Description API

The Description API is how a model tells the user interface what to show. The model returns plain description objects; they are serialized to JSON and the React components (Table, Form, inputs) render themselves from them. You change the UI by changing the description, usually without any React code.

Description	Created by	Class	Page
Table (title, filters, buttons, permissions, columns)	`Model::describeTable()`	`Hubleto\Framework\Description\Table`	Table
Form (title, buttons, defaults, relations)	`Model::describeForm()`	`Hubleto\Framework\Description\Form`	Form
Input (type, title, hint, enum values, component)	`Column` objects, `describeInput()`	`Hubleto\Framework\Description\Input`	below

Descriptions.

Flow

React Table  ──GET api/table/describe?model=...──►  Model::describeTable()  ──►  Description\Table (JSON)
React Form   ──GET api/form/describe?model=...──►   Model::describeForm()   ──►  Description\Form  (JSON)
                                                    Model::describeColumns() ──►  Input descriptions

Input: the properties of a column

Every column is a Description\Input. These properties can be set with fluent setters:

Property	Setter	Meaning
type	`setType()`	The type of the input (set by the column class).
title	`setTitle()`	Label.
required, readonly	`setRequired()`, `setReadonly()`	Validation and editability.
defaultValue	`setDefaultValue()`	Value of a new record.
hint, examples	`setHint()`, `setExamples()`	Help texts.
unit, icon, format, decimals, step	`setUnit()`, `setIcon()`, ...	Number and amount formatting.
enumValues, enumCssClasses	`setEnumValues()`, `setEnumCssClasses()`	Fixed lists of values and their colors.
predefinedValues	`setPredefinedValues()`	Suggested values of a text input.
lookupModel, endpoint, creatable	`setLookupModel()`, `setEndpoint()`, `setCreatable()`	Dropdown for `Lookup` columns.
reactComponent	`setReactComponent()`	Which input component renders it.
cssClass	`setCssClass()`	CSS classes of the input.
yesText, noText	`setYesText()`, `setNoText()`	Labels of a `Boolean` input.
properties	`setProperty($name, $value)`	Any other property, e.g. `sql` of a virtual column.

Properties of Description\Input.

NOTE setPlaceholder() and setFormat() are declared with a bool parameter in the current framework although the properties are strings. Check that the placeholder you set really appears in the form. If it does not, describe the problem in hubleto-framework-patches.md.

Customize an input of one model

describeInput($columnName) returns the input description of a column. Override it to change it for this model only:

apps/Customers/Models/Customer.php (excerpt)

  public function describeInput(string $columnName): Input
  {
    $description = parent::describeInput($columnName);
    switch ($columnName) {
      case 'shared_folder':
        $description
          ->setReactComponent('InputHyperlink')
          ->setHint($this->translate('Link to shared folder (online storage) with related documents'))
        ;
        break;
    }
    return $description;
  }