Building a site without writing code #

Part 2, chapter 21. This chapter puts the whole part together: a small company site with news, events and a members-only area, built from settings, classes, templates and overrides, with no PHP at all. It is a plan you can follow on your development installation; each step links the chapter that explains it.

The site #

• A front page with the three newest news items and the next events.
• News articles and events, each with its own full view and list view.
• A members area that only signed-in members can read.
• A menu of the top folders on every page.

Step 1: two extensions #

mkdir -p extension/mysite_settings/settings/siteaccess/mysite
mkdir -p extension/mysite_design/settings extension/mysite_design/design/mysite/templates \
         extension/mysite_design/design/mysite/override/templates extension/mysite_design/design/mysite/stylesheets

Give both an ezinfo.php and extension.xml (ezinfo.php), register the design in extension/mysite_design/settings/design.ini.append.php:

[ExtensionSettings]
DesignExtensions[]=mysite_design

and activate both, the settings extension first (Settings that live in an extension).

Step 2: the siteaccess uses your design #

In extension/mysite_settings/settings/siteaccess/mysite/site.ini.append.php:

[DesignSettings]
SiteDesign=mysite
AdditionalSiteDesignList[]
AdditionalSiteDesignList[]=base

Check with the design chain script of The design chain: your design comes first.

Step 3: the content model #

In the administration, create the classes (Content classes for builders):

Use the existing Folder class for containers. Create a folder "News", a folder "Events" and a folder "Members".

Step 4: views #

Overrides in extension/mysite_settings/settings/siteaccess/mysite/override.ini.append.php:

[full_news_article]
Source=node/view/full.tpl
MatchFile=full/news_article.tpl
Subdir=templates
Match[class_identifier]=news_article

[line_news_article]
Source=node/view/line.tpl
MatchFile=line/news_article.tpl
Subdir=templates
Match[class_identifier]=news_article

[full_event]
Source=node/view/full.tpl
MatchFile=full/event.tpl
Subdir=templates
Match[class_identifier]=event

[full_frontpage]
Source=node/view/full.tpl
MatchFile=full/frontpage.tpl
Subdir=templates
Match[node]=2

Write the four templates in extension/mysite_design/design/mysite/override/templates/ (Template overrides: the basics). The front page fetches the newest news (Fetching content in templates):

{def $news = fetch( 'content', 'tree', hash( 'parent_node_id', 2,
                                             'class_filter_type', 'include',
                                             'class_filter_array', array( 'news_article' ),
                                             'sort_by', array( 'published', false() ),
                                             'limit', 3 ) )}
{foreach $news as $item}
    {node_view_gui content_node=$item view='line'}
{/foreach}
{undef $news}

Step 5: the menu #

In your design's templates/pagelayout.tpl (start from a copy of the pagelayout of the design you fall back to), put the menu in a cache-block (Caching and templates):

{cache-block keys=array( $module_result.node_id )}
<nav>
{foreach fetch( 'content', 'list', hash( 'parent_node_id', 2,
                                       'class_filter_type', 'include',
                                       'class_filter_array', array( 'folder' ),
                                       'sort_by', array( 'priority', true() ) ) ) as $item}
    <a href={$item.url_alias|ezurl}>{$item.name|wash}</a>
{/foreach}
</nav>
{/cache-block}

Step 6: styles #

Put your CSS in extension/mysite_design/design/mysite/stylesheets/site.css and load it through the design's settings (design.ini [StylesheetSettings]), never with style="" or a <style> block; see Theme assets, the packer and CSP.

Step 7: the members area #

Follow the worked plan in Sections, roles and access for builders: section members, assigned to the Members folder, a role with content/read limited to that section, assigned to the Members user group.

Step 8: check #

• To do: Every page renders without errors in the debug output.
• To do: The used-templates table shows your overrides on news, events and the front page.
• To do: The members area is denied when signed out and readable as a member.
• To do: Publishing a news item updates the front page (the view cache is cleared on publish).
• To do: Both extensions are Git repositories with their first commit; settings/override/ is not in either.

What you built, and what is next #

A real site, under version control, with no code. When a requirement appears that settings and templates cannot meet (an import from another system, a field type that does not exist, a page that computes something), it is time for Part 3; the next chapter helps you decide.

Related pages #

• Previous: Cronjobs for builders
• Next: When settings are not enough
• Templates and design
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.