altering existing form

djbryson has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Hey guys, I need help altering an existing form. I just wanted opinions on the best way to go about this. I have this code that's working fine.

print "Content-type: text/html\n\n";

my $dbh=DBI->connect('DBI:Oracle:METAD1', 'ei_arf_webform_select', 'xx
+xx') or die "Cannot connect to DB: " . DBI->errstr;
     my $sql = "SELECT org_name FROM mv_org_structure_list WHERE ORG_T
+YPE='D'";
     my $sth = $dbh->prepare($sql) || print "Cannot prepare";
     $sth->execute              || print "Cannot execute";
     my @result;
     my @dept;
     while (@result = $sth->fetchrow_array()) {
    push(@dept, @result);
      }

 print "<select name='dept'>";      
 foreach my $dept(@dept) {
     print "<option>$dept</option>";
     }
 print "</select>";
[download]

I need to use my code to generate the Dept list instead of the textbox that is currently used in the following code. This form basically reads in a form template from another file and then submits and sends an email. Sorry about then length but I figured I should show it all

#!/bin/perl
#use strict;
use CGI;
use DBI;
use Mail::Sendmail;
use File::Basename;
use HTML::Template;

print "Content-type: text/html\n\n";

my $userid = getUserID();                # get user id
my $from = getEmail($userid);                # get email address

#-----------------
# set email header
#-----------------

my $smtp = 'xxxxx';    # stmp server name

my $to='bryson.connolly@ottawa.ca';            
my $cc='bryson.connolly@ottawa.ca';        

my $subject_eds = 'EDS Action';
my $subject_telecom = 'Telecom';

my $mailbox = 'no';
my $existing_emp = 'no'; 
my $assignedphone = 'no';
my $voicemail = 'no';
my $acd_group = 'no';

my $path = getFormPath();                    # get the path that holds
+ the form template
my $FORM_TMPL_FILE = "$path/form.tmpl";            # set form file
my $DISPLAY_TMPL_FILE = "$path/display.tmpl";        # set the result 
+file
my $RESULTS_TMPL_FILE = "$path/body.tmpl";        # set the result fil
+e

if (!-e "$RESULTS_TMPL_FILE") {
   print "Error: $RESULTS_TMPL_FILE not found.";
   exit;
}

# set the form parameters
%formparams = 
    (
        LOGO     => "/images/logobw.gif",
        TITLE    => "ARF Exempt Request (Network and/or E-Mail Account
+, Voicemail, Telephone Re-assignment)",
        PATH     => $ENV{SCRIPT_NAME},

    );
    
# create the form for the first time or submit the form for the second
+ time
my $query = new CGI;
if ( !($query->param) ) 
{
    # create the form using the form template 
    $formTemplate = new HTML::Template( filename => $FORM_TMPL_FILE );
    
    for my $key ( keys %formparams ) 
    {
        $formTemplate->param($key => $formparams{"$key"});
    }

    createForm($formTemplate); 
}
else 
{ 
    # submit and process the form (including send email)
    processForm(); 
}

exit;

#===================================================
#
# retrive user id of the person submitting the form
#
#===================================================
sub getUserID
{
    my  $userid=lc($ENV{'LOGON_USER'});
    if (!$userid){$userid=lc($ENV{'REMOTE_USER'}) ;}

    # remove the domain name (city or rmoc) from the user id
    $userid=~ s|city\W||g;

    if(!$userid)
    {
        print "Your are not on the intranet of City of Ottawa!<br>";
        exit;
    }
    return $userid;
}


#===============================================================
#
# retrive user email address of the person submitting the form 
#
#===============================================================
sub getEmail
{
    my ($userid) = @_;
    # get base directory and employee information file path
    my ($BASEDIR) = dirname($0 );
    my $DATAFILE="$BASEDIR/../employee.dat";

    # get employee information
    open (INFILE, "$DATAFILE");
        my @empinfo=grep /$userid\b/i, <INFILE>;

    close INFILE;

    # get the user email address
    my @empinfoarray=split ("\t", $empinfo[0]);
    my $from = $empinfoarray[3];

    if(!$from)
    {
        print "You don't have an email account of City of Ottawa!<br>\
+n";
        exit;
    }
    # print $from; #Used for debug purposes
    return $from;
}


#==================================================
#
# Location of template directory and template name
#
#==================================================
sub getFormPath
{
    # get the script path
    my $path = dirname($ENV{PATH_TRANSLATED});
    chomp ($path);

    # get the script file name without extension
    ($script_name, $dir, $type) = fileparse($ENV{'SCRIPT_NAME'}, "\.pl
+");
    chomp ($script_name);

    # get the form path
    $path =  $path . "/" . $script_name;
}


#=====================================
#
# create new form from html template
#
#=====================================
sub createForm
{
    my ($formTemplate) = @_;

    print $formTemplate->output;

    return;
}


#=====================================
#
# process submit request
#
#=====================================
sub processForm
{
    my $body;

    $body = getbody();
    
    # subject = "EDS Action"
    &sendMail ($smtp, $to, $cc, $from, $subject_eds, $body);
    
    sleep 3;

    # subject = "Telecom"
    if($subject_telecom eq 'Telecom')
    {
        &sendMail ($smtp, $to, $cc, $from, $subject_telecom, $body);
    }

    print "<br>";
    print "Thank you! <br/>";
    print "<br>";
    print "Your request has been submitted.<br><br>";
    # Used to create a link to close the form
    print "<a href=\"javascript:window.close();\">Close Window</a>\n";
+    
    return;
}


#=====================================
#
# get email body
#
#    set for specific body requirement
#=====================================
sub getbody()
{
    # get params;
    my $params = getdata();
    my $resulttemplate = new HTML::Template( filename => $RESULTS_TMPL
+_FILE );
    my $displaytemplate = new HTML::Template( filename => $DISPLAY_TMP
+L_FILE );
    

    $resulttemplate->param(TITLE => $formparams{"TITLE"});
    $resulttemplate->param(FIRSTNAME => $params->{'firstname'});
    $resulttemplate->param(LASTNAME => $params->{'lastname'});
    $resulttemplate->param(MIDDLE => $params->{'minit'});
    $resulttemplate->param(TTITLE => $params->{'ttitle'});
    $resulttemplate->param(SUPERVISOR => $params->{'autho'});
    $resulttemplate->param(DEPARTMENT => $params->{'dept'});
    $resulttemplate->param(BRANCH => $params->{'branch'});
    $resulttemplate->param(DIVISION => $params->{'division'});
    $resulttemplate->param(UNIT => $params->{'unit'});
    $resulttemplate->param(SECTION => $params->{'section'});
    $resulttemplate->param(GROUP => $params->{'group'});
    
    $mystartdate = $params->{'s_months'} . " " . $params->{'s_days'} .
+ ", " .  $params->{'s_years'};
    $resulttemplate->param(STARTDATE => $mystartdate);
    
    $resulttemplate->param(NEWMAILBOX => $params->{'r_newmailbox'});
    $mailbox = $params->{'r_newmailbox'};

    $resulttemplate->param(EXISTEMP => $params->{'r_exist_emp'});
        $existing_emp = $params->{'r_exist_emp'};                     
+ # sends telecom an email if yes
    $resulttemplate->param(OLDX => $params->{'txtoldx'});

    $resulttemplate->param(ASSIGNED => $params->{'r_assigned'});  
    $assignedphone = $params->{'r_assigned'};               # sends te
+lecom an email if yes
    $resulttemplate->param(REASSIGN => $params->{'txtreassign'});    
    
    $resulttemplate->param(NEWPHONE => $params->{'r_newphone'});  
    $voicemail = $params->{'r_newphone'};                   # sends te
+lecom an email if yes
    $resulttemplate->param(ACDGROUP => $params->{'r_group'}); 
         $acd_group = $params->{'r_group'};                      # sen
+ds telecom an email if yes
    $resulttemplate->param(TXTGROUP => $params->{'txtgroup'});
        $resulttemplate->param(ACCESSNUM => $params->{'txtaccess_num'}
+);  
    $resulttemplate->param(REMAINGROUP => $params->{'r_remain_group'})
+; 
    $resulttemplate->param(REQUIRECODE => $params->{'r_new_code'}); 
    $resulttemplate->param(NEWCODE => $params->{'txtnew_code'}); 

        # Don't send email with subject "Telecom"
    if (($existing_emp eq "no") 
        and ($assignedphone eq "no")
        and ($voicemail eq "no")
        and ($acd_group eq "no"))   { $subject_telecom = ""; }
    ##########################################################
    
    $resulttemplate->param(PERMISSION => $params->{'txtPermission'});
    $resulttemplate->param(LOCATION => $params->{'txtlocation'});

    my $myr_status = $params->{'r_status'};
    my $mytype;
    my $myexpirydate;
    
    if($myr_status eq "full") {
         $mytype = "Employee - Paid by SAP";
         } else {
         $mytype = "ARF Exempt type: " .  $params->{'s_Type'};
         $myexpirydate = "Account Expiry Date: ";
         $myexpirydate = $myexpirydate . $params->{'s_month'} . " " . 
+$params->{'s_day'} . ", " .  $params->{'s_year'};
         }
    $resulttemplate->param(USERTYPE => $mytype);
    $resulttemplate->param(EXPIRYDATE => $myexpirydate);
    $resulttemplate->param(COMMENTS => $params->{'txtcomment'});
    
    my $emailtitle = "ARF Exempt Request (";
    
    $emailtitle = $emailtitle . "Network";
    
    if ($mailbox eq 'yes') { $emailtitle = $emailtitle . " and/or E-Ma
+il Account";    }
    if ($voicemail eq 'yes') { $emailtitle = $emailtitle . ", Voicemai
+l"; }
    if ($assignedphone eq 'yes') { $emailtitle = $emailtitle . ", Tele
+phone Re-assignment";    }
    
    $emailtitle = $emailtitle . ")";

    $resulttemplate->param(TITLE => $emailtitle);
    
    # To return a list of parameters in the template of $displaytempla
+te (keys)
    my @parameter_names = $displaytemplate->param(); 
    
    foreach my $name (@parameter_names)
    {
        # Assign the value of $resulttemplate to the key of $displayte
+mplate
        # Since the keys have the same name in both templates.
        $displaytemplate->param($name => $resulttemplate->param($name)
+);
    }

    $body = $resulttemplate->output;
    if ($body)
    {
        print $displaytemplate->output;     # Print out form data to s
+creen
        return $body;                          # Returns form data to 
+be sent by email
    }
    else
    {
        print "Error: Cannot send email body to send<br>";
        exit;
    }
    

    
}


#=======================================
#
# Get CGI data from the form submitting
#
#=======================================
sub getdata()
{
    # get params;
    my %params;
    my $query = new CGI;
    foreach my $key ($query->param)
    {
        $params{$key} = $query->param($key);
    }
    return \%params;
}


#=====================================
#
# send email
#
#=====================================
sub sendMail
{
    my %mail;
    my ($smtp, $to, $cc, $from, $subject, $body) = @_;
    %mail=(
        SMTP    => $smtp,
        To      => $to,
        Cc      => $cc,
        From    => $from,
        subject => "$subject",
        'Content-type'=>'text/plain',
        Message => "$body\n"
        );
      if (!sendmail(%mail) )    
      {    
        print "$Mail::Sendmail::error;";
        exit;
  }

    return;
}
[download]

Comment on altering existing form Select or Download Code

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: altering existing form by ptum (Priest) on Feb 27, 2007 at 15:03 UTC
Your question isn't really very clear, but it sounds like you have an existing textfield that you want to change to be a popup menu, and you want to populate that menu with the contents of your department list. Somewhere, probably in the form template that you didn't show us, you have a textfield definition containing HTML like that which could be produced by this code: `my $dept_control = $cgi->textfield(-name=>"dept", -size=>12, -maxlength=>12, -default=>$some_default_value);` [download] You want to change that textfield to a popup menu, maybe like this: `my $dept_control = $cgi->popup_menu(-name=>"dept", -values=>\@dept);` [download] Update: I'm not sure how to create complex form controls using HTML::Template -- usually I create 'em up front using CGI and then I pass the fully-constructed controls to the template as a TMPL_VAR. You might want to have a look at the docs for CGI.	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^2: altering existing form by djbryson (Beadle) on Feb 27, 2007 at 15:07 UTC
Correct form.tmpl is just HTML and has: `<input type=text name="dept" size=30>` [download] display.tmpl has: `<strong>Department: </strong><TMPL_VAR NAME=DEPARTMENT><BR>` [download] body.tmpl has: `Department: <TMPL_VAR NAME=DEPARTMENT>` [download] UPDATE I think I just need to add DEPT in %formparams, it's contents will be the @dept, and in the form.tmpl stick in `<select name="dept"><TMPL_VAR NAME=DEPT></select>` Gonna try that...	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^3: altering existing form by EvanK (Chaplain) on Feb 27, 2007 at 15:29 UTC
In that case, you want to replace the aforementioned `<input>` element in form.tmpl with a `<select>` element with an HTML::Template loop inside it: `<select name="dept"> <TMPL_LOOP NAME="DEPT_LOOP"> <option value="<TMPL_VAR NAME="DEPT">"><TMPL_VAR NAME="DEPT"> </TMPL_LOOP> </select>` [download] Then, from within your script, you want to select all possible departments from your database, and populate that list using the loop name (`DEPT_LOOP` in the example). For more info on how to do that, see the HTML::Template docs. __________ Systems development is like banging your head against a wall... It's usually very painful, but if you're persistent, you'll get through it.	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: altering existing form by scorpio17 (Canon) on Feb 27, 2007 at 15:32 UTC
In your template, you're going to need a loop. Change `<input type=text name="dept" size=30>` [download] to this: `<select name='dept> <TMPL_LOOP DEPT_LOOP> <option><TMPL_VAR DEPT></option> </TMPL_LOOP> </select>` [download] Then, in your script, add something like this: `my @loop_data; for my $dept (@dept) { push(@loop_data, {DEPT => $dept}); } $template->param(DEPT_LOOP => \@loop_data);` [download] Where the @dept array is generated with your original code.	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^2: altering existing form by djbryson (Beadle) on Feb 27, 2007 at 16:22 UTC
ok so, I already have `$formTemplate = new HTML::Template( filename => $FORM_TMPL_FILE ); for my $key (keys %formparams) { $formTemplate->param($key => $formparams{"$key"}); } createForm($formTemplate);` [download] How do I incorporate `my @loop_data; for my $dept (@dept) { push(@loop_data, {DEPT => $dept}); } $template->param(DEPT_LOOP => \@loop_data);` [download] Sorry, i'm new to TMPL_LOOP... i'm reading the docs... UPDATE I guess i need DEPT to be part of my %formparams DEPT =>@loop_data update2 I GOT IT! After `my @loop_data; foreach my $dept (@dept) { push(@loop_data, {DEPT => $dept}); }` [download] I just need to add: `DEPT_LOOP => \@loop_data,` to %formparams I think i actually get it too, lol Thanks guys	[reply] [d/l] [select]