Performing Calculations in Visforms
Note: These features are part of the Visforms Subscription and are not included in the free Visforms version.
Programming Effort
A great deal can be achieved with Visforms without significant programming effort. In particularly detailed or highly customized situations, a largely pure configuration of individual calculations without individual programming effort is no longer possible.
Whether programming effort is considered significant or small depends, of course, on personal experience. The following compares the potential of the methods and their possible programming effort.
Forum
In the forum, detailed, specific questions on the topic of Individual Development arise regularly regarding feasibility and implementation for specific projects. These questions are addressed in the forum, answered, and valuable support is provided beyond the documentation. Sample solutions are also regularly included in our answers.
Calculations with Visforms Subscription
The Visforms Subscription offers the following four areas for custom calculations.
Note: Although the focus here is on custom calculations, some of the options in this compilation can also be used to implement much more complex requirements.
Field Type Calculation
The Field Type Calculation is easy to use and suitable for clear calculations and simple case distinctions.
- Programming knowledge: Little programming knowledge is required.
- Programming effort: Little programming effort is expected.
- Potential of the method: The possibilities are limited.
A Step-by-step guide to creating a calculating sales form is included in the documentation.
SQL Fields
With SQL Fields, you have access to the entire SQL language with all its aggregate functions for calculations.
- Programming skills: Solid programming skills are essential.
- Programming effort: Normal programming effort is to be expected.
- Potential of the method: The possibilities are slightly limited.
The documentation contains examples of forms with SQL fields.
Frontend Web Assets
The Frontend Web Assets give you the ability to load your own JavaScript and CSS into the page along with Visforms.
- Programming skills: Solid programming skills are essential.
- Programming effort: Normal to extensive programming effort is to be expected.
- Potential of the method: The possibilities are almost unlimited.
The documentation contains examples using JavaScript and CSS.
All settings and entering the finished program code are made in the form.
Note: With this option, the program code runs in the web browser.
Visforms Custom Plugin
Note: This feature is already included in the free version of Visforms.
The Visforms Custom Plugin enables the individual extension of Visforms through free PHP development in the backend of the web server.
- Programming knowledge: Very solid programming knowledge is mandatory.
- Programming effort: Normal to extensive programming effort is to be expected.
- Potential of the method: The possibilities are unlimited.
The documentation contains Custom-Plugin Examples.
The Custom-Plugin Template provides a complete template with all events and helper functions, which is included with the Visforms installation.
With its Custom-Plugin Event-System, it can integrate into all processing steps:
- Form preparation before the form is first displayed.
- Form processing after the form is submitted.
The developer can decide what additional steps should be taken.
- PHP code to customize the form’s appearance and functionality.
- PHP code to customize the preparation and processing of form data.
- PHP code to add additional JavaScript and CSS to match the form’s appearance and functionality.
Note: With this option, the program code runs in the backend of the web server, but it can also generate JavaScript and CSS for the web browser.
Summary
A summary to provide an easy overview of the possibilities for performing custom calculations with Visforms.
| Method | Required knowledge | Expected effort | Potential of possibilities | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field Type Calculation | Little | Little | Limited | |
| SQL fields | well-founded | normal | slightly limited | |
| Frontend Webassets | well-founded | normal up to any extent | almost unlimited | Program code runs in the web browser. |
| Visforms Custom Plugin | very well-founded | normal up to any extent Extensive | Unlimited | Program code runs in the backend of the web server. Can generate JavaScript and CSS for the web browser. |