Tutorials: Using templates pages in modules

Posted by: alain01On 2013/1/10 17:30:00 10864 reads
Hello,

A lot of people using XOOPS, need to use templates for presenting homogeneous pages :

- cooking,
- some books,
- some movies,
- ...

I would show you how to use a template to generate your pages :

Advantages:

- Same template for all pages
- Homogeneous and more clear presentation
- Using of pre-defiined pages


Creating a Template (gabarits) in 6 steps:

1 - TinyMCE editor activation for modules
2 - Add the template botton
3 - Create template files
4 - Create a definition file for templates
5 - upload files on server
6 - Use


1 - TinyMCE editor activation for modules (See this editor in demo here)
Administration / Preferences / systeme Module Settings / Editor Settings / Editor for all modules: : tinymce
(or choose TinyMCE for default editor for the module that you will use, in module preferences)


2 - Add the template button

Modify the file /class/xoopseditor/tinymce/settings.php:

Line 70, change
"paste,fullscreen,visualchars,nonbreaking,inlinepopups",
by
"paste,fullscreen,visualchars,nonbreaking,inlinepopups,template",

then line 85
"theme_advanced_buttons4" => "xoopsimagemanager,xoopsemotions,xoopsquote,xoopscode,xoopsmlcontent",
by
"theme_advanced_buttons4" => "xoopsimagemanager,xoopsemotions,xoopsquote,xoopscode,xoopsmlcontent,template",
"template_external_list_url" => '/uploads/gabarits/liste-gabarits.js',

(Here it is for indicate that templates are in the directory /uploads/gabarits and definition's file of the template is liste-gabarits.js


3 - Create template files

Theses files must be in html format, but without < html >, < body > or
Here, we create 2 html files:

- fiche-cooking.html,
- fiche-book.html.

Please, make a clean html file, with fixed positions...
For example, for the template 'cooking' :
Title of the cooking :
Ingredients :
Difficulty to make :
...

4 - Create the definition's file of the template

Here, create the file liste-gabarits.js :
// JavaScript Document 

var tinyMCETemplateList = [ 

// Nom, URL, Description 

["Fiche cuisine", "/_uploads/gabarits/fiche-cooking.html", "Template for the cooking."], 

["Fiche Livre", "/_uploads/gabarits/fiche-book.html", "Template for books."] ];



5 - upload files on server

On /uploads/gabarits, uploads files :

- liste-gabarits.js
- fiche-cooking.html,
- fiche-book.html.
- index.htlm ( same as in another directory)


6 - Use

Go to module (news for example), then click on the "template" icon then, in the opening window, select the template that you want to use (fiche-cooking for create a page for "Apple cake", for example)

Thats' all !

It is nice ?

Let me know what you think. I will appreciate your comments !

PS 1 : Big thanks to montuy337513 for the support in the XOOPS France Forum.

PS 2 : it would be nice to have this option available by default in the next XOOPS version, wouldn't it?