How do I programatically change a webform's element type?

I am using a webform element 'select_other' in the webform. We got a requirement that the Other field should only appear if certain conditions are satisfied. I already have a Webform Handler In place, and using the alterForm(), I tried to change the #type value, which removed the Other option, but duplicates the field wrapper property.

Is there any way to change the #type of a webform element programmatically from webform_select_other to select?

I was able to get around this by creating a dummy element for select and then in the alterForm, substituting the form element with the new one, using this code.

$type_of_request = $webform_submission->getElementData('type_of_request');

if ($type_of_request == "Process") {
  $webform = $webform_submission->getWebform();
  $dummy_element = $webform->getElement('dummy_element');
  $elements['original_element'] = $dummy_element;
  unset($elements['original_element']['#access']);
}

This is a workaround I am using.

You should change it to always use a select element, and then make a separate textfield (or whatever type) field for "Other". Then you can use the Webform module's built-in conditionals to control when it shows, without using a webform handler for that.

1. Add a select element
2. Add a separate textfield "Other" element
3. Add a "visible" conditional on the Other element, with the condition being that the type_of_request is set to Process

Example YAML

  type_of_request:
    '#type': select
    '#title': 'Type of Request'
    '#options':
       review: Review
       process: Process
    '#required': true
  select:
    '#type': select
    '#title': 'Select'
    '#options':
       - 'Option 1'
       - 'Option 2'
    '#required': true
  other:
    '#type': textfield
    '#title': 'Other'
    '#required': true
    '#states':
      visible:
        - ':input[name="type_of_request"]':
            value: process