Custom fields bundle

This bundle provides the ability to add custom fields to existing entities.

Those custom fields contains extra data and will be stored in the DB, along with other data’s entities. It may be string, text, date, … or a link to an existing entities.

In the database, custom fields are stored in json format.

See also

The full specification discussed here.

JSON Type on postgresql documentation
The documentation of json type, which is used to store data in the database.

Custom Fields concepts

Custom fields are extra data which may be added to entities by user. If a developer implements custom fields on a entity, users will be able to add more fields on this entity.

Example: the person bundle allows to record firstname, lastname, date of birth fields. But users need to store information about the kind of house he has (if he owns his house, if he rents it, …). Custom fields allows to create those fields.

Automatically, those fields are added at the person form. They are also printed in the person view and in exports.

Custom fields and custom fields group

Custom fields are associated to a custom fields group. When a user want to add custom fields on an entity, he must first create a custom fields group and associate this field with an entity. Then he may add add custom fields to this groups.

Some entities needs a default custom fields group. For instance, the default custom fields group will be printed on the main form for person, and will be appended on the main person view. Some bundle does not use this feature (i.e. the report bundle).

Note

In the future of the person bundle, other custom fields group will be added in forms accessible from the menu, allowing users to completely customize and separate their entities.

Allow custom fields on an entity

As a developer, you must allow your users to add custom fields on your entities.

Warning

For having custom fields, the class of the entity must contain a variable for storing the custom data. By convention this variable must be called $cFData

Create a json field on your entity

Declare a json field in your database :

Chill\CustomFieldsBundle\Entity\BlopEntity:
   type: entity
   # ...
   fields:
      cFData:
         type: json_array

Create the field accordingly in the class logic :

namespace Chill\CustomFieldsBundle\Entity;

/**
* BlopEntity
*/
class BlopEntity
{

/**
* @var array
*/
private $cFData;

/**
* You must set a setter in order to save automatically custom
* fields from forms, using Form Component
*
* @param array $cFData
* @return BlopEntity
*/
public function setCFData(array $cFData)
{
   $this->cFData = $cFData;
   return $this;
}

/**
* You also must create a getter in order to let Form
* component populate form fields
*
* @return array
*/
public function getCFData()
{
   return $this->cFData;
}

Declare your customizable entity in configuration

This step is necessary to allow user to create custom fields group associated with this entity.

Two methods are available.

The recommended method is to do it in DependencyInjection/Extension class. It is recommended as your bundle will be well set up (for custom field) in every chill installation that use it.

The discouraged method is to declare via the app/config.yml file. This is very quick to set up for a given chill installation but it is not done automatically : in every chill installation that use your bundle, this step has to be performed.

In app/config.yml file (discouraged)

This method is discouraged but explained first as it helps to undersand the recommended method.

Add those file under chill_custom_fields section :

chill_custom_fields:
   customizables_entities:
      - { class: Chill\YourBundleBundle\Entity\BlopEntity, name: blop_entity }
  • The name allow you to define a string which is translatable. This string will appears when chill’s admin will add/retrieve new customFieldsGroup.
  • The class, which is a full FQDN class path

Adding options to your custom fields groups

You may add options to the groups associated with an entity.

In config.yml the declaration should be :

chill_custom_fields:
    customizables_entities:
        -
            class: Chill\YourBundleBundle\Entity\BlopEntity
            name: BlopEntity
            options:
                # this will create a "myFieldKey" field as text, with a maxlength attribute to 150 (see http://symfony.com/doc/master/reference/forms/types/text.html)
                myFieldKey: {form_type: text, form_options: {attr: [maxlength: 150]}}

In the PrependExtensionInterface::prepend function, the options key will be added in the configuration definition :

class ChillYourBundleExtension extends Extension implements PrependExtensionInterface
{
    /**
     * @param ContainerBuilder $container
     */
    public function prepend(ContainerBuilder $container)
    {
        $bundles = $container->getParameter('kernel.bundles');
        if (!isset($bundles['ChillCustomFieldsBundle'])) {
            throw new MissingBundleException('ChillCustomFieldsBundle');
        }

        $container->prependExtensionConfig('chill_custom_fields',
            array('customizables_entities' =>
                array(
                    array(
                       'class' => 'Chill\YourBundleBundle\Entity\BlopEntity',
                       'name' => 'BlopEntity',
                       'options' => array(
                             'myFieldKey' => [ 'form_type' => 'text', 'form_options' => [ 'attr' => [ 'maxlength' => 150 ] ]
                       ))
                )
            )
        );
    }
}

Example : the entity Report from ReportBundle has to pick some custom fields belonging to a group to print them in summaries the timeline page. The definition will use the special type custom_fields_group_linked_custom_field which will add a select input with all fields associated with the current custom fields group :

class ChillReportExtension extends Extension implements PrependExtensionInterface
{
    /**
     *
     *
     * @param ContainerBuilder $container
     */
    public function prepend(ContainerBuilder $container)
    {
        $bundles = $container->getParameter('kernel.bundles');
        if (!isset($bundles['ChillCustomFieldsBundle'])) {
            throw new MissingBundleException('ChillCustomFieldsBundle');
        }

        $container->prependExtensionConfig('chill_custom_fields',
            array('customizables_entities' =>
                array(
                    array(
                       'class' => 'Chill\ReportBundle\Entity\Report',
                       'name' => 'ReportEntity',
                       'options' => array(
                          'summary_fields' => array(
                             'form_type' => 'custom_fields_group_linked_custom_fields',
                             'form_options' =>
                                [
                                   'multiple' => true,
                                   'expanded' => false
                                ]
                          )
                       ))
                )
            )
        );
    }
}

Note that custom_fields_group_linked_custom_fields does not create any input on CustomFieldsGroup creation : there aren’t any fields associated with the custom fields just after the group creation… You have to add custom fields and associate them with the newly created group to see them appears.

Rendering custom fields and custom fields group in a template

Warning

Each custom field can be active or not. Only active custom fields has to be dislayed.

For rendering custom fields, two function are available :

  • chill_custom_field_widget to render the widget. This function is defined on a customFieldType basis.
  • chill_custom_field_label to render the label. You can customize the label rendering by choosing the layout you would like to use.
  • chill_custom_field_is_empty indicates if the content of the custom fields is empty (return a boolean)

For rendering custom fields group, a function is available :

  • chill_custom_fields_group_widget to render the widget. It will display the custom fields of the group in a dd / dt structure.

chill_custom_field_label

The signature is :

  • CustomField $customField a customField instance
  • array params the parameters for rendering. Currently, ‘label_layout’ allow to choose a different label. Default is ‘ChillCustomFieldsBundle:CustomField:render_label.html.twig’

Examples

{{ chill_custom_field_label(customField) }}

chill_custom_field_widget

The signature is :

  • array $fields the array raw, as stored in the db
  • CustomField $customField a customField instance
  • string $documentType the type of document. Default to html.

Examples:

{{ chill_custom_field_widget(entity.customFields, customField) }}

chill_custom_field_is_empty

The signature is :

  • array $fields the array raw, as stored in the db
  • CustomField $customField a customField instance

Examples :

{%- if chill_custom_field_is_empty(cFData, customField) == false -%}

chill_custom_fields_group_widget

This function only display custom fields that are active.

The signature is :

  • array $fields the array raw, as stored in the db
  • CustomFieldsGroup $customFieldsGroup the custom field group to render
{{ chill_custom_fields_group_widget(entity.cFData, entity.customFieldsGroup) }}

Custom Fields’s form

You should simply use the ‘custom_field’ type in a template, with the group you would like to render in the group option’s type.

Example :

namespace Chill\ReportBundle\Form;

use Symfony\Component\Form\AbstractType;
use Symfony\Component\Form\FormBuilderInterface;
use Symfony\Component\OptionsResolver\OptionsResolverInterface;

class ReportType extends AbstractType
{
    /**
     * @param FormBuilderInterface $builder
     * @param array $options
     */
    public function buildForm(FormBuilderInterface $builder, array $options)
    {
        $entityManager = $options['em'];

        $builder
            ->add('user')
            ->add('date', 'date',
                array('required' => true, 'widget' => 'single_text', 'format' => 'dd-MM-yyyy'))
            #add the custom fields :
            ->add('cFData', 'custom_field',
                array('attr' => array('class' => 'cf-fields'), 'group' => $options['cFGroup']))
        ;
    }

    /**
     * @param OptionsResolverInterface $resolver
     */
    public function setDefaultOptions(OptionsResolverInterface $resolver)
    {
        $resolver->setDefaults(array(
            'data_class' => 'Chill\ReportBundle\Entity\Report'
        ));

        $resolver->setRequired(array(
            'em',
            'cFGroup',
        ));

        $resolver->setAllowedTypes(array(
            'em' => 'Doctrine\Common\Persistence\ObjectManager',
            'cFGroup' => 'Chill\CustomFieldsBundle\Entity\CustomFieldsGroup'
        ));
    }

    /**
     * @return string
     */
    public function getName()
    {
        return 'chill_reportbundle_report';
    }
}

Available configuration

Those options are available in the configuration, under the chill_custom_field key.

Example :

chill_custom_field:
   show_empty_values_in_views:  false
show_empty_values_in_views boolean:

Allow to hide / show empty values in views. The aim of this configuration parameter is to hide (or show) empty values when custom fields group are rendered.

Default value : true

Glossary

custom fields group
A group of custom fields