[Form] SetData on form with default value

[mrok]

I have a form with one default value:

class GearType extends AbstractType
{
    public function buildForm(FormBuilderInterface $builder, array $options)
    {
        $builder
            ->add('options')
            ->add('model', 'choice', array('choices' => $this->getModelChoices(), 'data' => 2));
    }

one of the requirements is form can be pre-populated by re-sellers by passing parameters in URL. It is also nice feature for potential customers to copy and paste link to email, communicators, etc.

I did it this way:

    /**
 * @Route("/car/gear")
 * @Template()
 */
public function gearAction(Request $request)
{
    $form = $this->createForm(new GearType());

    if ($request->isMethod('POST')) {
        $form->bind($request);
        if ($form->isValid()) {
            return 'is valid';
        }
    } else {
        $get = $this->getRequest()->query->all();
        if (!empty($get)) {
            $normalizer = new GetSetMethodNormalizer();
            $form->setData($normalizer->denormalize($get, new Gear())); # look here 
        }
    }

    return array('form' => $form->createView());
}

unfortunately field 'options' has always default value, instead value passed as a parameter.
I have tried to change line # look here into

        $gear =  $normalizer->denormalize($get, new Gear());
        $form = $this->createForm(new GearType(), $gear);

but no result.

Is it a bug of feature?

[stof]

The data option wins over the data coming from the underlying object. this is expected (it has been implemented this way on purpose).
If you want to put the data from the underlying object, the default value should come from the underlying object

[mrok]

Great, now I know more. Thanks for explanation

[dewos]

I'm stuck at the same thing. So the data option wins, but for un-mapped fields (or no entity at all) it's not very intuitive to setData() for nothing. @stof, can you please argument this decision implementation? Thank you.

[stof]

@dewos you should ask @bschussek for the argumentation as he is the one who wrote most of the Form component.

[dewos]

Ok...... @bschussek? :)

[webmozart]

See this ticket and this SO answer for an explanation.

This decision has actually been a mistake. It would be better to remove data locking and to replace it by an additional condition in the data mapper. I already suggested this in a ticket, but can't find it right now.

[stof]

@bschussek the link to this ticket is going to here.

[dewos]

Ok, but maybe you should throw an exception, then. Now setData fails silently.