Why FormCompose?

Write your form markup in PHP elements. Reuse it across your application. FormCompose is for forms that need their own icons, wrappers, hints, and error placement, while using CakePHP's field values and validation feedback.

What does it solve?

A custom email control might need an icon beside the input, a hint underneath, and errors outside the input wrapper. Repeating that structure in every form makes changes tedious. FormCompose lets you put it in one PHP element, then render it with a single control() call wherever you need it.

You want to…	Core FormHelper	FormCompose
Reuse a custom control layout	Configure string templates with placeholders; use widgets for custom controls.	Write a PHP element that places the label, input, help, and errors.
Add an icon, wrapper, or conditional markup	Arrange template fragments and pass template variables.	Use HTML, PHP conditionals, and element includes in the control element.
Arrange one field differently	Call individual helper methods with the field name and options.	Resolve one bound field, then place its parts in your view.
Reuse a set of fields	Organize helper calls in application code or elements.	Use optional PHP blueprints, with embedded blueprints and application-owned layouts.

Core's template and widget APIs already support custom markup. FormCompose makes PHP elements and field objects the starting point for that work.

One call, your markup

The call selects an ordinary CakePHP element. That element controls the layout:

Inside an open form

echo $form->control('email')
    ->type('email')
    ->template('forms/email')
    ->help('Use your work address.');

templates/element/forms/email.php

<?php

/**
 * @var \FormCompose\Form\Field\BoundField $field
 * @var \FormCompose\Rendering\Attributes $attributes
 */
?>
<div<?= (string)$attributes->merge(['class' => 'contact-field']) ?>>
    <?= $field->label() ?>
    <div class="input-with-icon">
        <span aria-hidden="true">@</span>
        <?= $field->input() ?>
    </div>
    <?= $field->help() ?>
    <?= $field->errors() ?>
</div>

Move the hint, add another wrapper, or include an icon element here. Every call using this element gets the change. A theme can apply it across forms without repeating the template option.

Build your first form · Follow a control from data to HTML · Look up field configuration