $secureAttributes optional array()

will be passed as html attributes into the hidden input elements generated for the Security Component.

Returns

string
a closing FORM tag optional submit button.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#closing-the-form

error()source public

error( string $field , string|array $text null , array $options array() )

Returns a formatted error message for given FORM field, NULL if no errors.

Options:

• escape boolean - Whether or not to html escape the contents of the error.
• wrap mixed - Whether or not the error message should be wrapped in a div. If a string, will be used as the HTML tag to use.
• class string - The class name for the error message

Parameters

string $field

A field name, like "Modelname.fieldname"

string|array $text optional null

Error message as string or array of messages. If array contains attributes key it will be used as options for error container

array $options optional array()

Rendering options for

wrapper tag

Returns

string|null
If there are errors this method returns an error message, otherwise null.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::error

file()source public

file( string $fieldName , array $options array() )

Creates file input widget.

Parameters

string $fieldName

Name of a field, in the form "Modelname.fieldname"

array $options optional array()

Array of HTML attributes.

Returns

string
A generated file input.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::file

hidden()source public

hidden( string $fieldName , array $options array() )

Creates a hidden input field.

Parameters

string $fieldName

Name of a field, in the form of "Modelname.fieldname"

array $options optional array()

Array of HTML attributes.

Returns

string
A generated hidden input

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::hidden

hour()source public

hour( string $fieldName , boolean $format24Hours false , array $attributes array() )

Returns a SELECT element for hours.

Attributes:

• empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.
• value The selected value of the input.

Parameters

string $fieldName

Prefix name for the SELECT element

boolean $format24Hours optional false

True for 24 hours format

array $attributes optional array()

List of HTML attributes

Returns

string
Completed hour select input

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::hour

input()source public

input( string $fieldName , array $options array() )

Generates a form input element complete with label and wrapper div

Options

See each field type method for more information. Any options that are part of $attributes or $options for the different type methods can be included in $options for input().i Additionally, any unknown keys that are not in the list below, or part of the selected type's options will be treated as a regular html attribute for the generated input.

• type - Force the type of widget you want. e.g. type => 'select'
• label - Either a string label, or an array of options for the label. See FormHelper::label().
• div - Either false to disable the div, or an array of options for the div. See HtmlHelper::div() for more options.
• options - For widgets that take options e.g. radio, select.
• error - Control the error message that is produced. Set to false to disable any kind of error reporting (field error and error messages).
• errorMessage - Boolean to control rendering error messages (field error will still occur).
• empty - String or boolean to enable empty select box options.
• before - Content to place before the label + input.
• after - Content to place after the label + input.
• between - Content to place between the label + input.
• format - Format template for element order. Any element that is not in the array, will not be in the output.
• Default input format order: array('before', 'label', 'between', 'input', 'after', 'error')
• Default checkbox format order: array('before', 'input', 'between', 'label', 'after', 'error')
• Hidden input will not be formatted
• Radio buttons cannot have the order of input and label elements controlled with these settings.

Parameters

string $fieldName

This should be "Modelname.fieldname"

array $options optional array()

Each type of input takes different options.

Returns

string
Completed form widget.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#creating-form-elements

inputDefaults()source public

inputDefaults( array $defaults null , boolean $merge false )

Set/Get inputDefaults for form elements

Parameters

array $defaults optional null

New default values

boolean $merge optional false

Merge with current defaults

Returns

array
inputDefaults

inputs()source public

inputs( array $fields null , array $blacklist null , array $options array() )

Generate a set of inputs for $fields. If $fields is null the fields of current model will be used.

You can customize individual inputs through $fields.

$this->Form->inputs(array(
    'name' => array('label' => 'custom label')
));

In addition to controller fields output, $fields can be used to control legend and fieldset rendering. $this->Form->inputs('My legend'); Would generate an input set with a custom legend. Passing fieldset and legend key in $fields array has been deprecated since 2.3, for more fine grained control use the fieldset and legend keys in $options param.

Parameters

array $fields optional null

An array of fields to generate inputs for, or null.

array $blacklist optional null

A simple array of fields to not create inputs for.

array $options optional array()

Options array. Valid keys are: - fieldset Set to false to disable the fieldset. If a string is supplied it will be used as the class name for the fieldset element. - legend Set to false to disable the legend for the generated input set. Or supply a string to customize the legend text.

Returns

string
Completed form inputs.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::inputs

isFieldError()source public

isFieldError( string $field )

Returns true if there is an error for the given field, otherwise false

Parameters

string $field

This should be "Modelname.fieldname"

Returns

boolean
If there are errors this method returns true, else false.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::isFieldError

label()source public

label( string $fieldName null , string $text null , array|string $options array() )

Returns a formatted LABEL element for HTML FORMs. Will automatically generate a for attribute if one is not provided.

Options

• for - Set the for attribute, if its not defined the for attribute will be generated from the $fieldName parameter using FormHelper::domId().

Examples:

The text and for attribute are generated off of the fieldname

echo $this->Form->label('Post.published');
<label for="PostPublished">Published</label>

Custom text:

echo $this->Form->label('Post.published', 'Publish');
<label for="PostPublished">Publish</label>

Custom class name:

echo $this->Form->label('Post.published', 'Publish', 'required');
<label for="PostPublished" class="required">Publish</label>

Custom attributes:

echo $this->Form->label('Post.published', 'Publish', array(
    'for' => 'post-publish'
));
<label for="post-publish">Publish</label>

Warning Unlike most FormHelper methods, this method does not automatically escape the $text parameter. You must escape the $text parameter yourself if you are using user supplied data.

Parameters

string $fieldName optional null

This should be "Modelname.fieldname"

string $text optional null

Text that will appear in the label field. If $text is left undefined the text will be inflected from the fieldName.

array|string $options optional array()

An array of HTML attributes, or a string, to be used as a class name.

Returns

string
The formatted LABEL element

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::label

meridian()source public

meridian( string $fieldName , array $attributes array() )

Returns a SELECT element for AM or PM.

Attributes:

• empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.
• value The selected value of the input.

Parameters

string $fieldName

Prefix name for the SELECT element

array $attributes optional array()

Array of Attributes

Returns

string
Completed meridian select input

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::meridian

minute()source public

minute( string $fieldName , array $attributes array() )

Returns a SELECT element for minutes.

Attributes:

• empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.
• value The selected value of the input.

Parameters

string $fieldName

Prefix name for the SELECT element

array $attributes optional array()

Array of Attributes

Returns

string
Completed minute select input.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::minute

month()source public

month( string $fieldName , array $attributes array() )

Returns a SELECT element for months.

Attributes:

• monthNames - If false, 2 digit numbers will be used instead of text. If an array, the given array will be used.
• empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.
• value The selected value of the input.

Parameters

string $fieldName

Prefix name for the SELECT element

array $attributes optional array()

Attributes for the select element

Returns

string
A generated month select dropdown.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::month

postButton()source public

postButton( string $title , string|array $url , array $options array() )

Create a <button> tag with a surrounding <form> that submits via POST.

This method creates a <form> element. So do not use this method in an already opened form. Instead use FormHelper::submit() or FormHelper::button() to create buttons inside opened forms.

Options:

• data - Array with key/value to pass in input hidden
• Other options is the same of button method.

Parameters

string $title

The button's caption. Not automatically HTML encoded

string|array $url

URL as string or array

array $options optional array()

Array of options and HTML attributes.

Returns

string
A HTML button tag.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::postButton

postLink()source public

postLink( string $title , string|array $url null , array $options array() , boolean|string $confirmMessage false )

Creates an HTML link, but access the URL using the method you specify (defaults to POST). Requires javascript to be enabled in browser.

This method creates a <form> element. If you want to use this method inside of an existing form, you must use the inline or block options so that the new form is being set to a view block that can be rendered outside of the main form.

If all you are looking for is a button to submit your form, then you should use FormHelper::submit() instead.

Options:

• data - Array with key/value to pass in input hidden
• method - Request method to use. Set to 'delete' to simulate HTTP/1.1 DELETE request. Defaults to 'post'.
• confirm - Can be used instead of $confirmMessage.
• inline - Whether or not the associated form tag should be output inline. Set to false to have the form tag appended to the 'postLink' view block. Defaults to true.
• block - Choose a custom block to append the form tag to. Using this option will override the inline option.
• Other options are the same of HtmlHelper::link() method.
• The option onclick will be replaced.

Parameters

string $title

The content to be wrapped by tags.

string|array $url optional null

Cake-relative URL or array of URL parameters, or external URL (starts with http://)

array $options optional array()

Array of HTML attributes.

boolean|string $confirmMessage optional false

JavaScript confirmation message. This argument is deprecated as of 2.6. Use confirm key in $options instead.

Returns

string
An <a /> element.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::postLink

radio()source public

radio( string $fieldName , array $options array() , array $attributes array() )

Creates a set of radio widgets. Will create a legend and fieldset by default. Use $options to control this

You can also customize each radio input element using an array of arrays:

$options = array(
 array('name' => 'United states', 'value' => 'US', 'title' => 'My title'),
 array('name' => 'Germany', 'value' => 'DE', 'class' => 'de-de', 'title' => 'Another title'),
);

Attributes:

• separator - define the string in between the radio buttons
• between - the string between legend and input set or array of strings to insert strings between each input block
• legend - control whether or not the widget set has a fieldset & legend
• fieldset - sets the class of the fieldset. Fieldset is only generated if legend attribute is provided
• value - indicate a value that is should be checked
• label - boolean to indicate whether or not labels for widgets show be displayed
• hiddenField - boolean to indicate if you want the results of radio() to include a hidden input with a value of ''. This is useful for creating radio sets that non-continuous
• disabled - Set to true or disabled to disable all the radio buttons.
• empty - Set to true to create an input with the value '' as the first option. When true the radio label will be 'empty'. Set this option to a string to control the label value.

Parameters

string $fieldName

Name of a field, like this "Modelname.fieldname"

array $options optional array()

Radio button options array.

array $attributes optional array()

Array of HTML attributes, and special attributes above.

Returns

string
Completed radio widget set.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#options-for-select-checkbox-and-radio-inputs

secure()source public

secure( array|null $fields array() , array $secureAttributes array() )

Generates a hidden field with a security hash based on the fields used in the form.

If $secureAttributes is set, these html attributes will be merged into the hidden input tags generated for the Security Component. This is especially useful to set HTML5 attributes like 'form'.

Parameters

array|null $fields optional array()

If set specifies the list of fields to use when generating the hash, else $this->fields is being used.

array $secureAttributes optional array()

will be passed as html attributes into the hidden input elements generated for the Security Component.

Returns

string|null
A hidden input field with a security hash, otherwise null.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::secure

select()source public

select( string $fieldName , array $options array() , array $attributes array() )

Returns a formatted SELECT element.

Attributes:

• showParents - If included in the array and set to true, an additional option element will be added for the parent of each option group. You can set an option with the same name and it's key will be used for the value of the option.
• multiple - show a multiple select box. If set to 'checkbox' multiple checkboxes will be created instead.
• empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.
• escape - If true contents of options will be HTML entity encoded. Defaults to true.
• value The selected value of the input.
• class - When using multiple = checkbox the class name to apply to the divs. Defaults to 'checkbox'.
• disabled - Control the disabled attribute. When creating a select box, set to true to disable the select box. When creating checkboxes, true will disable all checkboxes. You can also set disabled to a list of values you want to disable when creating checkboxes.

Using options

A simple array will create normal options:

$options = array(1 => 'one', 2 => 'two);
$this->Form->select('Model.field', $options));

While a nested options array will create optgroups with options inside them.

$options = array(
 1 => 'bill',
 'fred' => array(
    2 => 'fred',
    3 => 'fred jr.'
 )
);
$this->Form->select('Model.field', $options);

In the above 2 => 'fred' will not generate an option element. You should enable the showParents attribute to show the fred option.

If you have multiple options that need to have the same value attribute, you can use an array of arrays to express this:

$options = array(
 array('name' => 'United states', 'value' => 'USA'),
 array('name' => 'USA', 'value' => 'USA'),
);

Parameters

string $fieldName

Name attribute of the SELECT

array $options optional array()

Array of the OPTION elements (as 'value'=>'Text' pairs) to be used in the SELECT element

array $attributes optional array()

The HTML attributes of the select element.

Returns

string
Formatted SELECT element

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#options-for-select-checkbox-and-radio-inputs

submit()source public

submit( string $caption null , array $options array() )

Creates a submit button element. This method will generate <input /> elements that can be used to submit, and reset forms by using $options. image submits can be created by supplying an image path for $caption.

Options

• div - Include a wrapping div? Defaults to true. Accepts sub options similar to FormHelper::input().
• before - Content to include before the input.
• after - Content to include after the input.
• type - Set to 'reset' for reset inputs. Defaults to 'submit'
• confirm - JavaScript confirmation message.
• Other attributes will be assigned to the input element.

Options

• div - Include a wrapping div? Defaults to true. Accepts sub options similar to FormHelper::input().
• Other attributes will be assigned to the input element.

Parameters

string $caption optional null

The label appearing on the button OR if string contains :// or the extension .jpg, .jpe, .jpeg, .gif, .png use an image if the extension exists, AND the first character is /, image is relative to webroot, OR if the first character is not /, image is relative to webroot/img.

array $options optional array()

Array of options. See above.

Returns

string
A HTML submit button

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::submit

tagIsInvalid()source public

tagIsInvalid( )

Returns false if given form field described by the current entity has no errors. Otherwise it returns the validation message

Returns

mixed

Either false when there are no errors, or an array of error strings. An error string could be ''.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::tagIsInvalid

textarea()source public

textarea( string $fieldName , array $options array() )

Creates a textarea widget.

Options:

• escape - Whether or not the contents of the textarea should be escaped. Defaults to true.

Parameters

string $fieldName

Name of a field, in the form "Modelname.fieldname"

array $options optional array()

Array of HTML attributes, and special options above.

Returns

string
A generated HTML text input element

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::textarea

unlockField()source public

unlockField( string $name null )

Add to or get the list of fields that are currently unlocked. Unlocked fields are not included in the field hash used by SecurityComponent unlocking a field once its been added to the list of secured fields will remove it from the list of fields.

Parameters

string $name optional null

The dot separated name for the field.

Returns

mixed
Either null, or the list of fields.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::unlockField

year()source public

year( string $fieldName , integer $minYear null , integer $maxYear null , array $attributes array() )

Returns a SELECT element for years

Attributes:

• empty - If true, the empty select option is shown. If a string, that string is displayed as the empty element.
• orderYear - Ordering of year values in select options. Possible values 'asc', 'desc'. Default 'desc'
• value The selected value of the input.

Parameters

string $fieldName

Prefix name for the SELECT element

integer $minYear optional null

First year in sequence

integer $maxYear optional null

Last year in sequence

array $attributes optional array()

Attribute array for the select elements.

Returns

string
Completed year select input

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/helpers/form.html#FormHelper::year

__get()source public

__get( string $name )

Lazy loads helpers. Provides access to deprecated request properties as well.

Deprecated

3.0.0 Accessing request properties through this method is deprecated and will be removed in 3.0.

Parameters

string $name

Name of the property being accessed.

Returns

mixed
Helper or property found at $name

__set()source public

__set( string $name , mixed $value )

Provides backwards compatibility access for setting values to the request object.

Deprecated

3.0.0 This method will be removed in 3.0

Parameters

string $name

Name of the property being accessed.

mixed $value

Value to set.

_clean()source protected

_clean( )

Removes harmful content from output

_confirm()source protected

_confirm( string $message , string $okCode , string $cancelCode '' , array $options array() )

Returns a string to be used as onclick handler for confirm dialogs.

Parameters

string $message

Message to be displayed

string $okCode

Code to be executed after user chose 'OK'

string $cancelCode optional ''

Code to be executed after user chose 'Cancel', also executed when okCode doesn't return

array $options optional array()

Array of options

Returns

string
onclick JS code

_encodeUrl()source protected

_encodeUrl( string $url )

Encodes a URL for use in HTML attributes.

Parameters

string $url

The URL to encode.

Returns

string
The URL encoded for both URL & HTML contexts.

_formatAttribute()source protected

_formatAttribute( string $key , string $value , boolean $escape true )

Formats an individual attribute, and returns the string value of the composed attribute. Works with minimized attributes that have the same value as their name such as 'disabled' and 'checked'

Deprecated

3.0.0 This method will be moved to HtmlHelper in 3.0

Parameters

string $key

The name of the attribute to create

string $value

The value of the attribute to create.

boolean $escape optional true

Define if the value must be escaped

Returns

string
The composed attribute.

_parseAttributes()source protected

_parseAttributes( array $options , array $exclude null , string $insertBefore ' ' , string $insertAfter null )

Returns a space-delimited string with items of the $options array. If a key of $options array happens to be one of those listed in Helper::$_minimizedAttributes

And its value is one of:

• '1' (string)
• 1 (integer)
• true (boolean)
• 'true' (string)

Then the value will be reset to be identical with key's name. If the value is not one of these 3, the parameter is not output.

'escape' is a special option in that it controls the conversion of attributes to their html-entity encoded equivalents. Set to false to disable html-encoding.

If value for any option key is set to null or false, that option will be excluded from output.

Deprecated

3.0.0 This method will be moved to HtmlHelper in 3.0

Parameters

array $options

Array of options.

array $exclude optional null

Array of options to be excluded, the options here will not be part of the return.

string $insertBefore optional ' '

String to be inserted before options.

string $insertAfter optional null

String to be inserted after options.

Returns

string
Composed attributes.

_reset()source protected

_reset( )

Resets the vars used by Helper::clean() to null

_selectedArray()source protected

_selectedArray( string|array $data , string $key 'id' )

Transforms a recordset from a hasAndBelongsToMany association to a list of selected options for a multiple select element

Parameters

string|array $data

Data array or model name.

string $key optional 'id'

Field name.

Returns

array

addClass()source public

addClass( array $options array() , string $class null , string $key 'class' )

Adds the given class to the element options

Parameters

array $options optional array()

Array options/attributes to add a class to

string $class optional null

The class name being added.

string $key optional 'class'

the key to use for class.

Returns

array
Array of options with $key set.

afterLayout()source public

afterLayout( string $layoutFile )

After layout callback. afterLayout is called after the layout has rendered.

Overridden in subclasses.

Parameters

string $layoutFile

The layout file that was rendered.

afterRender()source public

afterRender( string $viewFile )

After render callback. afterRender is called after the view file is rendered but before the layout has been rendered.

Overridden in subclasses.

Parameters

string $viewFile

The view file that was rendered.

afterRenderFile()source public

afterRenderFile( string $viewFile , string $content )

After render file callback. Called after any view fragment is rendered.

Overridden in subclasses.

Parameters

string $viewFile

The file just be rendered.

string $content

The content that was rendered.

assetTimestamp()source public

assetTimestamp( string $path )

Adds a timestamp to a file based resource based on the value of Asset.timestamp in Configure. If Asset.timestamp is true and debug > 0, or Asset.timestamp === 'force' a timestamp will be added.

Parameters

string $path

The file path to timestamp, the path must be inside WWW_ROOT

Returns

string
Path with a timestamp added, or not.

assetUrl()source public

assetUrl( string|array $path , array $options array() )

Generate URL for given asset file. Depending on options passed provides full URL with domain name. Also calls Helper::assetTimestamp() to add timestamp to local files

Parameters

string|array $path

Path string or URL array

array $options optional array()

Options array. Possible keys: fullBase Return full URL with domain name pathPrefix Path prefix for relative URLs ext Asset extension to append plugin False value will prevent parsing path as a plugin

Returns

string
Generated URL

beforeLayout()source public

beforeLayout( string $layoutFile )

Before layout callback. beforeLayout is called before the layout is rendered.

Overridden in subclasses.

Parameters

string $layoutFile

The layout about to be rendered.

beforeRender()source public

beforeRender( string $viewFile )

Before render callback. beforeRender is called before the view file is rendered.

Overridden in subclasses.

Parameters

string $viewFile

The view file that is going to be rendered

beforeRenderFile()source public

beforeRenderFile( string $viewFile )

Before render file callback. Called before any view fragment is rendered.

Overridden in subclasses.

Parameters

string $viewFile

The file about to be rendered.

clean()source public

clean( string|array $output )

Used to remove harmful tags from content. Removes a number of well known XSS attacks from content. However, is not guaranteed to remove all possibilities. Escaping content is the best way to prevent all possible attacks.

Deprecated

3.0.0 This method will be removed in 3.0

Parameters

string|array $output

Either an array of strings to clean or a single string to clean.

Returns

string|array|null
Cleaned content for output

domId()source public

domId( array|string $options null , string $id 'id' )

Generates a DOM ID for the selected element, if one is not set. Uses the current View::entity() settings to generate a CamelCased id attribute.

Parameters

array|string $options optional null

Either an array of html attributes to add $id into, or a string with a view entity path to get a domId for.

string $id optional 'id'

The name of the 'id' attribute.

Returns

mixed

If $options was an array, an array will be returned with $id set. If a string was supplied, a string will be returned.

entity()source public

entity( )

Returns the entity reference of the current context as an array of identity parts

Returns

array
An array containing the identity elements of an entity

field()source public

field( )

Gets the currently-used model field of the rendering context. Strips off field suffixes such as year, month, day, hour, min, meridian when the current entity is longer than 2 elements.

Returns

string

model()source public

model( )

Gets the currently-used model of the rendering context.

Returns

string

output()source public

output( string $str )

Returns a string generated by a helper method

This method can be overridden in subclasses to do generalized output post-processing

Deprecated

3.0.0 This method will be removed in future versions.

Parameters

string $str

String to be output.

Returns

string

setEntity()source public

setEntity( string $entity , boolean $setScope false )

Sets this helper's model and field properties to the dot-separated value-pair in $entity.

Parameters

string $entity

A field name, like "ModelName.fieldName" or "ModelName.ID.fieldName"

boolean $setScope optional false

Sets the view scope to the model specified in $tagValue

url()source public

url( string|array $url null , boolean $full false )

Finds URL for specified action.

Returns a URL pointing at the provided parameters.

Parameters

string|array $url optional null

Either a relative string url like /products/view/23 or an array of URL parameters. Using an array for URLs will allow you to leverage the reverse routing features of CakePHP.

boolean $full optional false

If true, the full base URL will be prepended to the result

Returns

string
Full translated URL with base path.

Link

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/views/helpers.html

value()source public

value( array|string $options array() , string $field null , string $key 'value' )

Gets the data for the current tag

Parameters

array|string $options optional array()

If an array, should be an array of attributes that $key needs to be added to. If a string or null, will be used as the View entity.

string $field optional null

Field name.

string $key optional 'value'

The name of the attribute to be set, defaults to 'value'

Returns

mixed

If an array was given for $options, an array with $key set will be returned. If a string was supplied a string will be returned.

webroot()source public

webroot( string $file )

Checks if a file exists when theme is used, if no file is found default location is returned

Parameters

string $file

The file to create a webroot path to.

Returns

string
Web accessible path to file.

_mergeVars()source protected

_mergeVars( array $properties , string $class , boolean $normalize true )

Merges this objects $property with the property in $class' definition. This classes value for the property will be merged on top of $class'

This provides some of the DRY magic CakePHP provides. If you want to shut it off, redefine this method as an empty function.

Parameters

array $properties

The name of the properties to merge.

string $class

The class to merge the property with.

boolean $normalize optional true

Set to true to run the properties through Hash::normalize() before merging.

_set()source protected

_set( array $properties array() )

Allows setting of multiple properties of the object in a single line of code. Will only set properties that are part of a class declaration.

Parameters

array $properties optional array()

An associative array containing properties and corresponding values.

_stop()source protected

_stop( integer|string $status 0 )

Stop execution of the current script. Wraps exit() making testing easier.

Parameters

integer|string $status optional 0

see http://php.net/exit for values

dispatchMethod()source public

dispatchMethod( string $method , array $params array() )

Calls a method on this object with the given parameters. Provides an OO wrapper for call_user_func_array

Parameters

string $method

Name of the method to call

array $params optional array()

Parameter list to use when calling $method

Returns

mixed
Returns the result of the method call

log()source public

log( string $msg , integer $type LOG_ERR , null|string|array $scope null )

Convenience method to write a message to CakeLog. See CakeLog::write() for more information on writing to logs.

Parameters

string $msg

Log message

integer $type optional LOG_ERR

Error type constant. Defined in app/Config/core.php.

null|string|array $scope optional null

The scope(s) a log message is being created in. See CakeLog::config() for more information on logging scopes.

Returns

boolean
Success of log write

requestAction()source public

requestAction( string|array $url , array $extra array() )

Calls a controller's method from any location. Can be used to connect controllers together or tie plugins into a main application. requestAction can be used to return rendered views or fetch the return value from controller actions.

Under the hood this method uses Router::reverse() to convert the $url parameter into a string URL. You should use URL formats that are compatible with Router::reverse()

Passing POST and GET data

POST and GET data can be simulated in requestAction. Use $extra['url'] for GET data. The $extra['data'] parameter allows POST data simulation.

Parameters

string|array $url

String or array-based URL. Unlike other URL arrays in CakePHP, this URL will not automatically handle passed and named arguments in the $url parameter.

array $extra optional array()

if array includes the key "return" it sets the AutoRender to true. Can also be used to submit GET/POST data, and named/passed arguments.

Returns

mixed

Boolean true or false on success/failure, or contents of rendered action if 'return' is set in $extra.

toString()source public

toString( )

Object-to-string conversion. Each class can override this method as necessary.

Returns

string
The name of this class

array()

array()

''

array()

array(
    'day' => array(), 'minute' => array(), 'hour' => array(),
    'month' => array(), 'year' => array(), 'meridian' => array()
)

array()

null

array()

array('Html')

null

array()