By stongo on

I'm having some trouble with using #ajax in hook_form_alter.
Is it possible to use #ajax with custom fields created in hook_form_alter?
After clicking the button $form['taxonomy_submit_' . $vid], there's nothing in $form_state['values'] but the button info. See code below.
Any help would be appreciated

function my_form_alter(&$form, &$form_state, $form_id) {
  if ($form_id == 'foobar_node_form') {
    // taxononmy_reference select field
    $field = 'field_' . $name;
    $form[$field]['#prefix'] = '<div id="tax-select-' . $vid .'">';
    $form[$field]['#suffix'] = '</div>';

    $form['tax_form'] = array(
      '#prefix' => '<div id="tax-form">',
      '#suffix' => '</div>',
    );

    // Add Term button
    $form[$field . '_submit'] = array(
      '#type' => 'button',
      '#value' => t('Add term'),
      '#name' => 'addform_' . $vid,
      '#limit_validation_errors' => array(),
      '#ajax' => array(
        'wrapper' => 'tax-form',
        'callback' => 'my_addterm_form',
      ),  
    );

    // Fields to Add Term added through 'neams_addterm_form' callback
    // These fields are added succesfully
    if (isset($form_state['triggering_element']['#name']) && ($form_state['triggering_element']['#name'] == 'addform_' . $vid)) {
      // Add term fields
      $form['term_' . $vid] = array(
        '#title' => t('Add term to %machine_name', array('%machine_name' => $name)),
        '#type' => 'fieldset',
        '#weight' => 10,
      );
      $form['term_' . $vid]['term_name_' . $vid] = array(
        '#type' => 'textfield',
        '#title' => t('Name'),
        '#required' => TRUE,
      );

      // ... Omitting other fields for example simplification

      // Button not seeming to submit the value of $field['term_name' . $vid]
      // See next IF statement
      $form['term_' . $vid]['taxonomy_submit_' . $vid] = array(
        '#type' => 'button',
        '#name' => 'add_me',
        '#value' => t('Add Term'),
        '#submit' => array('neams_addterm_term_form_submit'),
        '#limit_validation_errors' => array(),
        '#ajax' => array(
          'callback' => 'my_addterm_addterm_js',
          'wrapper' => 'tax-select-' . $vid,
        ),
      );
    }
    // This condition fails 
    if (isset($form_state['triggering_element']['#name']) && ($form_state['triggering_element']['#name'] == 'add_me')) {
      watchdog('my_addterm', 'add_me button has been clicked', array(), WATCHDOG_DEBUG);
      ... 
    }       
  }
}

/**
 * Load Add term fields on node form
 */
function my_addterm_form($form, $form_state) {
  // not being specific with return form value for example
  return $form;
}

/**
 * "Add term" ajax callback
 */
function my_addterm_addterm_js($form, $form_state) {
  // Following watchdog message returns:
  // Array
  // (
  //    [taxonomy_submit_2] => Add Term
  //    [2] => Add Term
  // )
  watchdog('my addterm', '$form_state['values'] on add term submit callback: <pre>%form_state</pre>', array('%form_state' => print_r($form_state['values'], true)), WATCHDOG_DEBUG);
  // not being specific with return form value for example
  return $form;
}
⋅ Categories: Drupal 7.x

Comments

nevets’s picture

nevets commented

First it would help if you stated what you want to achieve (what it the purpose of the code)

Some things noticed

Early on you have $field = 'field_' . $name; but $name is not set

In the same vein, $vid is used without being set

The button elements may need '#executes_submit_callback' => FALSE,

Reading between the lines, it looks like are trying to add terms on a node form one by one, which would be an alternative way to add taxonomy terms and if this is correct I would think implementing hook_field_widget_info() to provide an additional widget would make more sense than hook_form_alter().

There are a lot of form elements that I am not clear on their purpose, I would have been tempted to get rid of the buttons and attach the ajax to $form['term_' . $vid]['term_name_' . $vid] = array(

stongo’s picture

stongo commented

Sorry for some of the holes in the code I pasted. There's a lot more code I left out to simplify the example. $vid and $name are actually set in a foreach to account for multiple taxonomy_reference fields, and there's more fields that get ajaxed in to add a term (replicates term add form).
You are correct that I am trying to add the capability of adding a new taxonomy term to the parent vocabulary of taxonomy_references on the node form.
Pressing first ajax button returns the correct $form_state['values'] but then as mentioned, the fields that get ajaxed in don't appear in $form_state['values'] nor any of the other fields when the new button gets pressed.
hook_field_widget_info() might actually be what I'm looking for. I'm not familiar with widgets in the field api, so will definitely look in to it.
I really appreciate your time, and thanks for helping :)

nevets’s picture

nevets commented

Ok, I see the problem, its because you are building the form wrong. All the code inside

    if (isset($form_state['triggering_element']['#name']) && ($form_state['triggering_element']['#name'] == 'addform_' . $vid)) {
    ...;
    }

will not work as you want because the elements inside the if are conditional on a transitional event so when the "Add me" button is pressed, the test fails and the elements are not added. (Forms are rebuilt on submission including ajax submissions). A possible quick fix would be to change the existing 'if' to 

if ((...existing test) || !empty($form_state['values'][['term_name_' . $vid])) {
stongo’s picture

stongo commented

Thanks again for taking the time to help me. I was still having some trouble, so ended up loading the taxonomy term entry form in a ctools modal window , and then used #ajax to refresh the select list once the modal form was submitted.
I will be posting this module soon as a sandbox project, so let me know if you're interested in checking it out.