Add a reply form textfield for each received message - php

Question

I have a private message bundle/entity that allows my users to send messages between them.
Its fields are as follows:
/**
* #var integer
*
* #ORM\Column(name="id", type="integer")
* #ORM\Id
* #ORM\GeneratedValue(strategy="AUTO")
*/
protected $id;
/**
* #var string
* #Assert\NotBlank(message="private_message.title.blank")
* #ORM\Column(name="title", type="string", length=50)
*/
protected $title;
/**
* #Assert\NotBlank(message="private_message.receiver.blank")
* #AcmeAssert\IsHimself(message="private_message.receiver.himself", groups={"new"})
* #ORM\ManyToOne(targetEntity="MedAppBundle\Entity\User")
* #ORM\JoinColumn(referencedColumnName="id")
*/
protected $receiver;
/**
* #ORM\ManyToOne(targetEntity="MedAppBundle\Entity\User")
* #ORM\JoinColumn(referencedColumnName="id")
*/
protected $sender;
/**
* #var string
* #Assert\NotBlank(message="private_message.content.blank")
* #ORM\Column(name="content", type="string")
*/
protected $content;
/**
* #var \DateTime
*
* #ORM\Column(name="sentAt", type="datetime")
*/
protected $sentAt;
/**
* #var boolean
*
* #ORM\Column(name="isSpam", type="boolean")
*/
protected $isSpam = false;
/**
* #var \DateTime
*
* #ORM\Column(name="seenAt", type="datetime",nullable=true)
*/
protected $seenAt = null;
/**
* #ORM\ManyToOne(targetEntity="PrivateMessageBundle\Entity\Message",inversedBy="replies")
* #ORM\JoinColumn(referencedColumnName="id",nullable=true)
*/
protected $replyof;
/**
* #ORM\OneToMany(targetEntity="PrivateMessageBundle\Entity\Message", mappedBy="replyof")
**/
private $replies;
public function __construct() {
$this->replies = new ArrayCollection();
}
Notice the replyof field, it references to another message, and the replies one references to an array of messages. If replyof is null, then the message is not a reply of any message.
I have a twig template with a macro that displays a user's message and all the replies of that message. What I'd like to do is have a reply textfield under each of these, exactly like Gmail has, that allows me to add a reply to each message.
But when I add it to the template, only one is rendered because it has one single Id. How can I add a reply form after each reply? What their FormType should look like?
Here is also my twig template:
{% macro displayReply(reply,replyform) %}
{% import _self as macros %}
{# <li> id: {{ reply.id }} </li>
<li> sent by: {{ reply.sender }} </li>
<li> title: {{ reply.title }} </li>
<li> content: {{ reply.content }} </li>
<li> date: {{ reply.sentAt|date('d-m-Y H:i:s') }} </li>
reply
<hr> #}
<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-body">
<div class="message-info">
<input type="hidden" name="messageid" id="messageId" value="{{ reply.id }}">
<div class="message-title clearfix">
<h4 class="pull-left">{{ reply.title }}</h4>
</div>
<hr class="lite-line">
<div class="message-sender clearfix">
<div class="pull-left sender">
{{ reply.sender }}
</div>
<div class="pull-right">
to <b>{{ (reply.receiver==app.user)?'me':reply.receiver }}</b> on <span
class="message-timestamp">{{ reply.sentAt|date('F d, Y H:i:s') }}</span>
<a class="btn btn-start-order" role="button"
href="{{ path('private_message_new',{'msg':reply.id}) }}">Reply</a>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="lite-line">
<div class="message-box clearfix">
<span>{{ reply.content | replace({"<script>" : "", "</script>" : ""}) | raw }}</span>
</div>
{{ form_start(replyform) }}
<input type="submit">
{{ form_end(replyform) }}
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% for reply in reply.replies %}
{% if loop.first %}<div>{% endif %}
{{ macros.displayReply(reply) }}
{% if loop.last %}</div>{% endif %}
{% endfor %}
{% endmacro %}
{% import _self as macros %}
{# use the macro #}
<div class="message-back">
<a class="btn btn-start-order-dark btn-block" role="button"
href="{{ path('private_message',{'page':'inbox'}) }}">
<span class="fa fa-undo"></span> Go back
</a>
</div>
<div class="messages">
<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-body">
<div class="message-info">
<input type="hidden" name="messageid" id="messageId" value="{{ message.id }}">
<div class="message-title clearfix">
<h4 class="pull-left">{{ message.title }}</h4>
</div>
<hr class="lite-line">
<div class="message-sender clearfix">
<div class="pull-left sender">
{{ message.sender }}
</div>
<div class="pull-right">
to <b>{{ (message.receiver==app.user)?'me':message.receiver }}</b> on <span
class="message-timestamp">{{ message.sentAt|date('F d, Y H:i:s') }}</span> <a
class="btn btn-start-order" role="button"
href="{{ path('private_message_new',{'msg':message.id}) }}">Reply</a>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="lite-line">
<div class="message-box clearfix">
<span>{{ message.content | replace({"<script>" : "", "</script>" : ""}) | raw }}</span>
</div>
{{ form_start(replyform) }}
<input type="submit">
{{ form_end(replyform) }}
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% for reply in message.replies %}
{% if loop.first %}<div class="replies">{% endif %}
{{ macros.displayReply(reply ,replyform) }}
{% if loop.last %}</div>{% endif %}
{% endfor %}
Notice that I first display the message, then apply the macro to it that displays all its replies as a tree. It will display the replies's replies, too, in a recursive manner, all the way until the leaf nodes. I add a 'replyform' after each, but I'm not sure how the FormType should be.
My reply form type is like this, but I'm pretty sure it is wrong.
public function buildForm(FormBuilderInterface $builder, array $options)
{
$builder
->add('title')
->add('content', 'textarea')
;
}
As for the other fields of the reply, I take care of them in the controller. I think I should be doing this after receiving the message from the form though. Something like this, and get the title, content and replyof from the formdata.
$messages = $this->getDoctrine()->getRepository('PrivateMessageBundle:Message');
$isforme = $messages->findOneBy(array('receiver' => $this->getUser(), 'id' => $msg));
$message = new Message();
$message->setSender($this->getUser());
$message->setSentAt(new \Datetime('now'));
$message->setReplyof($isforme);
$message->setReceiver($isforme->getSender());
$form = $this->createForm(new MessageReplyType($em), $message);
EDIT
Ok, so I made something that works, by adding a hidden field and hardcoding multiple forms instead of using FormTypes, but I still think that this can be done in a better, more reusable way.
<form name="privatemessagebundle_message" method="post" action="" id="{{ reply.id }}">
<div><label for="privatemessagebundle_message_title" class="required">Title</label><input
type="text" id="privatemessagebundle_message_title"
name="privatemessagebundle_message[title]" required="required" maxlength="50"></div>
<div><label for="privatemessagebundle_message_content" class="required">Content</label><textarea
id="privatemessagebundle_message_content"
name="privatemessagebundle_message[content]" required="required"></textarea></div>
<input type="hidden" id="privatemessagebundle_message_replyof"
name="privatemessagebundle_message[replyof]" value="{{ reply.id }}">
<input type="submit">
<input type="hidden" id="privatemessagebundle_message__token"
name="privatemessagebundle_message[_token]"
value="{{ csrf_token('privatemessagebundle_message') }}">
</form>
Anyone got any better ideas?

Answer 1

I did it! I used the answer from this question.
Since I'm using foreach loops and they might be a bit low on performance, anyone with a better idea is welcomed. There is still the bounty to receive.
I'm creating a form for each of my forms through createNamedBuilder. They will have different names, thus different id's and Symfony will render them all. Then, I can render them where I want and handle their request just fine through their unique id taken from the database.
$genforms = $this->genReplyForms($isforme); // run the function for my message
$forms_views = $genforms['views']; // pass to the view
$forms= $genforms['forms']; // handle request...
This is the function that generated the form. It recursively generates them for each reply of my message.
public function genReplyForms(Message $message)
{
$id = $message->getId();
$msgreply[$id] = new Message();
$forms[$id] = $this->container
->get('form.factory')
->createNamedBuilder('form_'.$id, new MessageReplyType(), $msgreply[$id])
->getForm();
$forms_views[$id] = $forms[$id]->createView();
$result = array(array(), array());
$result['forms'][$id] = $forms[$id];
$result['views'][$id] = $forms_views[$id];
if (sizeof($message->getReplies())) {
foreach ($message->getReplies() as $reply) {
$child = $this->genReplyForms($reply);
$result['forms'] = $result['forms'] + $child['forms'];
$result['views'] = $result['views'] + $child['views'];
}
}
return $result;
}
MessageReplyType needs just user input. Everything else is handled in the controller
$builder
->add('title')
->add('content', 'textarea')
;
Also, my simplified twig. I've simplified the macro call, too. Was doing an unnecessary foreach loop for the first message instead of simply passing it to the macro.
{% macro displayReply(reply, forms) %}
{% import _self as macros %}
{# <li> id: {{ reply.id }} </li>
<li> sent by: {{ reply.sender }} </li>
<li> title: {{ reply.title }} </li>
<li> content: {{ reply.content }} </li>
<li> date: {{ reply.sentAt|date('d-m-Y H:i:s') }} </li>
reply
<hr> #}
<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-body">
<div class="message-info">
<input type="hidden" name="messageid" id="messageId" value="{{ reply.id }}">
<div class="message-title clearfix">
<h4 class="pull-left">{{ reply.title }}</h4>
</div>
<hr class="lite-line">
<div class="message-sender clearfix">
<div class="pull-left sender">
{{ reply.sender }}
</div>
<div class="pull-right">
to <b>{{ (reply.receiver==app.user)?'me':reply.receiver }}</b> on <span
class="message-timestamp">{{ reply.sentAt|date('F d, Y H:i:s') }}</span>
{# <a class="btn btn-start-order" role="button"
href="{{ path('private_message_new',{'msg':reply.id}) }}">Reply</a> #}
</div>
</div>
<hr class="lite-line">
<div class="message-box clearfix">
<span>{{ reply.content | replace({"<script>" : "", "</script>" : ""}) | raw }}</span>
</div>
{{ form_start(forms[reply.id]) }}
<input type="submit">
{{ form_end(forms[reply.id]) }}
{# NU STERGE! #}
{#
<form name="privatemessagebundle_message" method="post" action="" id="{{ reply.id }}">
<div><label for="privatemessagebundle_message_title" class="required">Title</label><input
type="text" id="privatemessagebundle_message_title"
name="privatemessagebundle_message[title]" required="required" maxlength="50"></div>
<div><label for="privatemessagebundle_message_content" class="required">Content</label><textarea
id="privatemessagebundle_message_content"
name="privatemessagebundle_message[content]" required="required"></textarea></div>
<input type="hidden" id="privatemessagebundle_message_replyof"
name="privatemessagebundle_message[replyof]" value="{{ reply.id }}">
<input type="submit">
<input type="hidden" id="privatemessagebundle_message__token"
name="privatemessagebundle_message[_token]"
value="{{ csrf_token('privatemessagebundle_message') }}"></form>#}
{# NU STERGE! #}
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% for reply in reply.replies %}
{% if loop.first %}<div>{% endif %}
{{ macros.displayReply(reply,forms) }}
{% if loop.last %}</div>{% endif %}
{% endfor %}
{% endmacro %}
{% import _self as macros %}
{# use the macro #}
<div class="message-back">
<a class="btn btn-start-order-dark btn-block" role="button"
href="{{ path('private_message',{'page':'inbox'}) }}">
<span class="fa fa-undo"></span> Go back
</a>
</div>
<div class="replies">
{{ macros.displayReply(message, forms) }}
</div>
Again, I'm still looking for better or more efficient alternatives, so please do post them.