Form Reform Macros

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Extends Form Reform with form handler macros. Provides a dashboard page at System & Settings > Form Reform > Form Reform Macros to manage macros, and a Macro form handler to run macros within a form handler pipeline.

Usage

Use macros to:

  • Add structure to longer processing pipelines.
  • Centrally manage handlers with more complex settings.
  • Re-use common sequences of handlers

Example Use-Cases

Common Validation

Suppose you have some complex validation requirements common to more than one form. Perhaps the usual input validation and spam detection is then followed by a Condition If .. Condition End sequence that validates a relationship between inputs and uses Set Error to set one or more errors, or a list of Set Error Conditional handlers.

Such a sequence could be saved into a macro and then inserted where you need it at the start of relevant submit pipelines with a single Macro form handler. 

On this site we have a smaller implementation of such a use of Form Reform Macro on Example - Multi Step Forms. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the Macro $>_ in the example pipelines and use the Developer Analysis button to see the Form Reform Developer validation report.

Email 

A common form handling pattern is to send an acknowledgment email to the visitor, then send a notification email to one or more staff depending on form data. Such a pipeline can easily be configured by combining email and condition form handlers.

Configuring that sequence in a macro enables it to be easily slotted in across multiple forms.

Prototyping

Getting really advanced, perhaps you have a particularly long or complex sequence of form handling in mind. Long sequences of handlers can result in long processing time, so your first thought on a solution is a custom form handler. 

Before getting involved in building a custom form handler to implement such a requirement, one or more macros could be configured and combined to prototype it. This will enable the overall logic to be tested and demonstrated to your customer or users, overall timing to be evaluated, and development work be targeted where needed.

Macro Parameters

All {{data_values}} are global within the form handling pipeline, so can be used and set within macros.

A exception and special case is the {{macro}} placeholder. {{macro}} placeholder values are defined when configuring the macro handler for the pipeline and are available for use in the subsequent handlers within the macro. These {{macro}} placeholders are unique to the specific call to the macro. At the end of the macro, {{macro}} placeholders are reset.

Screenshots

Handler Pipeline with Macro

Editing a Macro

Editing Macro content

Developer validation for handler pipeline with Macro

Why is this a separate package?

In theory, Form Reform Macros could have been part of the main Form Reform package. However this is a pretty complicated form input and Form Reform is already big, so making this a separate addon helps prevent Form Reform from growing bigger. The roadmap has more than enough ideas that will need to be part of the main Form Reform package and necessitate growth.

Form Reform Macros

jl_form_reform_macro - v9.0.0

Extends Form Reform with form handler macros. Provides a new dashboard page at System & Settings > Form Reform > Form Reform Macros to manage macros, and form handlers to run macros.

ConcreteCMS Marketplace v9.0.0

Single Pages
  • Form Reform Macros /dashboard/​system/​form_reform/​macro Extends Form Reform with form handler macros. Provides a new dashboard page at System & Settings > Form Reform > Form Reform Macros to manage macros, and form handlers to run macros.
Form Handler Plugins
  • Macro

Form Reform

jl_form_reform - v9.6.8 - resources v9.4.21

Reform the way forms are built. Build a form out of blocks. Take control of how form submissions are processed and how the submitted data is stored. Easy to extend. Easy to reconfigure. Tangible data. Easy to add your own integrations.

ConcreteCMS Marketplace v9.6.8

Block Types Single Pages
  • Form Reform /dashboard/​system/​form_reform Reform the way forms are built. Build a form out of blocks. Take control of how form submissions are processed and how the submitted data is stored. Easy to extend. Easy to reconfigure. Tangible data. Easy to add your own integrations.
  • Form Handler Plugins /dashboard/​system/​form_reform/​plugin_list Plugins for Form Handlers.
  • Form Reform Blocks /dashboard/​system/​form_reform/​form_reform_blocks Blocks for Form Reform.
  • Form Reform Global Settings /dashboard/​system/​form_reform/​global_settings Edit global settings and defaults for Form Reform Submission.
  • Form Reform /dashboard/​reports/​form_reform Reform the way forms are built. Build a form out of blocks. Take control of how form submissions are processed and how the submitted data is stored. Easy to extend. Easy to reconfigure. Tangible data. Easy to add your own integrations.
  • Form Submissions /dashboard/​reports/​form_reform/​form_reform_default Default storage for Form Reform submissions.
  • Advanced Configuration /dashboard/​system/​form_reform/​advanced_config Advanced Configuration for Form Reform including adapting styles for non-Bootstrap 5 themes.
Form Handler Plugins
  • Address Geocode
  • Clear Data Category
  • Clear Errors
  • Clear Quarantine Files
  • Comment
  • Condition Else
  • Condition Else If
  • Condition End
  • Condition If
  • End
  • Extend Form Data
  • Extend From List
  • Extend From Page
  • Extend From Table
  • Extend With Text Item
  • Fail
  • Fire Event
  • Generate ID Code
  • Generate QR Code
  • Import Quarantine Files
  • Iterate Data
  • Iterate Data End
  • Iterate Repeatable Group
  • Iterate Repeatable Group End
  • Log Errors
  • Log Handler Results
  • Log Pipeline
  • Log Submission
  • Log Submission Data
  • Magic Tabs Jump
  • Merge From Cookie Store
  • Merge From Default Store
  • Merge From Session Store
  • Message
  • Next Form State
  • None
  • On Error
  • On Success
  • Query Default Store
  • Redirect
  • Remove From Default Store
  • Save to CSV
  • Save to Cookie
  • Save to Default
  • Save to File
  • Save to Session
  • Send Email
  • Set Error
  • Set Error Conditional
  • Sort Form Data
  • Spam Detect
  • Transform Error
  • Validate ID Code
  • Validate Input Fields
  • Wait

Form Reform Display

jl_form_reform_display - v9.4.2

Provides blocks and dashboard utilities to List, display, summarize, generate reports and analyze form submissions from Form Reform. Additionally supports integration with Universal Content Puller.

ConcreteCMS Marketplace v9.4.2

Block Types Single Pages
  • Form Report Generator /dashboard/​reports/​form_reform/​form_reform_report Report generator for default Form Reform submissions.
  • Analysis Plugin List /dashboard/​system/​form_reform/​analysis_plugin_list Plugins for Form Reform Display analysis.
Content Source Plugins
  • Form Reform Analysis
  • Form Reform Default Store
  • Form Reform Report
Image Selectors Plugins
  • Form Reform Report Dynamic
Form Handler Plugins
  • Import Average Analysis
  • Import Average for Group by Label Analysis
  • Import Distinct Values Analysis
  • Import Frequency Analysis
  • Import Frequency Analysis Matrix
  • Import Frequency Analysis Numeric
  • Import Report
Analysis Plugins
  • Average
  • Average for Group by Label
  • Distinct Values
  • Frequency Analysis
  • Frequency Analysis Matrix
  • Frequency Analysis Numeric
  • Heading Insert
  • None

Form Reform UTM

jl_form_reform_utm - v9.0.3

Not just Form Reform and not just UTM! Capture and hold incoming UTM (or other) tags and make the tag values available to Form Reform and/or Conditional Redirect as {{place_holders}}. You don't need Form Reform to use this.

ConcreteCMS Marketplace v9.0.3

Single Pages
  • UTM configuration /dashboard/​system/​form_reform/​utm Redirects to UTM Configuration in SEO settings.
  • UTM configuration /dashboard/​system/​seo/​utm Capture and hold incoming UTM (or other) tags and make the tag values available to Form Reform as {{place_holders}}. Also integrates with Conditional Redirect. You don't need Form Reform to use this!

Form Reform Attributes, Express and Users

jl_form_reform_save_to_attributes - v9.1.0

Save submitted forms to Express objects and user attributes. Add and remove users from groups.

ConcreteCMS Marketplace v9.1.0

Block Types Form Handler Plugins
  • Merge From User Textarea Attribute
  • Remove From User Textarea Attribute
  • Save to Current Page Textarea Attribute
  • Save to Current User
  • Save to Current User Textarea Attribute
  • Save to Express
  • User Groups
  • Validate User

Form Reform Image Picker

jl_form_reform_image_picker - v9.0.6

Form Reform Image Picker provides an image picking input block for Form Reform. The Image Picker Input is preconfigured to connect to most Omni Gallery gallery and slider display widgets, the core gallery block, and thumbnail showing templates for the core page list block. Advanced settings allow the Image Picker Input to be configured to pick images from other galleries and sliders.

ConcreteCMS Marketplace v9.0.6

Block Types Form Handler Plugins
  • Extend From File Properties

Form Reform Data Picker

jl_form_reform_data_picker - v9.0.10

Form Reform Data Picker provides data picking input blocks for Form Reform. Create pickers and selectors from tables or JSON data sources including HTML tables, Calendars, Page Lists, Universal Content Puller and previously submitted form results.

ConcreteCMS Marketplace v9.0.10

Block Types Form Handler Plugins
  • Delete From Default Store
  • Read From Default Store
  • Update Default Store

Form Reform Dynamics

jl_form_reform_dynamics - v0.2.2

Form handlers for querying Microsoft Dynamics, forwarding and updating form data to Microsoft Dynamics.

Form Handler Plugins
  • Forward to Dynamics
  • Get From Dynamics
  • Update to Dynamics

Form Reform Macros

jl_form_reform_macro - v9.0.0

Extends Form Reform with form handler macros. Provides a new dashboard page at System & Settings > Form Reform > Form Reform Macros to manage macros, and form handlers to run macros.

ConcreteCMS Marketplace v9.0.0

Single Pages
  • Form Reform Macros /dashboard/​system/​form_reform/​macro Extends Form Reform with form handler macros. Provides a new dashboard page at System & Settings > Form Reform > Form Reform Macros to manage macros, and form handlers to run macros.
Form Handler Plugins
  • Macro

Form Reform Developer

jl_form_reform_developer - v9.1.4

A growing suite of resources to assist those developing blocks, handlers and more complex forms for Form Reform.

ConcreteCMS Marketplace v9.1.4

Block Types Single Pages
  • Plugin Dialogue Explorer /dashboard/​system/​form_reform/​plugin_dialogue_explorer A reference copy of all plugin dialogues. They won't save and may only partially work. Just here for browsing.
  • Block Dialogue Explorer /dashboard/​system/​form_reform/​block_dialogue_explorer A reference copy of all form input block dialogues. They won't save and may only partially work. Just here for browsing.
  • Find My Forms /dashboard/​system/​form_reform/​find_my_forms Locates Form Reform forms and the pages they are on.
Form Handler Plugins
  • Dump Added Static Handler Categories
  • Dump Form Data
  • Dump Post Data
  • Dump Query Data
  • Dump Static Data Values
  • Log Added Static Handler Categories
  • Log Post Data
  • Log Query Data
  • Log Static Data Values
  • Post Data Review
  • Validate Form Structure

Additional Pages

Reform the way you add new input controls

If you need a specialized template or a custom input element, you can design new templates  or new block types for form elements as you would any block type.

Blocks are easy for third party addition or extension. Block templates and are the first thing any Concrete CMS developer learns to code. They are one of the easiest things to code. The underlying mechanisms are well established and reliable.

Reform what you can do with form data

Form handlers are built about the same extensible plugin system as many of my other addons (Universal Content Puller, Omni Gallery, Extreme Clean ...).

The whole system is aimed at easy extension within Form Reform, by third party addons, by agencies and by site building developers.

Handlers can be easily added to do whatever you want with the form data.

Reform where you can save form data

Saving form data with Form Reform is simply a handler in the processing pipeline. You can save to multiple locations or just one location.

If you need to save data elsewhere, such as to a dedicated table, a table provided through another addon, to another database, send it to an API, forward it to another server, or anywhere you can imagine, you can adapt or develop a form handler to do so.

The complexity of the code depends on where you are saving or sending the data, but wrapping that into a form handler plugin for Form Reform is straight forward.

The Form Reform handler plugin system is designed for easy extension.

Why not Express forms?

Express is the built in object data system built in to Concrete CMS. Form Reform is way more powerful for forms. Express supports basic object relationships, but is not robust.

Form Reform

Reform the way forms are built. Build a form out of blocks. Take control of how form submissions are processed and how the submitted data is stored. Easy to extend. Easy to reconfigure. Tangible data. Easy to add your own integrations.

Form Reform Display

Provides blocks and dashboard utilities to List, display, summarize, generate reports and analyze form submissions from Form Reform. Additionally supports integration with Universal Content Puller.

Form Reform UTM

Not just Form Reform and not just UTM! Capture and hold incoming UTM (or other) tags and make the tag values available to Form Reform and/or Conditional Redirect as {{place_holders}}. You don't need Form Reform to use this.

Form Reform Dynamics

Form handlers for querying Microsoft Dynamics, forwarding and updating form data to Microsoft Dynamics.

Snapshot

A suite of advanced image capture and upload tools. Enhanced drag and drop file uploading. Make screengrabs from within Concrete CMS. Capture images directly from device webcams. Edit images before uploading.

Form Reform Attributes, Express and Users

Save submitted forms to Express objects and user attributes. Add and remove users from groups.

Form Reform Image Picker

Form Reform Image Picker provides an image picking input block for Form Reform. The Image Picker Input is preconfigured to connect to most Omni Gallery gallery and slider display widgets, the core gallery block, and thumbnail showing templates for the core page list block. Advanced settings allow the Image Picker Input to be configured to pick images from other galleries and sliders.

Form Reform Data Picker

Form Reform Data Picker provides data picking input blocks for Form Reform. Create pickers and selectors from tables or JSON data sources including HTML tables, Calendars, Page Lists, Universal Content Puller and previously submitted form results.

Form Reform Macros

Extends Form Reform with form handler macros. Provides a new dashboard page at System & Settings > Form Reform > Form Reform Macros to manage macros, and form handlers to run macros.

Form Reform Developer

A growing suite of resources to assist those developing blocks, handlers and more complex forms for Form Reform.

Learn with a simple form

While you may have plans to implement some much more complex forms using Form Reform, we strongly recommend you start with a simple form such as our contact form example in order to review the basic principles of using Form Reform before you move onto anything bigger.

  1. Start by submitting the form at Getting Started - Your First Form a few times, even making some deliberate mistakes.
  2. Watch our Getting Started with Form Reform video to see how the form is built.
  3. Read through the rest of Getting Started - Your First Form for more details of how this form is built.
  4. Create a test page on your site to build your own version of Getting Started - Your First Form and experiment.
  5. Develop your test page with some of the concepts introduced by our further examples and experiment with some of the other form inputs.