Liferay is a popular platform for building intranets, extranets, and web portals. One of its key features is the ability to easily create custom forms that allow collecting information from users. In this article, we'll explore how you can create custom forms in Liferay step by step.

Getting Started

Before you begin creating a form, make sure you have the appropriate permissions. To create and edit forms, you need to be in a role with content management permissions in your Liferay instance.

Step 1: Accessing the Form Builder Tool

In the Liferay navigation menu, go to "Content" and then "Forms." Here, you'll see a list of any forms already created and the option to add a new form.

Step 2: Creating a New Form

Click on the "Add New Form" button. Enter the name of your form and a description if necessary. This will take you to the form builder, where you can start adding fields and configuring your form.

Step 3: Adding and Configuring Fields

In the form builder, you can add various types of fields by dragging them from the side panel to the form workspace. For each field, you can set parameters such as the field name, required status, default values, and validation rules.

Step 4: Setting Actions After Submission

Liferay allows you to set what happens after the form is submitted. You can, for example, set up sending a confirmation email to the user, redirecting to a specific page, or saving data to a database. You'll find these settings in the "Settings" section at the bottom of the form builder.

Step 5: Publishing and Testing the Form

Once you've finished designing and configuring the form, don't forget to save and publish it. Then, it's important to test the form in practice to ensure everything works as expected and that all data is collected and processed correctly.

Advanced Tips

• For more complex form scenarios, consider using Liferay's Dynamic Data Mapping (DDM) framework, which allows creating intricate forms and customizing data processing.
• If you need integration with external systems, Liferay provides an API interface that you can use to connect forms with your enterprise applications.

Creating custom forms in Liferay doesn't have to be difficult. With a little practice and experimentation, you can quickly create effective forms that meet your business needs.