GWT - FormPanel Widget



Introduction

The FormPanel widget represents a panel that wraps its contents in an HTML <FORM> element.

Class Declaration

Following is the declaration for com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.FormPanel class −

public class FormPanel
   extends SimplePanel
      implements FiresFormEvents, 
         com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.impl.FormPanelImplHost

Class Constructors

Sr.No. Constructor & Description
1

FormPanel()

Creates a new FormPanel.

2

protected FormPanel(Element element)

This constructor may be used by subclasses to explicitly use an existing element.

3

protected FormPanel(Element element, boolean createIFrame)

This constructor may be used by subclasses to explicitly use an existing element.

4

FormPanel(NamedFrame frameTarget)

Creates a FormPanel that targets a NamedFrame.

5

FormPanel(java.lang.String target)

Creates a new FormPanel.

Class Methods

Sr.No. Function name & Description
1

void add Form Handler (FormHandler handler)

Deprecated. Use add Submit Complete Handler (com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.Form Panel.Submit Complete Handler) and add Submit Handler (com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.Form Panel.Submit Handler) instead

2

Handler Registration addSubmit Complete Handler (FormPanel.SubmitCompleteHandler handler)

Adds a FormPanel.Submit Complete Event handler.

3

HandlerRegistration addSubmitHandler(FormPanel.SubmitHandler handler)

Adds a FormPanel.SubmitEvent handler.

4

java.lang.String getAction()

Gets the 'action' associated with this form.

5

java.lang.String getEncoding()

Gets the encoding used for submitting this form.

6

java.lang.String getMethod()

Gets the HTTP method used for submitting this form.

7

java.lang.String getTarget()

Gets the form's 'target'.

8

protected void onAttach()

This method is called when a widget is attached to the browser's document.

9

protected void onDetach()

This method is called when a widget is detached from the browser's document.

10

boolean onFormSubmit()

Fired when a form is submitted.

11

void onFrameLoad()

12

void removeFormHandler(FormHandler handler)

Deprecated. Use the HandlerRegistration.removeHandler() method on the object returned by and add*Handler method instead

13

void reset()

Resets the form, clearing all fields.

14

void setAction(java.lang.String url)

Sets the 'action' associated with this form.

15

void setEncoding(java.lang.String encodingType)

Sets the encoding used for submitting this form.

16

void setMethod(java.lang.String method)

Sets the HTTP method used for submitting this form.

17

void submit()

Submits the form.

18

static FormPanel wrap(Element element)

Creates a FormPanel that wraps an existing <form> element.

19

static FormPanel wrap(Element element, boolean createIFrame)

Creates a FormPanel that wraps an existing <form> element.

Methods Inherited

This class inherits methods from the following classes −

  • com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.UIObject

  • com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.Widget

  • com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.Panel

  • com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.SimplePanel

  • java.lang.Object

FormPanel Widget Example

This example will take you through simple steps to show usage of a FormPanel Widget in GWT. Follow the following steps to update the GWT application we created in GWT - Create Application chapter −

Step Description
1 Create a project with a name HelloWorld under a package com.tutorialspoint as explained in the GWT - Create Application chapter.
2 Modify HelloWorld.gwt.xml, HelloWorld.css, HelloWorld.html and HelloWorld.java as explained below. Keep rest of the files unchanged.
3 Compile and run the application to verify the result of the implemented logic.

Following is the content of the modified module descriptor src/com.tutorialspoint/HelloWorld.gwt.xml.

<?xml version = "1.0" encoding = "UTF-8"?>
<module rename-to = 'helloworld'>
   <!-- Inherit the core Web Toolkit stuff.                        -->
   <inherits name = 'com.google.gwt.user.User'/>

   <!-- Inherit the default GWT style sheet.                       -->
   <inherits name = 'com.google.gwt.user.theme.clean.Clean'/>

   <!-- Specify the app entry point class.                         -->
   <entry-point class = 'com.tutorialspoint.client.HelloWorld'/>

   <!-- Specify the paths for translatable code                    -->
   <source path = 'client'/>
   <source path = 'shared'/>

</module>

Following is the content of the modified Style Sheet file war/HelloWorld.css.

body {
   text-align: center;
   font-family: verdana, sans-serif;
}

h1 {
   font-size: 2em;
   font-weight: bold;
   color: #777777;
   margin: 40px 0px 70px;
   text-align: center;
}

Following is the content of the modified HTML host file war/HelloWorld.html.

<html>
   <head>
      <title>Hello World</title>
      <link rel = "stylesheet" href = "HelloWorld.css"/>
      <script language = "javascript" src = "helloworld/helloworld.nocache.js">
      </script>
   </head>

   <body>
      <h1>FormPanel Widget Demonstration</h1>
      <div id = "gwtContainer"></div>
   </body>
</html>

Let us have following content of Java file src/com.tutorialspoint/HelloWorld.java which will demonstrate use of FormPanel widget.

package com.tutorialspoint.client;

import com.google.gwt.core.client.EntryPoint;
import com.google.gwt.event.dom.client.ClickEvent;
import com.google.gwt.event.dom.client.ClickHandler;
import com.google.gwt.user.client.Window;
import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.Button;
import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.DecoratorPanel;
import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.FileUpload;
import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.FormPanel;
import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.FormPanel.SubmitCompleteEvent;
import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.FormPanel.SubmitEvent;
import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.ListBox;
import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.RootPanel;
import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.TextBox;
import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.VerticalPanel;

public class HelloWorld implements EntryPoint {

   public void onModuleLoad() {
      // Create a FormPanel and point it at a service.
      final FormPanel form = new FormPanel();
      form.setAction("/myFormHandler");

      // Because we're going to add a FileUpload widget, 
      // we'll need to set the form to use the POST method, 
      // and multipart MIME encoding.
      form.setEncoding(FormPanel.ENCODING_MULTIPART);
      form.setMethod(FormPanel.METHOD_POST);

      // Create a panel to hold all of the form widgets.
      VerticalPanel panel = new VerticalPanel();
      panel.setSpacing(10);
      form.setWidget(panel);

      // Create a TextBox, giving it a name so that it will be submitted.
      final TextBox tb = new TextBox();
      tb.setWidth("220");

      tb.setName("textBoxFormElement");
      panel.add(tb);

      // Create a ListBox, giving it a name and 
      // some values to be associated with its options.
      ListBox lb = new ListBox();
      lb.setName("listBoxFormElement");
      lb.addItem("item1", "item1");
      lb.addItem("item2", "item2");
      lb.addItem("item3", "item3");
      lb.setWidth("220");
      panel.add(lb);

      // Create a FileUpload widget.
      FileUpload upload = new FileUpload();
      upload.setName("uploadFormElement");
      panel.add(upload);

      // Add a 'submit' button.
      panel.add(new Button("Submit", new ClickHandler() {
         @Override
         public void onClick(ClickEvent event) {
            form.submit();					
         }
      }));

      // Add an event handler to the form.
      form.addSubmitHandler(new FormPanel.SubmitHandler() {
         @Override
         public void onSubmit(SubmitEvent event) {
            // This event is fired just before the form is submitted. 
            // We can take this opportunity to perform validation.
            if (tb.getText().length() == 0) {
               Window.alert("The text box must not be empty");
               event.cancel();
            }					
         }
      });

      form.addSubmitCompleteHandler(new FormPanel.SubmitCompleteHandler() {
         @Override
         public void onSubmitComplete(SubmitCompleteEvent event) {
            // When the form submission is successfully completed,
            // this event is fired. Assuming the service returned 
            // a response of type text/html, we can get the result
            // here.
            Window.alert(event.getResults());					
         }
      });

      DecoratorPanel decoratorPanel = new DecoratorPanel();
      decoratorPanel.add(form);
      // Add the widgets to the root panel.
      RootPanel.get().add(decoratorPanel);
   }

}

Once you are ready with all the changes done, let us compile and run the application in development mode as we did in GWT - Create Application chapter. If everything is fine with your application, this will produce following result −

GWT FormPanel Widget
gwt_layout_panels.htm
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