--- lib/TWiki/Render.pm (revision 1553)
+++ lib/TWiki/Render.pm (working copy)
@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@
 # Globals used in rendering
 use vars qw(
        $isList @listTypes @listElements
-        $newTopicFontColor $newTopicBgColor $linkToolTipInfo $noAutoLink $newLinkSymbol
+        $newTopicFontColor $newTopicBgColor $linkToolTipInfo $noAutoLink
+        $newLinkSymbol %ffCache
     );


@@ -51,8 +52,11 @@

 ---++ sub initialize ()

-Initializes global render module state.
+Initializes global render module state from preference values (NEWTOPICBGCOLOR, NEWTOPICFONTCOLOR NEWTOPICLINKSYMBOL LINKTOOLTIPINFO NOAUTOLINK)

+Clears the FORMFIELD metadata cache preparatory to expanding %FORMFIELD
+tags.
+
 =cut

 sub initialize
@@ -67,6 +71,8 @@
     $linkToolTipInfo = '$username - $date - r$rev: $summary' if( $linkToolTipInfo =~ /^on$/ );
     # Prevent autolink of WikiWords
     $noAutoLink        = TWiki::Prefs::getPreferencesValue("NOAUTOLINK") || 0;
+
+  undef %ffCache;
 }

 =pod
@@ -769,70 +775,79 @@

 ---++ sub getFormField ( $web, $topic, $args )

-Handles %FORMFIELD{}% tags in topics, used in TWiki::handleInternalTags
+Returns the expansion of a %FORMFIELD{}% tag.

-TODO: use Prefs subsystem to read form info, instead of rereadeing
-topic every time a form field value is requested.
-
 =cut

 sub getFormField
 {
-    my( $web, $topic, $args ) = @_;
-
-    my ( $altText, $found, $format );
-    my ( $formField, $formTopic, $default );
-
-    $formField = TWiki::extractNameValuePair( $args );
-    $formTopic = TWiki::extractNameValuePair( $args, "topic" );
-    $altText   = TWiki::extractNameValuePair( $args, "alttext" );
-    $default   = TWiki::extractNameValuePair( $args, "default" ) || undef;
-    $format    = TWiki::extractNameValuePair( $args, "format" ) || '<nop>';
+  my( $web, $topic, $args ) = @_;

-    my $meta;
-    if ($formTopic) {
-       my $formTopicWeb;
-       if ($topic =~ /^([^.]+)\.([^.]+)/o) {
-          ( $formTopicWeb, $topic ) = ( $1, $2 );
-       } else {
-          $formTopicWeb = TWiki::extractNameValuePair( $args, "web" );
-       }
-       $formTopicWeb = $web unless defined $formTopicWeb;
-       ( $meta, my $dummyText ) = &TWiki::Store::readTopic( $formTopicWeb, $formTopic );
-    } else {
-       ( $meta, my $dummyText ) = &TWiki::Store::readTopic( $web, $topic );
-    }
+  my $formField = TWiki::extractNameValuePair( $args );
+  my $formTopic = TWiki::extractNameValuePair( $args, "topic" );
+  my $altText   = TWiki::extractNameValuePair( $args, "alttext" );
+  my $default   = TWiki::extractNameValuePair( $args, "default" ) || undef;
+  my $format    = TWiki::extractNameValuePair( $args, "format" );

-    my $text = "";
-    my @fields = $meta->find( "FIELD" );
-    foreach my $field ( @fields ) {
-       my $title = $field->{"title"};
-       my $name = $field->{"name"};
-       if( $title eq $formField || $name eq $formField ) {
-           my $value = $field->{"value"};
-           if (length $value) {
-               $found = 1;
-               $text = $format;
-               $text =~ s/\$value/$value/g;
-           } elsif (defined $altText) {
-               $found = 1;
-               $text = $altText;
-           }
-           last; #one hit suffices
-       }
-    }
-    if (!$found) {
-       if (defined $default) {
-           $text = $format;
-           $text =~ s/\$value/$default/g;
+  unless ( $format ) {
+       # if null format explicitly set, return empty
+       return "" if ( $args =~ m/format\s*=/o);
+       # Otherwise default to value
+       $format = "\$value";
+  }
+
+  my $formWeb;
+  if ( $formTopic ) {
+       if ($topic =~ /^([^.]+)\.([^.]+)/o) {
+         ( $formWeb, $topic ) = ( $1, $2 );
        } else {
-           $text = $altText;
+         # SMELL: Undocumented feature, "web" parameter
+         $formWeb = TWiki::extractNameValuePair( $args, "web" );
        }
-    }
-    $text = getRenderedVersion( $text, $web );
-    return $text;
-}
+       $formWeb = $web unless $formWeb;
+  } else {
+       $formWeb = $web;
+       $formTopic = $topic;
+  }

+  my $meta = $ffCache{"$formWeb.$formTopic"};
+  unless ( $meta ) {
+       my $dummyText;
+       ( $meta, $dummyText ) =
+         TWiki::Store::readTopic( $formWeb, $formTopic );
+       $ffCache{"$formWeb.$formTopic"} = $meta;
+  }
+
+  my $text = "";
+  my $found = 0;
+  if ( $meta ) {
+       my @fields = $meta->find( "FIELD" );
+       foreach my $field ( @fields ) {
+         my $title = $field->{"title"};
+         my $name = $field->{"name"};
+         if( $title eq $formField || $name eq $formField ) {
+               $found = 1;
+               my $value = $field->{"value"};
+               if (length $value) {
+                 $text = $format;
+                 $text =~ s/\$value/$value/go;
+               } elsif ( defined $default ) {
+                 $text = $default;
+               }
+               last; #one hit suffices
+         }
+       }
+  }
+
+  unless ( $found ) {
+       $text = $altText;
+  }
+
+  return "" unless $text;
+
+  return getRenderedVersion( $text, $web );
+}
+
 =pod

 ---++ sub getRenderedVersion (  $text, $theWeb, $meta  )