Extra Fields / Validation Based on Package

[rhound]

4.1.1 Developer.

I have created two packages - one for cars and one for parts and literature. I use the package ID to make the extra fields visible to a user placing an ad only for the car listings but I hide those for the parts and literature listing.

When I use "required" validation on the extra fields, the user who has chosen parts and literature can't go past the step requiring input of the extra fields - but - I don't want the user for parts and literature to have to fill those out. I just want the users who are listing a car to fill those extra fields out (and have them required).

Car listing: extra fields show, user fills them out, now I can't make those required because the Parts & Literature listing (I think it's step 3) won't allow them go to forward if I make the extra fields required.

Parts & Literature: extra fields are hidden - if required is False, all is good. If required is True, then the user can't complete a listing.

I thought of using a hidden field to fill in something for the three extra fields that I'd like to make required. Is this the best way to do that? If so, what would those hidden fields be to correspond to the extra fields. I have modified the template to have the logic to hide the extra fields if the package is parts and literature. Any ideas from the experts?

Thank you.

[Lhotch]

Extra fields are assigned to categories. What I would do is simply have a top category for cars, another for parts and another for liturature. Assign extra fields specific to cars to just that category and extra fields specific to just lit to lit and parts to parts and let 68C handle the rest.

[rhound]

Yes, the issue with doing it with categories is that the categories are the same for each - cars, parts and literature and so it seemed to be a lot more complexity to have all of those children under the three parents when all of the children are the same.

If I were to test a hidden field, what would the field name be so that the system would think that it was a valid entry? For example:

<input type="hidden" name="{WHAT IS THIS in smarty}" value=" ">

That way, I'd pass a blank string into the field which would make the validation think all is good. The hidden input would be set to logic.

Thanks

[Lhotch]

Originally Posted by rhound

Yes, the issue with doing it with categories is that the categories are the same for each - cars, parts and literature and so it seemed to be a lot more complexity to have all of those children under the three parents when all of the children are the same.

If I were to test a hidden field, what would the field name be so that the system would think that it was a valid entry? For example:

<input type="hidden" name="{WHAT IS THIS in smarty}" value=" ">

That way, I'd pass a blank string into the field which would make the validation think all is good. The hidden input would be set to logic.

Thanks

Im not following how you are trying to deal with this at all.

The extra fields are collected from the database via PHP. The HTML to represent the fields is then all pushed into a PHP variable which is in turn assigned to smarty as a smarty variable and then that variable is in the template and its contents are displayed.

What I do when I want to selectively hide/display extra fields based on a package chosen, I modify the php function that collects the extra field data from the database and loads it into the variable. If its a field I want hidden the html to display it is never loaded into the variable and in turn its never displayed in the template and in turn there is no validation done on it.

[Mike-N-Tosh]

Originally Posted by rhound

Car listing: extra fields show, user fills them out, now I can't make those required because the Parts & Literature listing (I think it's step 3) won't allow them go to forward if I make the extra fields required.

Parts & Literature: extra fields are hidden - if required is False, all is good. If required is True, then the user can't complete a listing.

I thought of using a hidden field to fill in something for the three extra fields that I'd like to make required. Is this the best way to do that? If so, what would those hidden fields be to correspond to the extra fields. I have modified the template to have the logic to hide the extra fields if the package is parts and literature. Any ideas from the experts?

Thank you.

Let's actually try to back up a little bit, because I think that you are in actuality making this more complex than it needs to be.

Unless I'm misunderstanding your set up (which I could be), you have the following:
Categories:
� Cars
� Parts & Literature

Listing Packages:
� Cars
� Parts & Literature

The issue is that you don't want to have extra fields in the Parts & Literature that don't make sense so you are hiding those extra fields based on the package ID?

What I believe the most straight forward solution is, is to simply edit your extra fields. Just remove the "Parts & Literature" extra fields assigned to the category. Voila, issue resolved.

Example: Extra field called "transmission" assign to category "Car" only.