this script is as part of a discussion on : http://www.jeremykendall.net/2008/12/04/zend_form_element_multi-tips-and-tricks/comment-page-1/#comment-16

I have only been using Zend Form for a couple of days - so forgive me if this is a dud tip. I found it useful anyway.
---
The Tip:

When developping, sometimes i just want to play around with my control code and toggle field names, control actions etc.

I just wanted to quickly pass all the variables around from page to page while i experiment.
---
A Quick way of generating a form that simply renders the SERVER Request Variables.

Create a subclass of Zend_Form with a method like: 

//set up the form
$form_obj = new my_Form_SimpleREQUEST_VARSmimic();
//set up the variables 
$form_obj->setupREQUESTVarsAsFields();
//render
$form_obj->render();

---
here's the fuller example


<?php





/**
*@desc the idea is that this can be called simply to mimic the Get, Post, Cookie vars to the page
* handy for developing - i find 
*/
class my_Form_SimpleREQUEST_VARSmimic extends Zend_Form
	{
	public function init()
    		{

		// Dojo-enable the form:
        	//Zend_Dojo::enableForm($this);
		Zend_Loader::registerAutoload();

		}
	/**
	*@desc
	* arg 1 the request object (my one has  a  method called getPropertiesArray to get the GPC request vars as an array )
	* arg2 array specifies which request vars to use = GET, POST, COOKIES (not actually wrtitten code for that bit,yet, though)
	* arg3 optional array of keys to exclude - useful to prevent overwriting fields that may have already been set
	* arg4 flag to specify that fileds should hidden DEFAULT | if FALSE then they will be rendered as text fields (handy for dev work)
	*/
	public function setupREQUESTVarsAsFields($request_obj,$GPC_array=array('G','P','C'),$exclude_keys_arr=array(), $as_hidden_fields = TRUE)
		{

		//myTODO: $GPC_array - to give finer-grain control over which request vars using: in_array('G',$GPC_array)

		//my $request_obj is based on the one suggested in fantastic the 'PHP OOP bible' called  "PHP 5 Objects, Patterns, and Practice", by Matt Zandstra- published by Apress -  see his site: http://www.getinstance.com/ 
		$vars_array = $request_obj->getPropertiesArray();
		reset($vars_array);


		//the conditions could be within the loop but are outside to avoid having too many conditional within the loop  

		if (!($as_hidden_fields))
			{
			//we are showing them up in the form

			while(list($key,$value) = each($vars_array))
				{
				if (in_array($key,$exclude_keys_arr))
					{
					//we are excluding the var
					continue;
					}

				if (is_array($value))
					{
					$mssg ='myTODO - deal with values as arrays';
					throw Exception($mssg);
					}
				$element_obj = new Zend_Form_Element_Text($key);
				$element_obj->setValue($value);
				$element_obj->setLabel($key);
				$this->addElement($element_obj);
				}

			}
		else	{
			//they are hidden form inputs

			while(list($key,$value) = each($vars_array))
				{
				if (in_array($key,$exclude_keys_arr))
					{
					//we are excluding the var
					continue;
					}

				if (is_array($value))
					{
					$mssg ='myTODO - deal with values as arrays';
					throw Exception($mssg);
					}

				$element_obj = new Zend_Form_Element_Hidden($key);
				$element_obj->setValue($value);
				$this->addElement($element_obj);
				}

			}
		}
	}


//.......

//then usage is in a controller, for example

e.g
My Item Editor, can be requested like:

http://example.com/manage_items/index.htm?task_action=Choose+Task
or
http://example.com/manage_items/index.htm?task_action=Choose+Item
or
http://example.com/manage_items/index.htm?task_action=Create
or
http://example.com/manage_items/index.htm?Item_id=xyz&CRUD_action=Update&itemcolor=brown&itemflavour=chocolate&task_action=Edit

//then the cotroller is called in /index.htm likes so:
----
///index.htm
$my_controller_obj = new my_controller();
$my_controller_obj->indexAction();
----




//N O T E   T H I S   I  S   
//N O T   A N   O F F I C I A L   S U B C L A  S S   O F   Zend_Controller_Action
//its a cheap, personal, copy ;o) of the ideas

class my_controller
	{
	//...

	/**
	*@desc set up some handy objects
	*/
	protected function init()
		{
		//we will be using alot of zend . so..
		Zend_Loader::registerAutoload();

		//get feedback instance
		$this->users_page_feedback_obj = my_users_page_feedback_singleton::getInstance();

		//get the page builder obj - its an object i use to mix up my old 'badly coded Non-MVC' site pages with newer MVC pages
		$this->page_builder_obj =  my_retro_page_builder_sngltn::getInstance();

		//handy
		$this->request_obj = my_request::getInstance();
		
		}



	/**
	*@desc the main controller point called by client
	*/
    	public function indexAction()
		{

		//set this so that we know the name of the key/input name that determines the task action (may be different for each controller)
		$this->task_action_input_name= 'task_action';

		//for use elsewhere - but set here to make it easier to edit-in-one-place if amended
		$this->task_action_options_array = array('Choose Task','Edit','Create','Choose Item');

		//pick up the 'task action to do' string from the request
		$task_action = $this->request_obj->getProperty($this->task_action_input_name);

		//validate the action that we were passed using Zend
		$task_action_form_element_obj = $this->get_task_action_form_element_obj();
		if (!($task_action_form_element_obj->isValid($task_action)))
			{
			$mssgs_arr[] = 'Controller error: Invalid '. $this->task_action_input_name;
			$mssgs_arr[] = $task_action_form_element_obj->getMessages();

			$this->users_page_feedback_obj->addUserMssgArray($mssgs_arr, 'warning');
			//echo('its NOT valid action: '.$task_action);

			return; 
			}
		else	{
			//its valid - we know we can safely use it as output for our title
			$this->pg_title2_value_str =$this->task_action_input_name;
			}

		//SEE: $this->task_action_options_array for list of avaiable 'case' / 'options'
		switch ($task_action)
			{
			case 'Edit':
				//...code here
				break;
			case 'Create':
				//...code here
				break;
			case 'Choose Item':
				//...code here
				break;
			case 'Choose Task':
				//follow thru
			default:
				//choose a task				
				$this->chooseTaskAction();
			}
		}




	/**
	*@desc asks the user to choose which action to do -the default action if no action given - forwarding all the requested vars to whatever task is chosen 
	 * (handy if i have not  coded the my 'Edit' and 'Create' and 'Choose Item' actions yet ) 
	 *
	*/
    	protected function chooseTaskAction()
		{
		//$this->pg_title2_value_str ='Choose Task';


		$mssg = 'No task specified';
		$this->users_page_feedback_obj->addUserMssg($mssg  , 'warning' );


		//set up the form
		$form_obj = new my_Form_SimpleREQUEST_VARSmimic();
		//get the zend view object for zend dojo to play with
		$Z_view_obj = $this->page_builder_obj->get_Z_view_obj();
		//register a generic view hlper
		$form_obj->setView($Z_view_obj);
		//Zend_Dojo::enableView($Z_view_obj);


		$form_obj->setAction($this->get_BASE_actions_HREF())
     						->setMethod('post');
		$form_obj->setAttrib('id', 'choose_task');

		//get the task_action
		$element_obj = $this->get_task_action_form_element_obj();
		$form_obj->addElement($element_obj);

		//stick a button on it
		$form_obj->addElement(new Zend_Form_Element_Submit('submit'));


		//pass existing request vars into form fields (telling it NOT to overwrite the elements that i have just made up in the lines above )
		$form_obj->setupREQUESTVarsAsFields($this->request_obj,$GPC_array=array('G','P'), $exclude_keys=array($this->task_action_input_name,'submit'), FALSE);

		$str = $form_obj->render();

		//this is just my way of passing my content to be rendered by a view script (registering it with my page_builder_obj)
		$center_stage_content_obj = new my_UserInterfaceComponent_PrimitiveTypeStringValue($str);
		$this->page_builder_obj->append_center_stage_content($center_stage_content_obj,$explicit_glue='');

		}

	/**
	*@desc useful to use in a kind of input_filter way for validation of the variable - not necessarily just for forms
	*/
	protected function get_task_action_form_element_obj()
		{
		//----------------

		$element_obj = new Zend_Form_Element_Select($this->task_action_input_name);
		$options = $this->task_action_options_array;
		$options = array_combine($options, $options); //thanks jeremykendall.net

		
		$element_obj		->addMultiOptions($options)
					->setLabel('Task')
					->addValidator(new Zend_Validate_InArray(array_keys($options)));
		//-----------
		return $element_obj;
		}

	//...
	}



//.......