function theme_form_element
Returns HTML for a form element.
Each form element is wrapped in a DIV container having the following CSS classes:
- form-item: Generic for all form elements.
- form-type-#type: The internal element #type.
- form-item-#name: The internal form element #name (usually derived from the $form structure and set via form_builder()).
- form-disabled: Only set if the form element is #disabled.
In addition to the element itself, the DIV contains a label for the element based on the optional #title_display property, and an optional #description.
The optional #title_display property can have these values:
- before: The label is output before the element. This is the default. The label includes the #title and the required marker, if #required.
- after: The label is output after the element. For example, this is used for radio and checkbox #type elements as set in system_element_info(). If the #title is empty but the field is #required, the label will contain only the required marker.
- invisible: Labels are critical for screen readers to enable them to properly navigate through forms but can be visually distracting. This property hides the label for everyone except screen readers.
- attribute: Set the title attribute on the element to create a tooltip but output no label element. This is supported only for checkboxes and radios in form_pre_render_conditional_form_element(). It is used where a visual label is not needed, such as a table of checkboxes where the row and column provide the context. The tooltip will include the title and required marker.
If the #title property is not set, then the label and any required marker will not be output, regardless of the #title_display or #required values. This can be useful in cases such as the password_confirm element, which creates children elements that have their own labels and required markers, but the parent element should have neither. Use this carefully because a field without an associated label can cause accessibility challenges.
Parameters
$variables: An associative array containing:
- element: An associative array containing the properties of the element. Properties used: #title, #title_display, #description, #id, #required, #children, #type, #name.
Related topics
File
-
includes/
form.inc, line 4260
Code
function theme_form_element($variables) {
$element =& $variables['element'];
// This function is invoked as theme wrapper, but the rendered form element
// may not necessarily have been processed by form_builder().
$element += array(
'#title_display' => 'before',
);
// Add element #id for #type 'item'.
if (isset($element['#markup']) && !empty($element['#id'])) {
$attributes['id'] = $element['#id'];
}
// Add element's #type and #name as class to aid with JS/CSS selectors.
$attributes['class'] = array(
'form-item',
);
if (!empty($element['#type'])) {
$attributes['class'][] = 'form-type-' . strtr($element['#type'], '_', '-');
}
if (!empty($element['#name'])) {
$attributes['class'][] = 'form-item-' . strtr($element['#name'], array(
' ' => '-',
'_' => '-',
'[' => '-',
']' => '',
));
}
// Add a class for disabled elements to facilitate cross-browser styling.
if (!empty($element['#attributes']['disabled'])) {
$attributes['class'][] = 'form-disabled';
}
$output = '<div' . drupal_attributes($attributes) . '>' . "\n";
// If #title is not set, we don't display any label or required marker.
if (!isset($element['#title'])) {
$element['#title_display'] = 'none';
}
$prefix = isset($element['#field_prefix']) ? '<span class="field-prefix">' . $element['#field_prefix'] . '</span> ' : '';
$suffix = isset($element['#field_suffix']) ? ' <span class="field-suffix">' . $element['#field_suffix'] . '</span>' : '';
switch ($element['#title_display']) {
case 'before':
case 'invisible':
$output .= ' ' . theme('form_element_label', $variables);
$output .= ' ' . $prefix . $element['#children'] . $suffix . "\n";
break;
case 'after':
$output .= ' ' . $prefix . $element['#children'] . $suffix;
$output .= ' ' . theme('form_element_label', $variables) . "\n";
break;
case 'none':
case 'attribute':
// Output no label and no required marker, only the children.
$output .= ' ' . $prefix . $element['#children'] . $suffix . "\n";
break;
}
if (!empty($element['#description'])) {
$output .= '<div class="description">' . $element['#description'] . "</div>\n";
}
$output .= "</div>\n";
return $output;
}
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