API.txt in Maxlength 6.2

# Custom Integration

The maxlength counter can be added to forms in your own module or another.

At its simplest, the API for a form textfield or textarea requires adding the
following to your form element in a form builder or hook_form_alter():

  
    module_load_include('inc', 'maxlength');
    $form['pony']['#max_length_properties'] = array(
      'limit' => $limit,
      'use_js' => TRUE,
      'text' => t('Your message, where the tokens "!limit", "!remaining" and "!count" are replaced with their values.'),
    );
  

If you want to allow user configuration of the maxlength of your form element, you need more steps.

Build settings like this:

   
      $form['pony']['maxlength_pony'] = array(
      '#type' => 'textfield',
      '#title' => t('!label max length', array('!label' => ucwords($label))),
      '#field_suffix' => t('characters'),
      '#return_value' => 1,
      '#size' => 4,
      '#default_value' => variable_get('maxlength_pony_'. $type, MAXLENGTH_DEFAULT_LENGTH),
      '#description' => t('Maximum number of characters allowed for the !type field of this content type. Leave blank for an unlimited size.', array('!type' => $label)) .'
'.
      ''. t('Please remember, it counts all characters, including HTML, so may not work as expected with rich text editors e.g. FCKeditor / tinyMCE.') .'',
    );
    $form['pony']['maxlength_pony_js'] = array(
      '#type' => 'checkbox',
      '#title' => t('Enable remaining characters countdown for the !label', array('!label' => ucwords($label))),
      '#default_value' => variable_get('maxlength_pony_js_'. $type, MAXLENGTH_DEFAULT_USE_JS),
      '#description' => t('This will enable a Javascript based count down, as well as the client side validation for the !type field of this content type. If no limit set this is ignored.', array('!type' => $label)),
    );
    $form['pony']['maxlength_pony_text'] = array(
      '#type' => 'textarea',
      '#title' => t('!label count down message', array('!label' => ucwords($label))),
      '#default_value' => variable_get('maxlength_pony_text_'. $type, MAXLENGTH_DEFAULT_TEXT),
      '#description' => t('The text used in the Javascript message under the !type input, where "!limit", "!remaining" and "!count" are replaced by the appropriate numbers.', array('!type' => $label)),
    );
    

Store the maxlength_$field_$setting variables

In your actual form function/hook_form_alter you can use:

  
  module_load_include('inc', 'maxlength');
  $values = maxlength_get_values('pony');
  
  maxlength_get_values allows you to use the node-$type as second parameter.
  Now the only thing left is to store the settings in the form.
  
  $form['pony']['#max_length_properties'] = $values;