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https://github.com/andrewhathaway/Winterfell

Generate complex, validated and extendable JSON-based forms in React.
https://github.com/andrewhathaway/Winterfell

complex customisable forms json react reactjs validated validation winterfell

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Generate complex, validated and extendable JSON-based forms in React.

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# Winterfell



**Generate complex, validated and extendable JSON-based forms in React**



Winterfell allows you to build up complex, multi-page forms with conditional questions, validation and conditional-page switching via a JSON schema, rendered by React.



Winterfell was initially made for a project in a sector that required a large, complex form with questions that would result in more questions or different pages when you clicked next. With an easy to write schema and a high level of customisation, comes a great power.



[View Demo](http://winterfell.andrewhathaway.net) -

[Follow me on Twitter](http://twitter.com/andrewhathaway)



## Usage



First install [Winterfell via npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/winterfell)



```bash

$ npm install winterfell --save

```



Winterfell uses a JSON schema to render your form. We will go through that later.



```javascript

var Winterfell = require('winterfell');

var schema     = require('./schema');



React.render(

  ,

  document.getElementById('form')

);

```



## Features



- Easy, quick and extendable

- JSON schema

- Design agnostic and customisable

- Multi-page forms

- Infinitely-recursive conditional questions

- Conditional page switching

- Conditional form submitting

- Disable regular submissions

- Instant form validation

- Decide when to validate per field

- Validation against other fields values

- Predefined validation types

- Predefined error messages

- Custom validation types

- Custom error messages

- Custom error rendering

- Custom required asterisk rendering

- Custom classes

- Custom InputTypes

- Question pre and post text

- Question panel header and text

- Question set header and text

- Ability to disable buttons

- Default values

- Events



## Schema



The schema is built up of three main parts, `formPanels`, `questionPanels` and `questionSets`.



#### Form Panels



The initial `formPanels` entry is used as a page of questions, or `questionPanels` in Winterfell's case.



```json

{

  "formPanels": [

    {

      "index": 1,

      "panelId": "intro-panel"

    },

    {

      "index": 2,

      "panelId": "register-panel"

    },

    {

      "index": 3,

      "panelId": "final-panel"

    }

  ]

}

```



#### Question Panels



Question Panels are the fleshed-out details about a page of questions. We defined the `questionSets` that exist on this page, any conditions for submitting the panel and button information. You should have one of these for every panel defined in formPanels above.



Each `questionPanel` has the ability to have a header and some text along with it that is displayed above the questions. You can define these via the `panelHeader` and `panelText` fields.



Supported actions are `GOTO` and `SUBMIT`. When using `GOTO`, the `target` can be any `questionPanelId`. `SUBMIT` places the `target` in to the action field of the form element.



```json

{

  "questionPanels": [

    {

      "panelId": "intro-panel",

      "panelHeader": "A quick survey?",

      "panelText": "Please could you take a few minutes to fill out our survey?",

      "action": {

        "conditions": [

          {

            "questionId": "existing-user",

            "value": "no",

            "action": "GOTO",

            "target": "register-panel"

          }

        ],

        "default": {

          "action": "GOTO",

          "target": "final-panel"

        }

      },

      "button": {

        "text": "Next",

        "disabled": false

      },

      "": {

        "text": "Back",

        "disable": false

      },

      "questionSets": [

        {

          "index": 1,

          "questionSetId": "intro-set"

        }

      ]

    }

  ]

}

```



#### Question Sets



Questions Sets are groups of questions. Here is where you define questions with their validations, types, conditions etc. `conditionalQuestions` are recursive and will work as expected.



The questionSet below has an initial radio button with `yes` and `no` options. When you select `yes`, a question asking for the users email address will render.



Each question has the ability to have some `text` associated with it which gets rendered below the questions-label and some `postText` which will be rendered below the questions input.



```json

{

  "questionSets": [

    {

      "questionSetId": "intro-set",

      "questionSetHeader": "I am a question set header",

      "questionSetText": "I am a question set text",

      "questions": [

        {

          "questionId": "existing-user",

          "question": "Are you an existing user?",

          "text": "We'd just like to know so we can get you in the right place.",

          "input": {

            "type": "radioOptionsInput",

            "default": "yes",

            "options": [

              {

                "text": "Yes",

                "value": "yes",

                "conditionalQuestions": [

                  {

                    "questionId": "register-user-email",

                    "question": "Please enter the email address your account is registered with",

                    "postText": "We will not spam your email address.",

                    "input": {

                      "type": "emailInput",

                      "placeholder": "Email Address"

                    },

                    "validateOn": "blur",

                    "validations": [

                      {

                        "type": "isLength",

                        "params": [

                          1

                        ]

                      }

                    ]

                  }

                ],

                "validations": [

                  {

                    "type": "isLength",

                    "params": [

                      1

                    ]

                  }

                ]

              },

              {

                "text": "No",

                "value": "no",

                "conditionalQuestions": []

              }

            ]

          }

        }

      ]

    }

  ]

}

```



The `validateOn` property is used to dictate when to validate the field. The default for this is `blur`, which results in the field being validated when the user unfocusses from the field. You can also set this field to `change` which will validate the field as the user types, or changes their answer. Setting `validateOn` to `submit` will result in the field being validated when the next or submit button being pressed and only then.



Validations are handled via the [Validator](https://www.npmjs.com/package/validator) package on npm. In the `validations` key item, you can set your types of validation for the field. The `type` must be a method on the Validator package, or a custom defined method.



A validation-items `params` key must be an array of parameters for the validation method. The value will be unshifted to the start of the array and called up on the validation method in order. For example:



Validation item where the value must be a minimum length of 1.



```json

{

  "type": "isLength",

  "params": [

    1

  ]

}

```



Validation item where the value must be a minimum length of 1 and a maximum of 20.



```json

{

  "type": "isLength",

  "params": [

    1,

    20

  ]

}

```



You can also add a custom error message for the questions validaton item by using the `message` property.



```json

{

  "type": "isLength",

  "params": [

    1

  ],

  "message": "Please select an option"

}

```



To validate a questions answer against another questions answer, you can wrap curly-braces around a parameter in the `params` property and it will be turned in to a questions answer. For example:



```json

{

  "type": "equals",

  "params": [

    "{password}"

  ],

  "message": "Confirm Password must match the Password field"

}

```



#### HTML Classes



Winterfell allows you to define classes for the rendered form in multiple different areas. To use them, place them in the root of the form-schema like so:



```

{

  "formPanels": [],

  "classes": {

    "form": "form-wrapping-class",

    "label": "question-label"

  }

}

```



The table below describes the current set of classes.



Class Name | Description

--- | ---

form                         | The form element itself

questionPanels               | The div that wraps around the active `questionPanel`

questionPanel                | The div that wraps around the active `questionSets` and the button bar

questionPanelHeaderContainer | The div that wraps around the `questionPanels` header text and text

questionPanelHeaderText      | The h3 tag that holds the `questionPanel` header text

questionPanelText            | The p tag that holds the `questionPanel` text

questionSetHeader            | The h4 tag that holds the `questionSet` header

questionSetText              | The p tag that holds the `questionSet` text

questionSetHeaderContainer   | The div that wraps around the header and text of a `questionSet`

questionSets                 | The div that wraps around the `questionSets` inside of a `questionPanel`

questionSet                  | The div that wraps around the `questions` inside a `questionSet`

question                     | The div that wraps around the `question`

questionText                 | The p tag that holds the `question` text

questionPostText             | The p tag that holds the `question` post-text

label                        | Label inside of a `question`

backButton                   | Panel-back button, shown when on a second panel

controlButton                | Typically the Next or Submit button, depending on panel

buttonBar                    | The div wrapped around the buttons described above

errorMessage                 | Error Message div class - Not used if custom renderError method used

input                        | Assigned to the inputs for types `textInput`, `textareaInput`, `emailInput` and `passwordInput`

select                       | Assigned to the `selectInput` select-element

file                         | Assigned to the `fileInput` file-element

checkboxInput                | The div that wraps around the `checkboxInput`

checkbox                     | Assigned to the `checkboxOptionsInput` and `checkboxInput` checkbox-input

checkboxList                 | Assigned the to UL wrapped around the checkbox items in `checkboxOptionsInput`

checkboxListItem             | Assigned to the LI inside of the `checkboxList` mentioned above

checkboxLabel                | Assigned to the label inside of a checkbox option

radioList                    | Assigned to the UL wrapped around the radio items in `radioOptionsInput`

radioListItem                | Assigned to the LI inside of the `radioList` mentioned above

radioLabel                   | Assigned to the label inside of a radio button option

radio                        | Assigned to the radio button inside of a `radioOptionsInput`

## Default & Custom Input Types



The default set of input types that ships with Winterfell are the following:



- textInput

- textareaInput

- emailInput

- hiddenInput

- fileInput

- passwordInput

- selectInput

- checkboxInput

- checkboxOptionsInput

- radioOptionsInput



You can also define custom input types like so:



```javascript

var Winterfell         = require('winterfell');

var MyAwesomeInputType = require('./awesomeInputType');



Winterfell

  .addInputType('myAwesomeInputType', MyAwesomeInputType);



// OR



Winterfell

  .addInputTypes({

    myAwesomeInputType : MyAwesomeInputType

  });



```



## Custom Error Messages



Error messages can be set strings, or methods that are called to generate an error message. They can be set like so:



```javascript

var Winterfell = require('winterfell');



Winterfell

  .addErrorMessage('isLength', 'Please enter some text!');



Winterfell

  .addErrorMessages({

  	isLength : (validationItem) => {

  	  /*

  	   * validationItem = {

  	   *   type   : 'isLength',

  	   *   params : [] //Starts with answer

  	   * }

  	   */



  	  return 'Please enter a value';

  	}

  });

```



## Custom Validation Methods



Validation methods can be defined and will be chosen over methods defined in the Validator package.



```javascript

var Winterfell = require('winterfell');



Winterfell

  .addValidationMethod('isLength', value => {

  	/*

  	 * arguments == validation parameters

  	 */



    return true; // Valid

  });



Winterfell

  .addValidationMethods({

  	isLength : value => {

  	  /*

  	   * arguments == validation parameters

  	   */



      return true; // valid

    }

  });

```



## Props & Config



The following table shows the props Winterfell accepts, their types and descriptions. The only prop that is required is `schema`.



Prop Name              | Type     | Description

---                    | ---      | ---

panelId                | string   | Initial `panelId` to render

schema                 | object   | `schema` for the form to render

ref                    | string   | `ref` field for form element

encType                | string   | `encType` field for the form element

method                 | string   | `method` field for the form element

action                 | string   | Default `action` field for the form element

disableSubmit          | boolean  | Prevent the form from submitting naturally

questionAnswers        | object   | Existing `questionAnswers`. `questionId` => `answer`

renderError            | function | Custom validation error render method. Return a React Component Or React Element.

renderRequiredAsterisk | function | Custom require asterisk rendering method. Return a React Component or React Element.



## Events



The following events can be registered as props of Winterfell.



Event Prop | Description | Arguments

--- | --- | ---

onRender      | Fired when Winterfell has initially rendered   | N/A

onUpdate      | Fired when a questions answer has been changed | `questionAnswers`

onSwitchPanel | Fired when a panel is switched or changed      | `panel`

onSubmit      | Fired when the form is submitted successfully  | `questionAnswers`, `action`



## Final Notes



Pull requests are completely welcome. If you'd like to get in touch, [Tweet me](http://twitter.com/andrewhathaway). Initial schema design by [Jordan Appleson](http://twitter.com/jordanisonfire).



## License



MIT License (MIT)



Copyright (c) 2015 Andrew Hathaway, [https://github.com/andrewhathaway/Winterfell](https://github.com/andrewhathaway/Winterfell)



Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy

of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal

in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights

to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell

copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is

furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:



The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in

all copies or substantial portions of the Software.



THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR

IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,

FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE

AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER

LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,

OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN

THE SOFTWARE.