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[HOW TO - vB4] Rendering templates and registering variables - a short guide
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cellarius
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cellarius cellarius is offline 11-15-2009, 10:00 PM
Introduction

Starting with vB4, templates no longer get output using eval:
PHP Code:
eval('$mytemplate = "' . fetch_template('mytemplate') . '";'); 
is outdated.
What's more: Variables and arrays from plugins that are executed on a page no longer can automatically be accessed in the templates of that page. They need to be registered first.
.
 Basic functionality to render templates and register all variables/arrays you want to use inside

PHP Code:
/* Some Code, setting variables, (multidimensional) array */
$my_var = "abc";
$my_array = array(
        'key1' => 'value1',
        'key2' => array(' 
                'key21' => 'value21',
                'key22' => 'value22'
        ')
    );

/* render template and register variables */
$templater = vB_Template::create('mytemplate');
    $templater->register('my_var', $my_var);
    $templater->register('my_array', $my_array);
$templater->render(); 
  • The first line provides the template that is to be rendered, using the new vB_Template class (vB_Template::create). The method gets passed the name of the template as an argument.
  • The following two lines register a variable and an array that we want to use in our template. Arguments passed are 1. the name you want to use to access the variable, and 2. the variable from the code you want to register. You can register as many variables/arrays as you want. Just remember you have to register every variable and array that you want to use in your custom template in this way. If you don't register them, they will not be available.
  • The fourth line renders the template ($templater->render()).
In the template you know will be able to use the registered variables/arrays in this way:
HTML Code:
{vb:raw my_var}
{vb:raw my_array.key1}
{vb:raw my_array.key2.key21}
Note the last one: multidimensional arrays are perfectly possible.
.
.
.
Now, with the result of the rendering we can do several things:
.
Output template directly - custom pages

PHP Code:
$templater = vB_Template::create('mytemplate');
    $templater->register_page_templates(); 
    $templater->register('my_var', $my_var);
    $templater->register('my_array', $my_array);
print_output($templater->render()); 
This immediatly outputs the template. Use this if you have created your own page, for example.
Note the second line, which is special for this type of use:
PHP Code:
$templater->register_page_templates(); 
This auto-registers the page level templates header, footer and headinclude that you will use in the template of your custom page.
.
Use a template hook

PHP Code:
$templater = vB_Template::create('mytemplate');
    $templater->register('my_var', $my_var);
    $templater->register('my_array', $my_array);
$template_hook[forumhome_wgo_pos2] .= $templater->render(); 
The template will be shown using the choosen template hook (for example: $template_hook[forumhome_wgo_pos2]). See the dot before the = in the last line? The hook may be used by other modifications, too, so we don't want to overwrite it, but rather append our code to it, conserving everything that might already be there.
.
Save into a variable for later use in custom template
PHP Code:
$templater = vB_Template::create('mytemplate');
    $templater->register('my_var', $my_var);
    $templater->register('my_array', $my_array);
$mytemplate_rendered = $templater->render(); 
Now we have saved the rendered template into a variable. This variable in turn we can later on register in another template, if we want:
PHP Code:
$templater = vB_Template::create('my_other_template');
     $templater->register('my_template_rendered', $my_template_rendered);
 print_output($templater->render()); 
Again, inside my_other_template we now could call
HTML Code:
{vb:raw my_template_rendered}
If you're running the first template call inside a loop, you may want to use .= instead of = in the last line, so that the results of every loop get added instead of overwriting the existing. But that depends, of course.
.
Save into an array and preregister to use in an existing/stock template
PHP Code:
$templater = vB_Template::create('mytemplate');
    $templater->register('my_var', $my_var);
    $templater->register('my_array', $my_array);
$templatevalues['my_insertvar'] = $templater->render();
vB_Template::preRegister('FORUMHOME', $templatevalues); 
  • This is another, more flexible method to save the rendered template into a variable for future use in an already existing template. In this example, we want to show our own rendered template on forumhome.
  • Problem is: We have no direct way to register variables for already existing templates like FORUMHOME. It's created and rendered in the files, and we don't want to mess there.
  • To help with this, a new method was created for vB_Template class, called preRegister. Using this, we can pass our data to FORUMHOME before it is rendered. Note that the data needs to be saved into an array ($templatevalues['my_insertvar']), a simple variable will throw an error. In the last line the array is preregistered; you need to pass as arguments 1. the name of the existing template and 2. the array that contains the data. Again, this can be done for as many arrays as needed.
  • Of course, the preRegister functionality can be used for any kind of variables or arrays, no matter whether you have saved a rendered template (like in our example) into it or it contains just a simple boolean true/false statement.
To access the data inside the template it was preregistered for use:
HTML Code:
{vb:raw my_insertvar}
Note: it is not {vb:raw templatevalues.my_insertvar}!

Essentially the same as what I put for preRegister would be the following two lines. They could replace the last two lines in the above php codebox:
PHP Code:
$my_insertvar = $templater->render();
vB_Template::preRegister('FORUMHOME',array('my_insertvar ' => $my_insertvar)); 
Of course you could add further pairs to that array if you need to preregister more than one variable.
.
.
Bonus track: ...whatever you do, cache your templates!

Now you know how to get your templates on screen - once you succeeded in doing that, make sure to do it in a fast and ressource saving manner: make use of vB's template cache. To see whether your templates are cached or not, activate debug mode by adding $config['Misc']['debug'] = true;to your config.php (don't ever use that on your live site!). Among the debug info is a list of all templates called, and non-cached templates will show up in red.

To cache your templates, add a plugin at hook cache_templates with the following code:
PHP Code:
// for a single template
$cache[] = 'mytemplate'; 

// for more than one templates in one step
$cache = array_merge((array)$cache,array(
    'mytemplate',
    'myothertemplate',
    'mythirdtemplate'
)); 
.
.
Hope this helps!
-cel

----
Addendum - There are now two blog posts on vb.com related to this topic:
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/entry...in-4-templates
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/entry...-4-based-files
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  #122  
Old 10-09-2010, 05:47 AM
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You need to find out in the php files where the quickchooserbits and languagechooserbits variables are filled; they also will be registered for the footer template there. Then you need to find a hook that's executed afterwards and register those two variables for the template you want to put it in.
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  #123  
Old 10-09-2010, 09:23 PM
Vikingant Vikingant is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cellarius View Post
You need to find out in the php files where the quickchooserbits and languagechooserbits variables are filled; they also will be registered for the footer template there. Then you need to find a hook that's executed afterwards and register those two variables for the template you want to put it in.
Thank you cellarius
Does this come in english? O.o
Sorry, but I am VERY new to all of this due to necessity and am not familiar with some of the terminology yet.
Where do I look for the PHP files? How do I register variables? How do I find/register a hook?
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  #124  
Old 10-10-2010, 03:37 PM
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The php files (among other stuff) is what you upload to your webspace. How to register variables for templates is what this tutorial is all about, but if you don't have at least basic knowledge of php this may be difficult to do.

Some basics about the vB addon/plugin system can be found here:
http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/
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  #125  
Old 10-14-2010, 11:59 AM
Vikingant Vikingant is offline
 
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Thanks for that. I may be getting over excited with wanting to do stuff now that I can. I will definately read up some more. I have found (bluffed) my way through a lot relatively unscathed so far.

Quick hint: Do I look int the FTP or ACP?

Ta
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  #126  
Old 10-14-2010, 01:23 PM
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PHP files you find via FTP, plugins and addons you handle via AdminCP.
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  #127  
Old 10-25-2010, 05:56 AM
Duncan Duncan is offline
 
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I am using a custom page and it works properly. However, I have listed on the custom page in the style editor {vb:raw navbar2}. I want the template to display what is in my navbar2 style.

This is in the php file for the custom page:

$templater = vB_Template::create('ncsu');
$templater->register_page_templates();
$templater->register('navbar', $navbar);
$templater->register('navbar2', $navbar2);
$templater->register('pagetitle', $pagetitle);
print_output($templater->render());

And it is still not recognizing {vb:raw navbar2}. Should I add something about this? If so, what? Thank you!
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  #128  
Old 11-04-2010, 05:08 AM
kurv kurv is offline
 
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Okay guys, I have read the entire thread and my apologies for my coding ignorance. What I am trying to do is, use a different navbar template on the forumdisplay pages than on the home page.

So I added a new template, called navbarforumdisplay

Copied the code from the navbar template into navbarforumdisplay and removed the items I added in the forumhome version that I don't want appearing in the forumdisplay (only items I added to begin with, not vB code ).

Then after reading this thread, I created a plugin here

Title: Forumdisplay Navbar
Hook Location: forumdisplay_complete
Exc Order: 5

with the following code
Code:
global $template_hook;
$newTemplate = vB_Template::create('navbarforumdisplay');
$template_hook['fd_navbar'] .= $newTemplate->render()
Then I added the following code to the FORUMDISPLAY template

Code:
{vb:raw fd_navbar}
and removed
Code:
{vb:raw navbar}
Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong, or what is the best way to do this?

Thank you!!!
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  #129  
Old 11-06-2010, 11:34 AM
ROTPAR ROTPAR is offline
 
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could anybody please give me a step by step tutorial, how to make this code work in postbit_legacy?

PHP Code:
<vb:if condition="$show['fb_likebutton']">
            {vb:raw fblikebutton}
        </vb:if> 
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  #130  
Old 11-07-2010, 08:50 PM
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cellarius cellarius is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kurv View Post
...
Waaaay too complicated. Go to the normal navbar template and put everything you do not want to appear on forumdisplay inside this condition:
Code:
<vb:if condition="THIS_SCRIPT != 'forumdisplay'">code not to be shown on forumdisplay</vb:if>
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  #131  
Old 11-13-2010, 07:39 AM
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StarBuG StarBuG is offline
 
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Hello. I need your help.

I need the $pagenumber variable to be available in postbit_legacy so that I can create an url when the thread has multiple pages.

Currently I am using: <a href="http://www.patientenfragen.net/{vb:link thread, {vb:raw thread}}" target="_blank">

but I need it to work this way:

<a href="http://www.patientenfragen.net/{vb:link thread, {vb:raw thread}<vb:if condition="$pagenumber">&amp;page={vb:raw pagenumber}</vb:if>}" target="_blank">

I need the url including the page the user is on.

I am no programmer so even though your explanation is quite detailed I don't really get what I have to do.
I need to register that variable to the postbit_legacy template, but how do I do that?

Sorry for asking such a stupid question but I am totally lost here.

Any help is much appreciated.

StarBuG
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