Field Types

DataView provides built-in field types that handle data type mapping, input sanitization, and HTML input rendering.

Built-in Types

Type	HTML Input	Sanitizer	Description
string	text	sanitize_text_field	Single-line text
text	textarea	sanitize_textarea_field	Multi-line text
email	email	sanitize_email	Email address
url	url	esc_url_raw	URL
integer	number	intval	Whole numbers
boolean	checkbox	custom	True/false values
date	date	sanitize_text_field	Date (YYYY-MM-DD)
datetime	datetime-local	sanitize_text_field	Date and time
repeater	repeater	JSON sanitizer	Collection of sub-items

Defining Fields

Fields can be defined in two formats:

Simple Format

Use a string for the type:

'fields' => [
    'name'  => 'string',
    'email' => 'email',
    'count' => 'integer',
    'notes' => 'text',
]

Complex Format

Use an array with a type key for additional configuration:

'fields' => [
    'name' => [
        'type'        => 'string',
        'label'       => 'Full Name',
        'placeholder' => 'Enter your name',
        'description' => 'Your legal name',
    ],
    'quantity' => [
        'type' => 'integer',
        'min'  => 1,
        'max'  => 100,
    ],
]

The complex format is required for repeater fields and allows additional configuration for any type.

Field Configuration Options

Common options available in complex format:

Option	Type	Description
type	string	The field type (required)
label	string	Display label (auto-generated from name if not set)
placeholder	string	Placeholder text for input
description	string	Help text shown below the field

Type-specific options:

Type	Option	Description
integer	min	Minimum value
integer	max	Maximum value
text	rows	Number of textarea rows

Boolean Sanitization

The boolean sanitizer accepts various truthy values:

• true, '1', 'true', 'yes', 'on' → true
• false, '0', '', 'no', any other value → false

Type Coercion

DataView automatically coerces values based on field type:

// Integer field with string input
$handler->create(['count' => '5']); // Stored as integer 5

// Boolean field with various inputs
$handler->create(['active' => 'yes']); // Stored as true
$handler->create(['active' => '0']);   // Stored as false

Custom Field Types

You can register custom field types. See Custom Field Types for details.

$registry = $view->get_field_registry();

$registry->register_type('phone', [
    'dataset'   => DataSet::TYPE_STRING,
    'sanitizer' => function($value) {
        return preg_replace('/[^0-9+\-\s()]/', '', $value);
    },
    'schema'    => ['type' => 'varchar', 'length' => 20],
    'input'     => 'tel',
]);