Module ActionView::Helpers::FormTagHelper
In: vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb

Provides a number of methods for creating form tags that doesn‘t rely on an Active Record object assigned to the template like FormHelper does. Instead, you provide the names and values manually.

NOTE: The HTML options disabled, readonly, and multiple can all be treated as booleans. So specifying :disabled => true will give disabled="disabled".

Methods

Public Instance methods

Creates a check box form input tag.

Options

  • :disabled - If set to true, the user will not be able to use this input.
  • Any other key creates standard HTML options for the tag.

Examples

  check_box_tag 'accept'
  # => <input id="accept" name="accept" type="checkbox" value="1" />

  check_box_tag 'rock', 'rock music'
  # => <input id="rock" name="rock" type="checkbox" value="rock music" />

  check_box_tag 'receive_email', 'yes', true
  # => <input checked="checked" id="receive_email" name="receive_email" type="checkbox" value="yes" />

  check_box_tag 'tos', 'yes', false, :class => 'accept_tos'
  # => <input class="accept_tos" id="tos" name="tos" type="checkbox" value="yes" />

  check_box_tag 'eula', 'accepted', false, :disabled => true
  # => <input disabled="disabled" id="eula" name="eula" type="checkbox" value="accepted" />

[Source]

     # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 283
283:       def check_box_tag(name, value = "1", checked = false, options = {})
284:         html_options = { "type" => "checkbox", "name" => name, "id" => name, "value" => value }.update(options.stringify_keys)
285:         html_options["checked"] = "checked" if checked
286:         tag :input, html_options
287:       end

Creates a field set for grouping HTML form elements.

legend will become the fieldset‘s title (optional as per W3C).

Examples

  <% field_set_tag do %>
    <p><%= text_field_tag 'name' %></p>
  <% end %>
  # => <fieldset><p><input id="name" name="name" type="text" /></p></fieldset>

  <% field_set_tag 'Your details' do %>
    <p><%= text_field_tag 'name' %></p>
  <% end %>
  # => <fieldset><legend>Your details</legend><p><input id="name" name="name" type="text" /></p></fieldset>

[Source]

     # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 408
408:       def field_set_tag(legend = nil, &block)
409:         content = capture(&block)
410:         concat(tag(:fieldset, {}, true), block.binding)
411:         concat(content_tag(:legend, legend), block.binding) unless legend.blank?
412:         concat(content, block.binding)
413:         concat("</fieldset>", block.binding)
414:       end

Creates a file upload field. If you are using file uploads then you will also need to set the multipart option for the form tag:

  <%= form_tag { :action => "post" }, { :multipart => true } %>
    <label for="file">File to Upload</label> <%= file_field_tag "file" %>
    <%= submit_tag %>
  <%= end_form_tag %>

The specified URL will then be passed a File object containing the selected file, or if the field was left blank, a StringIO object.

Options

  • Creates standard HTML attributes for the tag.
  • :disabled - If set to true, the user will not be able to use this input.

Examples

  file_field_tag 'attachment'
  # => <input id="attachment" name="attachment" type="file" />

  file_field_tag 'avatar', :class => 'profile-input'
  # => <input class="profile-input" id="avatar" name="avatar" type="file" />

  file_field_tag 'picture', :disabled => true
  # => <input disabled="disabled" id="picture" name="picture" type="file" />

  file_field_tag 'resume', :value => '~/resume.doc'
  # => <input id="resume" name="resume" type="file" value="~/resume.doc" />

  file_field_tag 'user_pic', :accept => 'image/png,image/gif,image/jpeg'
  # => <input accept="image/png,image/gif,image/jpeg" id="user_pic" name="user_pic" type="file" />

  file_field_tag 'file', :accept => 'text/html', :class => 'upload', :value => 'index.html'
  # => <input accept="text/html" class="upload" id="file" name="file" type="file" value="index.html" />

[Source]

     # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 188
188:       def file_field_tag(name, options = {})
189:         text_field_tag(name, nil, options.update("type" => "file"))
190:       end

Starts a form tag that points the action to an url configured with url_for_options just like ActionController::Base#url_for. The method for the form defaults to POST.

Options

  • :multipart - If set to true, the enctype is set to "multipart/form-data".
  • :method - The method to use when submitting the form, usually either "get" or "post". If "put", "delete", or another verb is used, a hidden input with name _method is added to simulate the verb over post.
  • A list of parameters to feed to the URL the form will be posted to.

Examples

  form_tag('/posts')
  # => <form action="/posts" method="post">

  form_tag('/posts/1', :method => :put)
  # => <form action="/posts/1" method="put">

  form_tag('/upload', :multipart => true)
  # => <form action="/upload" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">

  <% form_tag '/posts' do -%>
    <div><%= submit_tag 'Save' %></div>
  <% end -%>
  # => <form action="/posts" method="post"><div><input type="submit" name="submit" value="Save" /></div></form>

[Source]

    # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 36
36:       def form_tag(url_for_options = {}, options = {}, *parameters_for_url, &block)
37:         html_options = html_options_for_form(url_for_options, options, *parameters_for_url)
38:         if block_given?
39:           form_tag_in_block(html_options, &block)
40:         else
41:           form_tag_html(html_options)
42:         end
43:       end

Creates a hidden form input field used to transmit data that would be lost due to HTTP‘s statelessness or data that should be hidden from the user.

Options

  • Creates standard HTML attributes for the tag.

Examples

  hidden_field_tag 'tags_list'
  # => <input id="tags_list" name="tags_list" type="hidden" />

  hidden_field_tag 'token', 'VUBJKB23UIVI1UU1VOBVI@'
  # => <input id="token" name="token" type="hidden" value="VUBJKB23UIVI1UU1VOBVI@" />

  hidden_field_tag 'collected_input', '', :onchange => "alert('Input collected!')"
  # => <input id="collected_input" name="collected_input" onchange="alert('Input collected!')"
  #    type="hidden" value="" />

[Source]

     # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 151
151:       def hidden_field_tag(name, value = nil, options = {})
152:         text_field_tag(name, value, options.stringify_keys.update("type" => "hidden"))
153:       end

Displays an image which when clicked will submit the form.

source is passed to AssetTagHelper#image_path

Options

  • :disabled - If set to true, the user will not be able to use this input.
  • Any other key creates standard HTML options for the tag.

Examples

  image_submit_tag("login.png")
  # => <input src="/images/login.png" type="image" />

  image_submit_tag("purchase.png", :disabled => true)
  # => <input disabled="disabled" src="/images/purchase.png" type="image" />

  image_submit_tag("search.png", :class => 'search-button')
  # => <input class="search-button" src="/images/search.png" type="image" />

  image_submit_tag("agree.png", :disabled => true, :class => "agree-disagree-button")
  # => <input class="agree-disagree-button" disabled="disabled" src="/images/agree.png" type="image" />

[Source]

     # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 390
390:       def image_submit_tag(source, options = {})
391:         tag :input, { "type" => "image", "src" => path_to_image(source) }.update(options.stringify_keys)
392:       end

Creates a label field

Options

  • Creates standard HTML attributes for the tag.

Examples

  label_tag 'name'
  # => <label for="name">Name</label>

  label_tag 'name', 'Your name'
  # => <label for="name">Your Name</label>

  label_tag 'name', nil, :class => 'small_label'
  # => <label for="name" class="small_label">Name</label>

[Source]

     # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 131
131:       def label_tag(name, text = nil, options = {})
132:         content_tag :label, text || name.humanize, { "for" => name }.update(options.stringify_keys)
133:       end

Creates a password field, a masked text field that will hide the users input behind a mask character.

Options

  • :disabled - If set to true, the user will not be able to use this input.
  • :size - The number of visible characters that will fit in the input.
  • :maxlength - The maximum number of characters that the browser will allow the user to enter.
  • Any other key creates standard HTML attributes for the tag.

Examples

  password_field_tag 'pass'
  # => <input id="pass" name="pass" type="password" />

  password_field_tag 'secret', 'Your secret here'
  # => <input id="secret" name="secret" type="password" value="Your secret here" />

  password_field_tag 'masked', nil, :class => 'masked_input_field'
  # => <input class="masked_input_field" id="masked" name="masked" type="password" />

  password_field_tag 'token', '', :size => 15
  # => <input id="token" name="token" size="15" type="password" value="" />

  password_field_tag 'key', nil, :maxlength => 16
  # => <input id="key" maxlength="16" name="key" type="password" />

  password_field_tag 'confirm_pass', nil, :disabled => true
  # => <input disabled="disabled" id="confirm_pass" name="confirm_pass" type="password" />

  password_field_tag 'pin', '1234', :maxlength => 4, :size => 6, :class => "pin-input"
  # => <input class="pin-input" id="pin" maxlength="4" name="pin" size="6" type="password" value="1234" />

[Source]

     # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 221
221:       def password_field_tag(name = "password", value = nil, options = {})
222:         text_field_tag(name, value, options.update("type" => "password"))
223:       end

Creates a radio button; use groups of radio buttons named the same to allow users to select from a group of options.

Options

  • :disabled - If set to true, the user will not be able to use this input.
  • Any other key creates standard HTML options for the tag.

Examples

  radio_button_tag 'gender', 'male'
  # => <input id="gender_male" name="gender" type="radio" value="male" />

  radio_button_tag 'receive_updates', 'no', true
  # => <input checked="checked" id="receive_updates_no" name="receive_updates" type="radio" value="no" />

  radio_button_tag 'time_slot', "3:00 p.m.", false, :disabled => true
  # => <input disabled="disabled" id="time_slot_300_pm" name="time_slot" type="radio" value="3:00 p.m." />

  radio_button_tag 'color', "green", true, :class => "color_input"
  # => <input checked="checked" class="color_input" id="color_green" name="color" type="radio" value="green" />

[Source]

     # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 308
308:       def radio_button_tag(name, value, checked = false, options = {})
309:         pretty_tag_value = value.to_s.gsub(/\s/, "_").gsub(/(?!-)\W/, "").downcase
310:         pretty_name = name.to_s.gsub(/\[/, "_").gsub(/\]/, "")
311:         html_options = { "type" => "radio", "name" => name, "id" => "#{pretty_name}_#{pretty_tag_value}", "value" => value }.update(options.stringify_keys)
312:         html_options["checked"] = "checked" if checked
313:         tag :input, html_options
314:       end

Creates a dropdown selection box, or if the :multiple option is set to true, a multiple choice selection box.

Helpers::FormOptions can be used to create common select boxes such as countries, time zones, or associated records. option_tags is a string containing the option tags for the select box.

Options

  • :multiple - If set to true the selection will allow multiple choices.
  • :disabled - If set to true, the user will not be able to use this input.
  • Any other key creates standard HTML attributes for the tag.

Examples

  select_tag "people", "<option>David</option>"
  # => <select id="people" name="people"><option>David</option></select>

  select_tag "count", "<option>1</option><option>2</option><option>3</option><option>4</option>"
  # => <select id="count" name="count"><option>1</option><option>2</option>
  #    <option>3</option><option>4</option></select>

  select_tag "colors", "<option>Red</option><option>Green</option><option>Blue</option>", :multiple => true
  # => <select id="colors" multiple="multiple" name="colors"><option>Red</option>
  #    <option>Green</option><option>Blue</option></select>

  select_tag "locations", "<option>Home</option><option selected="selected">Work</option><option>Out</option>"
  # => <select id="locations" name="locations"><option>Home</option><option selected='selected'>Work</option>
  #    <option>Out</option></select>

  select_tag "access", "<option>Read</option><option>Write</option>", :multiple => true, :class => 'form_input'
  # => <select class="form_input" id="access" multiple="multiple" name="access"><option>Read</option>
  #    <option>Write</option></select>

  select_tag "destination", "<option>NYC</option><option>Paris</option><option>Rome</option>", :disabled => true
  # => <select disabled="disabled" id="destination" name="destination"><option>NYC</option>
  #    <option>Paris</option><option>Rome</option></select>

[Source]

    # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 79
79:       def select_tag(name, option_tags = nil, options = {})
80:         content_tag :select, option_tags, { "name" => name, "id" => name }.update(options.stringify_keys)
81:       end

Creates a submit button with the text value as the caption.

Options

  • :confirm => ‘question?‘ - This will add a JavaScript confirm prompt with the question specified. If the user accepts, the form is processed normally, otherwise no action is taken.
  • :disabled - If true, the user will not be able to use this input.
  • :disable_with - Value of this parameter will be used as the value for a disabled version of the submit button when the form is submitted.
  • Any other key creates standard HTML options for the tag.

Examples

  submit_tag
  # => <input name="commit" type="submit" value="Save changes" />

  submit_tag "Edit this article"
  # => <input name="commit" type="submit" value="Edit this article" />

  submit_tag "Save edits", :disabled => true
  # => <input disabled="disabled" name="commit" type="submit" value="Save edits" />

  submit_tag "Complete sale", :disable_with => "Please wait..."
  # => <input name="commit" onclick="this.disabled=true;this.value='Please wait...';this.form.submit();"
  #    type="submit" value="Complete sale" />

  submit_tag nil, :class => "form_submit"
  # => <input class="form_submit" name="commit" type="submit" />

  submit_tag "Edit", :disable_with => "Editing...", :class => "edit-button"
  # => <input class="edit-button" onclick="this.disabled=true;this.value='Editing...';this.form.submit();"
  #    name="commit" type="submit" value="Edit" />

[Source]

     # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 347
347:       def submit_tag(value = "Save changes", options = {})
348:         options.stringify_keys!
349:         
350:         if disable_with = options.delete("disable_with")
351:           options["onclick"] = [
352:             "this.setAttribute('originalValue', this.value)",
353:             "this.disabled=true",
354:             "this.value='#{disable_with}'",
355:             "#{options["onclick"]}",
356:             "result = (this.form.onsubmit ? (this.form.onsubmit() ? this.form.submit() : false) : this.form.submit())",
357:             "if (result == false) { this.value = this.getAttribute('originalValue'); this.disabled = false }",
358:             "return result;",
359:           ].join(";")
360:         end
361:         
362:         if confirm = options.delete("confirm")
363:           options["onclick"] ||= ''
364:           options["onclick"] += "return #{confirm_javascript_function(confirm)};"
365:         end
366:         
367:         tag :input, { "type" => "submit", "name" => "commit", "value" => value }.update(options.stringify_keys)
368:       end

Creates a text input area; use a textarea for longer text inputs such as blog posts or descriptions.

Options

  • :size - A string specifying the dimensions (columns by rows) of the textarea (e.g., "25x10").
  • :rows - Specify the number of rows in the textarea
  • :cols - Specify the number of columns in the textarea
  • :disabled - If set to true, the user will not be able to use this input.
  • Any other key creates standard HTML attributes for the tag.

Examples

  text_area_tag 'post'
  # => <textarea id="post" name="post"></textarea>

  text_area_tag 'bio', @user.bio
  # => <textarea id="bio" name="bio">This is my biography.</textarea>

  text_area_tag 'body', nil, :rows => 10, :cols => 25
  # => <textarea cols="25" id="body" name="body" rows="10"></textarea>

  text_area_tag 'body', nil, :size => "25x10"
  # => <textarea name="body" id="body" cols="25" rows="10"></textarea>

  text_area_tag 'description', "Description goes here.", :disabled => true
  # => <textarea disabled="disabled" id="description" name="description">Description goes here.</textarea>

  text_area_tag 'comment', nil, :class => 'comment_input'
  # => <textarea class="comment_input" id="comment" name="comment"></textarea>

[Source]

     # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 252
252:       def text_area_tag(name, content = nil, options = {})
253:         options.stringify_keys!
254: 
255:         if size = options.delete("size")
256:           options["cols"], options["rows"] = size.split("x") if size.respond_to?(:split)
257:         end
258: 
259:         content_tag :textarea, content, { "name" => name, "id" => name }.update(options.stringify_keys)
260:       end

Creates a standard text field; use these text fields to input smaller chunks of text like a username or a search query.

Options

  • :disabled - If set to true, the user will not be able to use this input.
  • :size - The number of visible characters that will fit in the input.
  • :maxlength - The maximum number of characters that the browser will allow the user to enter.
  • Any other key creates standard HTML attributes for the tag.

Examples

  text_field_tag 'name'
  # => <input id="name" name="name" type="text" />

  text_field_tag 'query', 'Enter your search query here'
  # => <input id="query" name="query" type="text" value="Enter your search query here" />

  text_field_tag 'request', nil, :class => 'special_input'
  # => <input class="special_input" id="request" name="request" type="text" />

  text_field_tag 'address', '', :size => 75
  # => <input id="address" name="address" size="75" type="text" value="" />

  text_field_tag 'zip', nil, :maxlength => 5
  # => <input id="zip" maxlength="5" name="zip" type="text" />

  text_field_tag 'payment_amount', '$0.00', :disabled => true
  # => <input disabled="disabled" id="payment_amount" name="payment_amount" type="text" value="$0.00" />

  text_field_tag 'ip', '0.0.0.0', :maxlength => 15, :size => 20, :class => "ip-input"
  # => <input class="ip-input" id="ip" maxlength="15" name="ip" size="20" type="text" value="0.0.0.0" />

[Source]

     # File vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/form_tag_helper.rb, line 113
113:       def text_field_tag(name, value = nil, options = {})
114:         tag :input, { "type" => "text", "name" => name, "id" => name, "value" => value }.update(options.stringify_keys)
115:       end

[Validate]