With RAD: a module with views #

Tutorial 4. Two wizards write modules. The Module wizard (/setup/modulewizard) writes a module with views and policy functions; it is also the tool for "View for an existing module" and "Policy function and limitation". Module over existing tables (/setup/moduleextension) writes a module, persistent object classes and pages for tables that already exist. This tutorial uses the first. The output shown was produced by the wizard's generator (expModuleWizard::files()) with the same input; every PHP file passed php -l.

1. The form #

The views field takes one view per line: a name, a colon, then words. The wizard's rule (expModuleWizard::viewList()): "A word in capitals is an ordered parameter, a word in lower case is a policy", and a trailing ? marks a parameter that may be left out.

2. The files #

.gitignore
LICENSE
README.md
composer.json
design/mysite_hello/templates/hello/admin.tpl
design/mysite_hello/templates/hello/world.tpl
doc/examples.php
extension.xml
ezinfo.php
modules/hello/admin.php
modules/hello/module.php
modules/hello/world.php
settings/design.ini.append.php
settings/menu.ini.append.php
settings/module.ini.append.php

The generated modules/hello/module.php:

<?php
$Module = array( 'name' => 'Hello module' );

$ViewList = array();

$ViewList['world'] = array(
    'script' => 'world.php',
    'functions' => array( 'read' ),
    'default_navigation_part' => 'ezsetupnavigationpart',
    'unordered_params' => array( 'name' => 'Name' ),
);

$ViewList['admin'] = array(
    'script' => 'admin.php',
    'functions' => array( 'administrate' ),
    'default_navigation_part' => 'ezsetupnavigationpart',
);

$FunctionList = array();

$FunctionList['read'] = array();

$FunctionList['administrate'] = array();

Every view requires its policy, as it should. The optional parameter Name? became an unordered parameter, so the address is /hello/world/(name)/Ada (the generated README's table says so).

The view script starts with the right warning and a deliberately safe default:

// Everything in $Params came out of the address, which means it came from
// whoever typed it. The declared type is nothing: cast, and check.
$name = isset( $Params['Name'] )
          ? (int) $Params['Name'] : 0;

The (int) assumes an ID. For a name, replace it with a string check, as in View parameters.

3. One correction before you use it #

The wizard writes the templates to design/mysite_hello/templates/, a design named after the extension. The design chain only searches designs that a siteaccess uses (SiteDesign, AdditionalSiteDesignList[], StandardDesign), so those templates are not found and the views answer with an empty page. Move them to standard (or to your admin design):

mv extension/mysite_hello/design/mysite_hello extension/mysite_hello/design/standard
php bin/php/ezcache.php --clear-id=template-override,design_base

The generated templates use the classic admin's box markup; for admin4 pages, rewrite them with the shared components (Admin pages in the admin4 style).

4. The menu #

settings/menu.ini.append.php adds the module to a navigation part's menu ([NavigationPartMenu_ezsetupnavigationpart] with Menu[]=hello, MenuTitle[hello] and MenuURL[hello]=/hello/world). Check the result in your administration design and adjust; the admin4 left menu groups links as described in Admin pages in the admin4 style.

5. Switch it on, grant, open #

./console exp:ini add 'site.ini/ExtensionSettings/ActiveExtensions[]' mysite_hello global
php bin/php/ezpgenerateautoloads.php -e
php bin/php/ezcache.php --clear-all

Grant hello/read to a role (Users > Roles and policies), then open /hello/world/(name)/Ada.

Module over existing tables #

/setup/moduleextension is for data that already has tables. It reads their structure and writes, among others, one persistent object class per table (classes/<class>.php), a connection and a registry class, the module with its function_definition.php and a function collection, a remove view and template, a settings file named after the extension, a menu entry, and share/db_schema.dba. Use it when you build administration pages for data another system writes; for new data, design the table and class yourself (Persistent objects and your own tables).

Related pages #

• Previous: With RAD: a datatype
• Next: With RAD: a workflow event
• Modules and views, By hand: a module with a view
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.