ZF, Smarty, VDaemon

This may be a simple question, or it may not.

We are using Zend Framework with Smarty as the front end to
a DBMS. One of the requirements is the dynamic generation of
forms (at the back, I do a query of the DB server to get
table structures and data integrity rules, etc), and in the
Model in ZF, I dynamically build a form with all the
elements as required. This form is then assigned into a
Smarty variable, and rendered via the usual display .tpl
method.
We want to use VDaemon (joint server/client side form
validation library) - and whilst it should work with
"vanilla" smarty, a la http://for
um.x-code.com/viewtopic.php?t=39, I'm not sure how to do
this via Smarty, in that I want to be sure that if I put the
VDaemon style tags into the tpl as described above (by
variable "substitution" {$formsubstance}, is that
the blob that's returned back to the browser, or am I
missing something fundamental? One hiccup that comes to mind
isn't a Smarty issue per se, but relates to (as you can see
from the sample code) how that will be handled in a View.

I appreciate that this is an esoteric request. It may well
be that the advice is "Go To ZendForm, ZendLayout"
and if that really is for the best, so be it (though Zend
Form is far more palatable, as we've already got a
substantial, and working, investment in Smarty, re Layout).

Robert

Hi Robert,

I'm not sure how this relates to Zend Framework; it seems
more appropriate
for the VDaemon forum.  Maybe I'm missing something?

My thoughts: I've never been a fan of Smarty (especially
after working
with it regularly...) and Zend_Form is awesome.  Does that
help?  

-Matt

On Wed, May 7, 2008 11:58 am, Robert Gormley wrote:
> This may be a simple question, or it may not.
>
> We are using Zend Framework with Smarty as the front
end to a DBMS. One of
> the requirements is the dynamic generation of forms (at
the back, I do a
> query of the DB server to get table structures and data
integrity rules,
> etc), and in the Model in ZF, I dynamically build a
form with all the
> elements as required. This form is then assigned into a
Smarty variable,
> and rendered via the usual display .tpl method.
> We want to use VDaemon (joint server/client side form
validation library)
> - and whilst it should work with "vanilla"
smarty, a la
> http://for
um.x-code.com/viewtopic.php?t=39, I'm not sure how to do
this
> via Smarty, in that I want to be sure that if I put the
VDaemon style tags
> into the tpl as described above (by variable
"substitution"
> {$formsubstance}, is that the blob that's returned back
to the browser, or
> am I missing something fundamental? One hiccup that
comes to mind isn't a
> Smarty issue per se, but relates to (as you can see
from the sample code)
> how that will be handled in a View.
>
> I appreciate that this is an esoteric request. It may
well be that the
> advice is "Go To ZendForm, ZendLayout" and if
that really is for the best,
> so be it (though Zend Form is far more palatable, as
we've already got a
> substantial, and working, investment in Smarty, re
Layout).
>
> Robert