Create controls without form?

[rchav]

Is it possible to create form elements like the ComboBox without creating the dynamic form?

I'm just focusing on the client side of control creation with pure javascript?

[rchav]

Perhaps I shall explain my question better.

I know it is possible to construct a button or label by just calling the isc.Button.create() or isc.Label.create() function from javascript. There is no need to create a dynamic form first and then create the button/label as one if its members.

But then I noticed that I can't seem to do this with a ComboBox or other controls that can be created using the dynForm.

My requirement is simply create Smarclient versions of our current html-form controls within a form that is already built using html with a very sofisticated backend engine. I dont really get the point of having a dynamic Form object when my layout is already done, my from is working, and all I want is to inherit the features of some Smartclient controls to enhance user experience.

thanks.

[rchav]

Bumping up ....

[davidj6]

They have to be wrapped in a form because they are "data aware". The form items are not just HTML replacements but far more than that. You may want to revisit your architecture.

[solstice]

If you don't want to re-write the form as a SmartClient DynamicForm, you can just put the code into an HTMLPane. Of course, you will lose all of the benefits of the SmartClient control framework if you do that, and I would have to question why you are using SmartClient in the first place if you are just going to circumvent it, but that is how it would be done.

If all that you are interested in are UI widgets, davidj6 is correct, you can't separate them out. You would be better off with a standard widget like HTMLGoodies or one designed to augment a library like jQuery. However, converting a regular HTML form to a DynamicForm is really not all that difficult (once you learn how) and whatever you are using on the backend is immaterial. Separation of concerns and all that.