How to use nested form handlers in Symfony 3 - php

Question

I'm learning Symfony to move an old website from flat-PHP to a framework.
In the old website I have a page with two levels of forms: the first one is just a button with which the user accepts some conditions, while the second one sends a message to the website admin. When the user clicks the button in the first form, the page is refreshed and the second form appears. The important thing is that the user can't get access to the second form without pushing the first button.
Right now, the action method is this one:
/**
* #Route("/ask-consultation", name="ask_consultation")
*/
public function askConsultationAction(Request $request)
{
$em = $this->getDoctrine()->getManager();
$form = $form = $this->createFormBuilder()
->add('submit', SubmitType::class, array('label' => 'Confermo'))
->getForm();
$form->handleRequest($request);
if ($form->isSubmitted() && $form->isValid()) {
$consultation = new Consultation;
$form = $this->createForm(AskConsultationType::class, $consultation);
$form->handleRequest($request);
if ($form->isSubmitted() && $form->isValid()) {
$consultation = $form->getData();
$em = $this->getDoctrine()->getManager();
$em->persist($consultation);
$em->flush();
return $this->redirectToRoute('homepage');
}
return $this->render('visitor/consultation/ask_step2.html.twig', [
'base_dir' => realpath($this->getParameter('kernel.root_dir').'/..').DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR,
'sidebars' => $em->getRepository('AppBundle:Sidebar')->findAllOrderedBySortingPosition(),
'form' => $form->createView(),
]);
}
When I go to /ask-consultation it shows me the button to accept certain conditions; when I click the button, it shows me the form to send the message, but when I send it, I don't get redirected to homepage, but again to the first page of /ask-consultation.
I understand why this code doesn't work, but I can't understand how to make it work. One solution could be some sort of modal dialog for the first form, but if possible I'd prefer to handle all the passages in PHP. Is it possible to split the form handling without changing the route?
The most important thing in my case is that the user can't get to the second form without first having clicked on the first button.

Answer 1

Render everything in a single form but use javascript (jQuery) to hide the ask-consultation part of the form. When the user clicks "Confirm", then unhide the form. This avoids the controller altogether for the confirmation step. You don't seem to be recording this confirmation anyway, so just let the client side handle things. You can still check (on form submission) to see that the "confirmation" was accepted, for example by setting a hidden variable through javascript.

Answer 2

It turns out the answer was quite simple.
In my mind, I had to handle the second form inside the first if ($form->isSubmitted() && $form->isValid()), but of course that's not the path taken by PHP. Everytime the route gets loaded, askConsultationAction() is run from its first instruction. I simply had to initialize both forms (with different variable names, obviously), and handle the forms one after the other, rather than one inside the other.
This code works like a charm:
/**
* #Route("/ask-consultation", name="ask_consultation")
*/
public function askConsultationAction(Request $request)
{
$em = $this->getDoctrine()->getManager();
$consultation = new Consultation;
$conditions_form = $this->createFormBuilder()
->add('submit', SubmitType::class, array('label' => 'Confermo'))
->getForm();
$consultation_form = $this->createForm(AskConsultationType::class, $consultation);
$consultation_form->handleRequest($request);
$conditions_form->handleRequest($request);
if ($conditions_form->isSubmitted() && $conditions_form->isValid()) {
return $this->render('visitor/consultation/ask_step2.html.twig', [
'base_dir' => realpath($this->getParameter('kernel.root_dir').'/..').DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR,
'sidebars' => $em->getRepository('AppBundle:Sidebar')->findAllOrderedBySortingPosition(),
'form' => $consultation_form->createView(),
]);
}
if ($consultation_form->isSubmitted() && $consultation_form->isValid()) {
$consultation = $consultation_form->getData();
$em = $this->getDoctrine()->getManager();
$em->persist($consultation);
$em->flush();
return $this->redirectToRoute('homepage');
}
return $this->render('visitor/consultation/ask_step1.html.twig', [
'base_dir' => realpath($this->getParameter('kernel.root_dir').'/..').DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR,
'sidebars' => $em->getRepository('AppBundle:Sidebar')->findAllOrderedBySortingPosition(),
'form' => $conditions_form->createView(),
]);
}
Maybe, it would be even better if I used an else... if....