Section functionality

[shynkaruck]

Add Section functionality to Nextcloud Forms

Description

This PR adds a new "Section" element type to Nextcloud Forms that acts as a visual separator to group fields logically, without affecting data storage, validation, or submission logic.

Functional Requirements

1. Section Creation

• New "Section" element type in the form editor
• Only parameter: section name (title) visible to users

2. Editor Display

• Sections appear as non-input elements
• Draggable for reordering
• Title displayed in bold/visually distinct style
• No description field for sections
• Bottom separator line for visual distinction

3. Form Filling Display

• Sections display as headings/subheadings at their position
• No influence on validation, mandatory fields, or submission flow

4. Export/View Responses Behavior

• Sections do not affect CSV export or response viewing
• Not stored in user responses

Technical Implementation

Backend Changes

Constants and Types

• lib/Constants.php: Added ANSWER_TYPE_SECTION = 'section' constant
• lib/ResponseDefinitions.php: Updated FormsQuestionType to include "section"

API Controller (lib/Controller/ApiController.php)

• Section Validation: Sections cannot be required, have options, or file uploads
• Answer Storage: Sections are filtered out from answer storage
• Export Filtering: Sections are excluded from submissions export
• Form Cloning: Sections maintain isRequired = false when cloning forms

Submission Service (lib/Service/SubmissionService.php)

• Export Data: Sections are filtered out from CSV/Excel export data
• Validation: Sections are ignored during submission validation

Frontend Changes

Components

• src/components/Questions/QuestionSection.vue: New component for section rendering
• src/components/Questions/Question.vue: Updated to support section display and editing
• src/models/AnswerTypes.js: Added section type with appropriate icon and labels
• src/models/Constants.ts: Added ANSWER_TYPE_SECTION constant

Views

• src/views/Create.vue: Updated to pass question type to components
• src/views/Submit.vue: Updated to filter sections from validation and storage
• src/components/Results/ResultsSummary.vue: Updated to handle sections in results display
• src/components/Results/Submission.vue: Updated to filter sections from submission data

Testing

Backend Tests

ApiControllerTest.php

• testUpdateQuestion_sectionCannotBeRequired(): Verifies sections cannot be made required
• testNewOption_sectionCannotHaveOptions(): Verifies sections cannot have options
• testUploadFiles_sectionCannotHaveFileUploads(): Verifies sections cannot have file uploads
• testGetSubmissions_sectionsAreFilteredOut(): Verifies sections are filtered from export
• testNewSubmission_sectionsAreNotStored(): Verifies sections are not stored in answers

SubmissionServiceTest.php

• testGetSubmissionsData_sectionsAreFilteredOut(): Verifies sections are filtered from export data
• testValidateSubmission_sectionsAreIgnored(): Verifies sections are ignored in validation
• testValidateSubmission_sectionsCannotBeRequired(): Verifies sections cannot be required in validation

Files Changed

Backend Files

• lib/Constants.php - Added section constant
• lib/ResponseDefinitions.php - Updated type definitions
• lib/Controller/ApiController.php - Added section validation and filtering
• lib/Service/SubmissionService.php - Added export filtering

Frontend Files

• src/components/Questions/QuestionSection.vue - New section component
• src/components/Questions/Question.vue - Updated for section support
• src/models/AnswerTypes.js - Added section type
• src/models/Constants.ts - Added section constant
• src/views/Create.vue - Updated component props
• src/views/Submit.vue - Updated validation and storage logic
• src/components/Results/ResultsSummary.vue - Updated results display
• src/components/Results/Submission.vue - Updated submission handling

Test Files

• tests/Unit/Controller/ApiControllerTest.php - Added section tests
• tests/Unit/Service/SubmissionServiceTest.php - Added section tests

Screenshots

Before

• No section functionality available

After

• Section element available in form editor
• Sections display as visual separators with titles
• Sections can be reordered like other form elements
• Sections do not appear in form submissions or exports

Breaking Changes

None. This is a purely additive feature that does not affect existing functionality.

Notes to Reviewers

• All hardcoded string literals have been replaced with constants (Constants::ANSWER_TYPE_SECTION on backend, ANSWER_TYPE_SECTION on frontend)
• Sections are completely filtered out from data storage and export to ensure they don't affect existing functionality
• Comprehensive test coverage has been added for all section-related functionality
• The implementation follows Nextcloud Forms coding standards and patterns

Related Issues

This PR implements the section functionality as requested in the technical specification.

[Chartman123]

Hi @shynkaruck

thanks for your pull request :) Before getting into detail two things that I noticed at a first quick look at the code.

Also please have a look at the failed checks and fix them.

[Chartman123]

Why are you adding this? It's not used anywhere...

[Chartman123]

Please remove this file from the PR