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Forms

Custom fields

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PrelineForm provides standard HTML5 inputs, but real business forms need date pickers, file uploaders, rich text editors, and domain-specific controls. This guide shows how to build custom field components that integrate with PrelineForm's validation, old input, and error display.

Why custom fields

Standard inputs cover 80% of forms, but the remaining 20% — date ranges, multi-file uploads, WYSIWYG editors, color pickers — require JavaScript libraries and custom markup. Custom fields let you:

  • Wrap third-party JS libraries (Flatpickr, Dropzone, Trix) in reusable Blade components
  • Preserve PrelineForm's validation and error display
  • Keep the fluent API consistent across standard and custom fields
  • Share field definitions across projects

Anatomy of a custom field

Every custom field is a Blade component that:

  1. Accepts name, value, label, error, and attributes props
  2. Renders the field markup with Preline UI classes
  3. Preserves old() input on validation failure
  4. Displays validation errors below the field
  5. Integrates with JavaScript libraries via @push('scripts')

Basic structure

Blade
{{-- resources/views/components/forms/date-picker.blade.php --}}
@props([
    'name',
    'value' => null,
    'label' => null,
    'error' => null,
    'required' => false,
])

<div class="space-y-2">
    @if($label)
        <label for="{{ $name }}" class="block text-sm font-medium text-gray-900 dark:text-white">
            {{ $label }}
            @if($required)<span class="text-red-500">*</span>@endif
        </label>
    @endif

    <input
        type="text"
        id="{{ $name }}"
        name="{{ $name }}"
        value="{{ old($name, $value) }}"
        {{ $attributes->merge(['class' => 'block w-full rounded-lg border-gray-200 px-4 py-3 text-sm focus:border-blue-500 focus:ring-blue-500 dark:bg-neutral-900 dark:border-neutral-700 dark:text-neutral-400']) }}
        data-datepicker
    />

    @if($error)
        <p class="text-sm text-red-600 dark:text-red-400">{{ $error }}</p>
    @endif
</div>

@once
@push('scripts')
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/flatpickr"></script>
<script>
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
    document.querySelectorAll('[data-datepicker]').forEach(el => {
        flatpickr(el, {
            dateFormat: 'Y-m-d',
            altInput: true,
            altFormat: 'F j, Y'
        });
    });
});
</script>
@endpush
@endonce

Usage in forms

Blade
{!! PrelineForm::open('events.store')->post() !!}
    {!! PrelineForm::text('title')->label('Event title')->required() !!}
    
    <x-forms.date-picker 
        name="start_date" 
        :value="$event->start_date ?? null"
        label="Start date"
        :error="$errors->first('start_date')"
        required
    />
    
    {!! PrelineForm::submit('Save')->primary() !!}
{!! PrelineForm::close() !!}

Integration with PrelineForm

To make custom fields feel native to PrelineForm, register them as macros:

PHP
// app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php
use Laravolt\PrelineForm\Facade as PrelineForm;

public function boot(): void
{
    PrelineForm::macro('datePicker', function (string $name, ?string $value = null) {
        $error = session('errors')?->first($name);
        
        return view('components.forms.date-picker', [
            'name' => $name,
            'value' => old($name, $value),
            'error' => $error,
            'attributes' => new \Illuminate\View\ComponentAttributeBag(),
        ])->render();
    });
}

Now use it like any PrelineForm field:

Blade
{!! PrelineForm::datePicker('start_date')->label('Start date')->required() !!}

Example: File upload with preview

Blade
{{-- resources/views/components/forms/image-upload.blade.php --}}
@props([
    'name',
    'value' => null,
    'label' => null,
    'error' => null,
    'accept' => 'image/*',
])

<div class="space-y-2" x-data="imageUpload('{{ $value }}')">
    @if($label)
        <label class="block text-sm font-medium text-gray-900 dark:text-white">
            {{ $label }}
        </label>
    @endif

    <div class="flex items-start gap-4">
        <div class="flex-shrink-0">
            <img 
                x-show="preview" 
                :src="preview" 
                class="h-24 w-24 rounded-lg object-cover border border-gray-200 dark:border-neutral-700"
                alt="Preview"
            />
            <div 
                x-show="!preview"
                class="h-24 w-24 rounded-lg bg-gray-100 dark:bg-neutral-800 flex items-center justify-center"
            >
                <svg class="h-8 w-8 text-gray-400" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
                    <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M4 16l4.586-4.586a2 2 0 012.828 0L16 16m-2-2l1.586-1.586a2 2 0 012.828 0L20 14m-6-6h.01M6 20h12a2 2 0 002-2V6a2 2 0 00-2-2H6a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2z" />
                </svg>
            </div>
        </div>

        <div class="flex-1">
            <input
                type="file"
                id="{{ $name }}"
                name="{{ $name }}"
                accept="{{ $accept }}"
                @change="handleFileChange"
                {{ $attributes->merge(['class' => 'block w-full text-sm text-gray-900 border border-gray-200 rounded-lg cursor-pointer bg-gray-50 dark:text-neutral-400 dark:bg-neutral-900 dark:border-neutral-700']) }}
            />
            <p class="mt-1 text-xs text-gray-500 dark:text-neutral-500">
                PNG, JPG, GIF up to 2MB
            </p>
        </div>
    </div>

    @if($error)
        <p class="text-sm text-red-600 dark:text-red-400">{{ $error }}</p>
    @endif
</div>

@once
@push('scripts')
<script>
function imageUpload(initialValue) {
    return {
        preview: initialValue,
        handleFileChange(event) {
            const file = event.target.files[0];
            if (file) {
                const reader = new FileReader();
                reader.onload = (e) => {
                    this.preview = e.target.result;
                };
                reader.readAsDataURL(file);
            }
        }
    };
}
</script>
@endpush
@endonce

Example: Rich text editor (Trix)

Blade
{{-- resources/views/components/forms/rich-text.blade.php --}}
@props([
    'name',
    'value' => null,
    'label' => null,
    'error' => null,
])

<div class="space-y-2">
    @if($label)
        <label for="{{ $name }}" class="block text-sm font-medium text-gray-900 dark:text-white">
            {{ $label }}
        </label>
    @endif

    <input id="{{ $name }}_input" type="hidden" name="{{ $name }}" value="{{ old($name, $value) }}">
    <trix-editor 
        input="{{ $name }}_input"
        class="trix-content block w-full rounded-lg border-gray-200 dark:bg-neutral-900 dark:border-neutral-700"
    ></trix-editor>

    @if($error)
        <p class="text-sm text-red-600 dark:text-red-400">{{ $error }}</p>
    @endif
</div>

@once
@push('styles')
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://unpkg.com/trix@2.0.0/dist/trix.css">
@endpush
@push('scripts')
<script src="https://unpkg.com/trix@2.0.0/dist/trix.umd.min.js"></script>
@endpush
@endonce

Validation patterns

Custom fields must preserve Laravel validation errors:

PHP
// Controller
public function store(Request $request)
{
    $validated = $request->validate([
        'start_date' => 'required|date|after:today',
        'avatar' => 'nullable|image|max:2048',
        'content' => 'required|min:100',
    ]);
    
    // Process validated data
}
Blade
{{-- View --}}
<x-forms.date-picker 
    name="start_date"
    :error="$errors->first('start_date')"
/>

<x-forms.image-upload 
    name="avatar"
    :error="$errors->first('avatar')"
/>

<x-forms.rich-text 
    name="content"
    :error="$errors->first('content')"
/>

Common pitfalls

Missing old() input

Always use old($name, $value) to preserve input on validation failure:

Blade
{{-- ❌ Wrong: loses input on validation error --}}
<input name="date" value="{{ $value }}">

{{-- ✅ Correct: preserves input --}}
<input name="date" value="{{ old('date', $value) }}">

Script loading order

Use @once and @push('scripts') to avoid duplicate script tags:

Blade
@once
@push('scripts')
<script src="https://cdn.example.com/library.js"></script>
@endpush
@endonce

Missing error display

Always show validation errors below the field:

Blade
@if($error)
    <p class="text-sm text-red-600 dark:text-red-400">{{ $error }}</p>
@endif

Verification commands

Test custom fields:

Bash
# Create a test form with custom fields
php artisan make:controller TestFormController

# Add validation rules
# Submit invalid data and verify errors display correctly

# Check old() input preservation
# Fill form → submit with validation error → verify fields retain values

# Inspect rendered HTML
# Verify Preline UI classes are applied
# Verify accessibility attributes (id, for, aria-*)
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