Joomla! Documentation™

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Under Construction

Articles in this series

• Developing a Basic Component
• Adding a view to the site part
• Adding a menu type to the backend part
• Adding a model to the site part
• Adding a variable request in the menu type
• Using the database
• Basic backend
• Adding language management
• Adding backend actions

Indroduction

This tutorial is part of the Developing a Model-View-Controller (MVC) Component for Joomla!1.6 tutorial. You are encouraged to read the previous parts of the tutorial before reading this.

Adding a toolbar

In Joomla!1.6, the administrator interacts generally with components through the use of a toolbar. In the file admin/views/helloworldlist/view.html.php put this content. It will create a basic toolbar ant a title for the component.

admin/views/helloworldlist/view.html.php

<?php
// No direct access to this file
defined('_JEXEC') or die('Restricted access');
// import Joomla view library
jimport('joomla.application.component.view');
/**
 * HelloWorldList View
 */
class HelloWorldViewHelloWorldList extends JView {
	/**
	 * items to be displayed
	 */
	protected $items;
	/**
	 * pagination for the items
	 */
	protected $pagination;
	/**
	 * HelloWorldList view display method
	 * @return void
	 */
	function display($tpl = null)
	{
		// Get data from the model
		$items = $this->get('Items');
		$pagination = $this->get('Pagination');
		// Assign data to the view
		$this->items = $items;
		$this->pagination = $pagination;
		// Set the toolbar
		$this->_setToolBar();
		// Display the template
		parent::display($tpl);
	}
	/**
	 * Setting the toolbar
	 */
	protected function _setToolBar()
	{
		JToolBarHelper::title(JText::_('com_helloworld_Manager'));
		JToolBarHelper::deleteListX('com_helloworld_HelloWorldList_Are_you_sure_you_want_to_delete_these_greetings', 'helloworldlist.remove');
		JToolBarHelper::editListX('helloworld.edit');
		JToolBarHelper::addNewX('helloworld.add');
	}	
}

You can find others classic backend actions in the administrator/includes/toolbar.php file of your Joomla!1.6 installation.

Adding specific controllers

Three actions has been added:

• helloworldlist.remove
• helloworld.edit
• helloworld.add

These are compound tasks (controller.task). So a remove task has to be coded in a new HelloWorldControllerHelloworldList controller and edit and add tasks have to be coded in a new HelloWorldControllerHelloWorld controller.

admin/controllers/helloworldlist.php

<?php
// No direct access to this file
defined('_JEXEC') or die('Restricted access');
// inherit general controller
require_once JPATH_COMPONENT . DS .'controller.php';
/**
 * HelloWorldList Controller
 */
class HelloWorldControllerHelloWorldList extends HelloWorldController
{
	/**
	 * remove record(s)
	 * @return void
	 */
	function remove() 
	{
		$model = $this->getModel('HelloWorldList');
		if ($model->remove()) 
		{
			$msg = JText::_('com_helloworld_HelloWorldList_Greetings_removed');
			$type = 'message';
		}
		else
		{
			$msg = JText::sprintf('com_helloworld_HelloWorldList_One_or_more_greetings_could_not_be_deleted', implode("<br />", $model->getErrors()));
			$type = 'error';
		}
		$this->setRedirect('index.php?option=com_helloworld', $msg, $type);
	}
}

admin/controllers/helloworld.php

<?php
// No direct access to this file
defined('_JEXEC') or die('Restricted access');
// inherit general controller
require_once JPATH_COMPONENT . DS .'controller.php';
/**
 * HelloWorld Controller
 */
class HelloWorldControllerHelloWorld extends HelloWorldController
{
	/**
	 * constructor (registers additional tasks to methods)
	 * @return void
	 */
	function __construct($config=array()) 
	{
		parent::__construct($config);
		// Register Extra tasks
		$this->registerTask('add', 'edit');
	}
	/**
	 * display the edit form
	 * @return void
	 */
	function edit() 
	{
		$model = & $this->getModel();
		$view = & $this->getView('HelloWorld','html');
		$view->setModel($model, true);
		$view->display();
	}
	/**
	 * save a record (and redirect to main page)
	 * @return void
	 */
	function save() 
	{
		$model = $this->getModel();
		if ($model->save()) 
		{
			$msg = JText::_('com_helloworld_HelloWorld_Greeting_saved');
			$type = 'message';
			$this->setRedirect('index.php?option=com_helloworld', $msg, $type);
		}
		else
		{
			$msg = JText::sprintf('com_helloworld_HelloWorld_Error_Saving_greeting', implode("<br />", $model->getError()));
			$type = 'error';
			$app = & JFactory::getApplication();
			$app->enqueueMessage($msg, $type);
			$view = & $this->getView('HelloWorld','html');
			$view->setModel($model, true);
			$view->display();
		}
	}
	/**
	 * cancel editing a record
	 * @return void
	 */
	function cancel() 
	{
		$msg = JText::_('com_helloworld_HelloWorld_edit_cancelled');
		$this->setRedirect('index.php?option=com_helloworld', $msg);
	}
}

In the previous controller we have introduced two new tasks: cancel and save. They will be used in the new view for editing message. Note that add and edit tasks have same code (see registerTask in the constructor).

Adding an editing view

With your favorite file manager and editor, put a file admin/views/helloworld/view.html.php containing:

admin/views/helloworld/view.html.php

<?php
// No direct access to this file
defined('_JEXEC') or die('Restricted access');
// import Joomla view library
jimport('joomla.application.component.view');
/**
 * HelloWorld View
 */
class HelloWorldViewHelloWorld extends JView
{
	/**
	 * View form
	 *
	 * @var		form
	 */
	protected $form = null;
	/**
	 * display method of Hello view
	 * @return void
	 */
	public function display($tpl = null) 
	{
		// get the Form
		$form = & $this->get('Form');
		// get the Data
		$data = & $this->get('Data');
		// Bind the Data
		$form->bind($data);
		// Assign the form
		$this->form = $form;
		// Set the toolbar
		$this->_setToolBar();
		// Display the template
		parent::display($tpl);
	}
	/**
	 * Setting the toolbar
	 */
	protected function _setToolBar() 
	{
		JRequest::setVar('hidemainmenu', 1);
		$isNew = ($this->form->getValue('id') < 1);
		JToolBarHelper::title(JText::_('com_helloworld_Manager') . ': <small><small>[ ' . ($isNew ? JText::_('JToolBar_New') : JText::_('JToolBar_Edit')) . ' ]</small></small>');
		JToolBarHelper::save('helloworld.save');
		JToolBarHelper::cancel('helloworld.cancel', $isNew ? 'JToolBar_Cancel' : 'JToolBar_Close');
	}
}

This view will display data using a layout.

Put a file admin/views/helloworld/tmpl/default.php containing

admin/views/helloworld/tmpl/default.php

<?php
// No direct access
defined('_JEXEC') or die('Restricted access');
JHTML::_('behavior.tooltip');
?>
<form action="<?php echo JRoute::_('index.php?option=com_helloworld'); ?>" method="post" name="adminForm" id="adminForm">

	<fieldset class="adminform">

		<legend><?php echo JText::_( 'com_helloworld_HelloWorld_Details' ); ?></legend>

		<?php foreach($this->form->getFields() as $field): ?>
			<?php if (!$field->hidden): ?>
				<?php echo $field->label; ?>

			<?php endif; ?>
			<?php echo $field->input; ?>

		<?php endforeach; ?>
	</fieldset>
	<input type="hidden" name="task" value="helloworld.edit" />

</form>

Adding a model and modifying the existing one

The HelloWorldViewHelloWorld view asks form and data from a model.

Packaging the component

Content of your code directory

• helloworld.xml
• site/index.html
• site/helloworld.php
• site/views/index.html
• site/views/helloworld/index.html
• site/views/helloworld/view.html.php
• site/views/helloworld/tmpl/index.html
• site/views/helloworld/tmpl/default.xml
• site/models/index.html
• site/models/helloworld.php
• site/views/helloworld/tmpl/default.php
• site/language/index.html
• site/language/en-GB/index.html
• site/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_helloworld.ini
• admin/index.html
• admin/helloworld.php
• admin/controller.php
• admin/sql/index.html
• admin/sql/install.mysql.utf8.sql
• admin/sql/uninstall.mysql.utf8.sql
• admin/sql/update.mysql.utf8.sql
• admin/models/index.html
• admin/models/fields/index.html
• admin/models/fields/helloworld.php
• admin/models/helloworldlist.php
• admin/views/index.html
• admin/views/helloworldlist/index.html
• admin/views/helloworldlist/view.html.php
• admin/views/helloworldlist/tmpl/index.html
• admin/views/helloworldlist/tmpl/default.php
• admin/views/helloworldlist/tmpl/default_head.php
• admin/views/helloworldlist/tmpl/default_body.php
• admin/views/helloworldlist/tmpl/default_foot.php
• admin/tables/index.html
• admin/tables/helloworld.php
• admin/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_helloworld.ini
• admin/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_helloworld.menu.ini
• language/en-GB/en-GB.ini

Create a compressed file of this directory or directly download the archive and install it using the extension manager of Joomla!1.6. You can add a menu item of this component using the menu manager in the backend.

helloworld.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<extension type="component" version="1.6.0" method="upgrade">
	<name>Hello World!</name>
	<creationDate>November 2009</creationDate>
	<author>John Doe</author>
	<authorEmail>john.doe@example.org</authorEmail>
	<authorUrl>http://www.example.org</authorUrl>
	<copyright>Copyright Info</copyright>
	<license>License Info</license>
	<version>0.0.8</version>
	<description>com_helloworld_Description</description>

	<install> <!-- Runs on install -->
		<sql>
			<file driver="mysql" charset="utf8">sql/install.mysql.utf8.sql</file>
		</sql>
	</install>
	<uninstall> <!-- Runs on uninstall -->
		<sql>
			<file driver="mysql" charset="utf8">sql/uninstall.mysql.utf8.sql</file>
		</sql>
	</uninstall>
	<update> <!-- Runs on update -->
		<sql>
			<file driver="mysql" charset="utf8">sql/update.mysql.utf8.sql</file>
		</sql>
	</update>

	<files folder="site">
		<filename>index.html</filename>
		<filename>helloworld.php</filename>
		<filename>controller.php</filename>
		<folder>views</folder>
		<folder>models</folder>
		<folder>language</folder>
	</files>

	<administration>
		<menu>Hello World!</menu>
		<files folder="admin">
			<filename>index.html</filename>
			<filename>helloworld.php</filename>
			<filename>controller.php</filename>
			<folder>sql</folder>
			<folder>tables</folder>
			<folder>models</folder>
			<folder>views</folder>
		</files>		
		<languages folder="admin">
			<language tag="en-GB">language/en-GB/en-GB.com_helloworld.ini</language>
			<language tag="en-GB">language/en-GB/en-GB.com_helloworld.menu.ini</language>
		</languages>
	</administration>
</extension>

In this helloworld.xml file, languages are installed in:

• administrator/language for the admin part (look at the xml languages tag)
• components/com_helloworld/language for the site part (there are no xml languages tag in the site part of the xml description file, but the language folder is included)

Contributors

• Christophe Demko