Formio

Form definition and binding library for Java platform:

• Easy-to-use configurable handy tool.
• Automatic binding, even to immutable objects, collections and arrays, nested objects and lists of them.
• Support for (non)default constructors, static factory methods.
• Primitives can be used everywhere.
• Validation of form data (both bean validation API annotations and net.formio.validation.Validator can be used).
• Seamless support for file uploads and configurable max. request/file size.
• Form definitions are immutable, composable, self-contained, can be easily shared and cached.
• Automatic generating of form markup (or its parts) can be optionally used.
• One simple entry point to API: Forms class.
• Non-invasive, easy integration with frameworks, minimum dependencies.
• Usable with various template frameworks, in environments with or without servlets, portlets, also in desktop applications.
• Simply unit testable forms.
• Protection of forms against CSRF attacks.
• Inspired mainly by well-designed Play framework.

Available in Maven Central

http://search.maven.org/#search|ga|1|net.formio

Get Started and Documentation

http://www.formio.net

Demo

http://formio-demo.herokuapp.com/, sources on https://github.com/beranradek/formio-demo

First Touch

1) Prepare form definition (optional automatic mapping of properties):

private static final FormMapping<Person> personForm =
  Forms.automatic(Person.class, "person").build();

2) Fill it with data:

FormData<Person> formData = new FormData<Person>(person, ValidationResult.empty);
FormMapping<Person> filledForm = personForm.fill(formData);
// Push the filled form into a template, use its properties to render it; 
// or use BasicFormRenderer to generate form markup automatically

3) Bind data edited by user back into an object:

FormData<Person> formData = personForm.bind(new ServletRequestParams(request));
if (formData.isValid()) {
 // save the person: formData.getData()
} else {
 // show again the invalid form with validation messages
 // personForm.fill(formData) ...
}

Maintenance of library

Gradle Build

• Build artifacts (jar, sources, javadoc): gradle clean assemble
• Import into Eclipse: gradle cleanEclipse eclipse
• Run tests: gradle test
• Perform release: gradle clean release
• Installation to local Maven repository (e.g. for testing snapshots): gradle install

Release

• Just run: gradle clean test assemble to see all is ok and ready for release.
• Run: gradle clean release
  • This automatically executes also uploadArchives (upload to Maven central) after the release version is created
• Push commits from Gradle release plugin to GitHub
• Login to https://oss.sonatype.org/, "Close" the Staging repository for library, "Refresh" it and "Release" it.

See http://central.sonatype.org/pages/ossrh-guide.html#releasing-to-central and http://central.sonatype.org/pages/gradle.html for details.

Troubleshooting

• Deleting tag in remote repository:

git tag -d formio-x.y.z
git push master :refs/tags/formio-x.y.z