Multicolumn Form

package components
{
        import flash.display.DisplayObject;
        import flash.events.Event;
        
        import mx.collections.ArrayCollection;
        import mx.containers.Form;
        import mx.containers.FormItem;
        import mx.containers.HBox;
        
        public class MultiColumnForm extends HBox
        {
                private var _inputItems:ArrayCollection = null;
                private var _maxColumns:int = 2;
                private var _columns:Array;
                
                public function MultiColumnForm()
                {
                        super();
                        _inputItems = new ArrayCollection();
                        _columns = new Array();
                        
                }
                
                public function set maxColumns(maxColumns:int):void
{
                        _maxColumns = maxColumns;
                }
                
                public function
creationCompleteHandler(event:Event):void {
                        refresh();
                }
                
                override public function
addChild(child:DisplayObject):DisplayObject {
                        var displayObject:DisplayObject = null;
                        displayObject = _inputItems.addItem(child)
as DisplayObject;
                        refresh();                      
                        return displayObject;
                }
                
                override public function
addChildAt(child:DisplayObject, index:int):DisplayObject {
                        if(child is FormItem) {
                                var displayObject:DisplayObject =
_inputItems.addItemAt(child,index) as DisplayObject;
                                refresh();
                                return displayObject;
                        } else {
                                return
super.addChildAt(child,index);
                        }
                }
                
                override public function
removeChild(child:DisplayObject):DisplayObject {
                        if(child is FormItem) {
                                var index:int =
_inputItems.getItemIndex(child);
                                var displayObject:DisplayObject =
_inputItems.removeItemAt(index) as DisplayObject;
                                refresh();
                                return displayObject
                        } else {
                                return super.removeChild(child);
                        }
                }
                
                override public function
getChildIndex(child:DisplayObject):int {
                        if(child is FormItem) {
                                return
_inputItems.getItemIndex(child);
                        } else {
                                return getChildIndex(child);
                        }
                }
                
                override public function removeAllChildren():void {
                        _inputItems.removeAll();
                        super.removeAllChildren();
                }
                
                override public function getChildren():Array {
                        return _inputItems.source;
                }
                
                private function generateColumns(maxColumns:int,
items:Array):void {
                        var totalItems:int = items.length;
                        var itemsByColumn:int = totalItems /
maxColumns;
                        if( (totalItems % maxColumns) == 0) {
                                for (var i:int = 0;
i<maxColumns; i++) {
                                        var form:Form = new Form();
                                        for(var j:int = 0;
j<itemsByColumn && items.length > 0; j++) {
                                               
form.addChildAt(items.pop(),0);
                                        }
                                        if(form.numChildren != 0) {
                                               
_columns.push(form);
                                        }
                                }
                        } else {
                                var form:Form = new Form();
                                for(var k:int = 0;
k<itemsByColumn && items.length > 0; k++) {
                                       
form.addChildAt(items.pop(),0);
                                }
                                if(form.numChildren != 0) {
                                        _columns.push(form);
                                }
                                generateColumns(maxColumns - 1,
items);
                                
                        }
                        
                }
                
                private function refresh():void {
                                super.removeAllChildren();
                                var itemsToAdd:Array = new Array();
                                _columns = new Array();
                                
                                for each (var formItem:FormItem in
_inputItems) {
                                        if(formItem != null
&& formItem.visible) {
                                               
itemsToAdd.push(formItem);
                                        }
                                }
                               
generateColumns(_maxColumns,itemsToAdd);
                                for (var i:int = _columns.length -
1; i>=0; i--) {
                                       
super.addChild(_columns[i]);
                                }
                }
                
        }
}