Fields and values

Bind the record you are editing, then render a control for each property. This example assumes your controller passes an $article entity to the view.

Render fields

templates/Articles/edit.php

php

<?php
$form = $this->Form->bind($article);
?>
<?= $form->open() ?>
<?= $form->control('title') ?>
<?= $form->control('body')->type('textarea') ?>
<?= $form->control('published')->type('checkbox') ?>
<?= $form->submit('Save article') ?>
<?= $form->close() ?>

Each control includes a label, input, and any help or validation errors. The entity supplies values and validation metadata. You can leave out type() when the schema already describes the control you want: a boolean becomes a checkbox, for example.

Set labels and HTML attributes

Replace the title control inside the open form with:

php

echo $form->control('title')
    ->label('Article title')
    ->help('Shown at the top of the article.')
    ->attributes(['maxlength' => 120, 'class' => 'title-input']);

attributes() applies to the input. Text and attribute values are escaped. For label, help, error, or outer-wrapper attributes, see attribute targets.

Where does the displayed value come from?

For an ordinary edit form, you do not need to set values yourself:

Situation	What appears in the title input
Opening an existing article	The article's current title.
Redisplaying a failed submission	The submitted title, including an empty string.

Keep your existing CakePHP submission handler. When validation fails, render the form again with the entity containing its errors. The user's attempted values remain visible, and controls show the validation messages.

A value source is somewhere the form looks for a field's value. The defaults check submitted request data (data), then the entity or other bound object (context). You normally leave this alone. A search form uses URL parameters (query) instead.

Supply a default

For a new article, suggest a summary when binding has no summary to display:

php

echo $form->control('summary')->default('Read the full article below.');

A default does not replace a submitted empty string. If your table has a schema default that should be ignored for this field, add schemaDefault(false).

Use value() when you deliberately want to replace the bound value:

php

echo $form->control('title')->value('Preview title');

This always displays “Preview title”, even after a submission. Use it for an intentional override, rather than ordinary edit fields. See the value reference for exact lookup and formatting rules.

Render several controls

When no extra HTML is needed between fields:

php

echo $form->controls([
    'title',
    $form->control('body')->type('textarea'),
    $form->control('published')->type('checkbox'),
]);

The batch adds no wrapper. Separate control() calls work better when arranging fields in sections or a grid.

Choose a template for one control

Use template('forms/email') to select your own PHP element. The template guide shows the call together with the element it renders. For a one-off arrangement in the view, render field parts directly.

Next steps

Choice controls for selects, radios, and checkboxes.
Search forms for values from the URL.
File uploads for multipart forms.
Association fields for paths such as tags._ids and comments.0.body.
Field configuration for every setter.

Fields and values ​

Render fields ​

Set labels and HTML attributes ​

Where does the displayed value come from? ​

Supply a default ​

Render several controls ​

Choose a template for one control ​

Next steps ​