View source for Developing an MVC Component/Adding a Request Variable in the Menu Link

== File Details == <!--T:6-->

<!--T:7-->
{{vanchor|site/tmpl/hello/default.xml}}

<!--T:8-->
While this change may look fairly verbose, it's actually very straightforward. We're adding a configurable request variable (called a "field") to our menu link. When editing the menu entry in the Joomla control panel, this field and its options will be displayed in the configuration form.

<!--T:9-->
Menu fields are organised into fieldsets, though we only need the one here. We'll call our field <tt>greetingType</tt>, which will be appended to the URL when the link is clicked. We're also pre-defining what values are allowed for this field, as we want to be able to rely on their values in the data model. We do this by using <tt>type="list"</tt> to tell Joomla it has a list of values, and then providing them as <tt><option /></tt> child elements.

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The <tt>value</tt> attribute of each <tt><option /></tt> is the actual value that will be appended to the URL (such as <tt>&greetingType=1</tt>). The language string name inside the <tt><option /></tt> element represents the label that will be shown in the configuration form.</translate>

<source lang="xml" highlight="6-17">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<metadata>
    <layout title="COM_HELLOWORLD_MENU_HELLO_WORLD_TITLE">
        <message><![CDATA[COM_HELLOWORLD_MENU_HELLO_WORLD_DESC]]></message>
    </layout>
    <fields name="request">
        <fieldset name="request">
            <field  name="greetingType"
                    type="list"
                    label="COM_HELLOWORLD_MENU_HELLO_WORLD_PARAM_LABEL"
                    description="COM_HELLOWORLD_MENU_HELLO_WORLD_PARAM_DESC"
                    default="1">
                <option value="1"><![CDATA[COM_HELLOWORLD_MENU_HELLO_WORLD_PARAM_VALUE_HELLO]]></option>
                <option value="2"><![CDATA[COM_HELLOWORLD_MENU_HELLO_WORLD_PARAM_VALUE_GOODBYE]]></option>
            </field>
        </fieldset>
    </fields>
</metadata>
</source>

{{vanchor|site/src/Model/MessageModel.php}}

<translate>
<!--T:11-->
Here we read in the new request variable via the Joomla framework, and decide which of our two greeting messages to show. This code illustrates how to read request variables in Joomla 4:

<!--T:12-->
# <tt>Factory::getApplication()</tt> returns the Joomla application object. You will use this code a lot when writing in Joomla, as your entry point to the Joomla runtime.
# <tt>->getInput()</tt> returns the <tt>\Joomla\Input\Input</tt> object for this request. This object can be used to read request variables in a safe and sanitised manner. 
# <tt>$input->getInt('greetingType', 1);</tt> fetches the value of the 'greetingType' request variable we defined earlier. If no value is defined, we have specified that it should return a default value of <tt>1</tt>.

<!--T:13-->
'''NOTE:''' You should never use superglobals like <tt>$_GET</tt> or <tt>$_POST</tt> to access request variables or other inputs. Use Joomla's framework to access any passed or submitted data, to ensure that it is properly handled and sanitised.

<!--T:14-->
With the request variable read, we simply choose which of our two possible greetings to return to the template.</translate>

<source lang="php" highlight="7,31-34,37-45">
<?php

namespace JohnSmith\Component\HelloWorld\Site\Model;

defined('_JEXEC') or die;

use Joomla\CMS\Factory;
use Joomla\CMS\MVC\Model\ItemModel;
use Joomla\CMS\Language\Text;

/**
 * @package     Joomla.Site
 * @subpackage  com_helloworld
 *
 * @copyright   Copyright (C) 2020 John Smith. All rights reserved.
 * @license     GNU General Public License version 3; see LICENSE
 */

/**
 * Hello World Message Model
 * @since 0.0.5
 */
class MessageModel extends ItemModel {

    /**
     * Returns a message for display
     * @param integer $pk Primary key of the "message item", currently unused
     * @return object Message object
     */
    public function getItem($pk= null): object {
        // This gives us a Joomla\Input\Input object
        $input = Factory::getApplication()->getInput();
        $greetingType = $input->getInt('greetingType', 1);

        $item = new \stdClass();
        
        switch($greetingType) {
            case 2:
                $item->message = Text::_('COM_HELLOWORLD_MSG_GREETING_GOODBYE');
                break;
            case 1:
            default:
                $item->message = Text::_('COM_HELLOWORLD_MSG_GREETING_HELLO');
                break;
        }
        
        return $item;
    }
        
}
</source>

{{vanchor|admin/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_helloworld.sys.ini}}

<translate>
<!--T:15-->
Here we define the language strings that will be used in the configuration form for our menu link. Remember, even though the menu link is defined in the site part of the component, the strings are defined here because it is used in the Joomla control panel.</translate>

<source lang="ini" highlight="6-9">
; Hello World Sys.ini
; Copyright (C) 2020 John Smith. All rights reserved.

COM_HELLOWORLD_MENU_HELLO_WORLD_TITLE="Hello World!"
COM_HELLOWORLD_MENU_HELLO_WORLD_DESC="My first Joomla! page"
COM_HELLOWORLD_MENU_HELLO_WORLD_PARAM_LABEL="Greeting Type"
COM_HELLOWORLD_MENU_HELLO_WORLD_PARAM_DESC="Select which type of greeting to show"
COM_HELLOWORLD_MENU_HELLO_WORLD_PARAM_VALUE_HELLO="Say Hello"
COM_HELLOWORLD_MENU_HELLO_WORLD_PARAM_VALUE_GOODBYE="Say Goodbye"
</source>

{{vanchor|site/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_helloworld.ini}}

<translate>
<!--T:16-->
Here we switch out our existing greeting for two different greetings, which the model will choose between based on the value of the <tt>greetingType</tt> request variable.</translate>

<source lang="ini" highlight="5-6">
; Hello World Public Site Strings
; Copyright (C) 2020 John Smith. All rights reserved.

COM_HELLOWORLD_MSG_HELLO_WORLD="Hello World!"
COM_HELLOWORLD_MSG_GREETING_GOODBYE="Goodbye from the item model!"
COM_HELLOWORLD_MSG_GREETING_HELLO="Hello from the item model!"
</source>

{{vanchor|helloworld.xml}}

<translate>
<!--T:17-->
As before, our last job is to bump the component's version number. None of the changes made here require the version number to be bumped before re-importing it, but we'll do it for consistency.</translate>

<source lang="xml" highlight="13">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<extension type="component" version="4.0" method="upgrade">

    <name>Hello World</name>
    <!-- The following elements are optional and free of formatting constraints -->
    <creationDate>December 2020</creationDate>
    <!-- Dummy author, feel free to replace anywhere you see it-->
    <author>John Smith</author>
    <authorUrl>https://smith.ca</authorUrl>
    <copyright>John Smith</copyright>
    <license>GPL v3</license>
    <!--  The version string is recorded in the components table -->
    <version>0.0.6</version>
    <!-- The description is optional and defaults to the name -->
    <description>
        A hello world component!
    </description>

    <!-- This is the PHP namespace under which the extension's
    code is organised. It should follow this format:
    
    Vendor\Component\ComponentName

    "Vendor" can be your company or your own name
    
    The "ComponentName" section MUST match the name used 
    everywhere else for your component. Whatever the name of 
    this XML file is, the namespace must match (ignoring CamelCase). 
    -->
    <namespace path="src/">JohnSmith\Component\HelloWorld</namespace>

    <files folder="site/">
        <folder>language</folder>
        <folder>src</folder>
        <folder>tmpl</folder>
    </files>

    <languages>
        <language tag="en-GB">site/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_helloworld.ini</language>
    </languages>

    <administration>
        <!-- The link that will appear in the Admin panel's "Components" menu -->
        <menu link="index.php?option=com_helloworld">Hello World</menu>
        <!-- List of files and folders to copy, and where to copy them -->
        <files folder="admin/">
            <folder>language</folder>
            <folder>services</folder>
            <folder>src</folder>
            <folder>tmpl</folder>
        </files>

        <languages>
            <language tag="en-GB">admin/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_helloworld.ini</language>
            <language tag="en-GB">admin/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_helloworld.sys.ini</language>
        </languages>
    </administration>

</extension>
</source>

<translate>