This plugin is allows theme and plugin developers to easily surface a form
within Movable Type for configuring their theme/plugin. In addition, it allows
theme and plugin developers to define template tags by which they can access
the values entered in by their users directly within their templates.
All this **without having to know perl or how to program at all**!
This plugin works by allowing a developer to use their plugin's configuration
file as a means for defining what the various settings and form elements they
would like to expose to a user.
If Config Assistant is being used within the context of a theme, then users of
your theme will automatically have a "Theme Options" menu item added to their
design menu so they can easily access the settings you define.
The sample config file below should give you a quick understanding of how you
can begin using this plugin today.
# Prerequisites
- Movable Type 4.1 or higher
# Installation
This plugin is installed [just like any other Movable Type Plugin](http://www.majordojo.com/2008/12/the-ultimate-guide-to-installing-movable-type-plugins.php).
# Reference and Documentation
## Using Config Assistant for Theme Options
This plugin adds support for a new element in any plugin's `config.yaml` file called
`options`, which is placed as a descendant to a defined template set. When a user of
your plugin applies the corresponding template set then a "Theme Options" menu item
will automatically appear in their "Design" menu. They can click that menu item to
be taken directly to a page on which they can edit all of their theme's settings.
id: MyPluginID
name: My Plugin
template_sets:
my_awesome_theme:
options:
fieldsets:
homepage:
label: 'Homepage Options'
feed:
label: 'Feed Options'
feedburner_id:
type: text
label: "Feedburner ID"
hint: "This is the name of your Feedburner feed."
tag: 'MyPluginFeedburnerID'
fieldset: feed
use_feedburner:
type: checkbox
label: "Use Feedburner?"
tag: 'IfFeedburner?'
fieldset: feed
posts_for_frontfoor:
type: text
label: "Entries on Frontdoor"
hint: 'The number of entries to show on the front door.'
tag: 'FrontdoorEntryCount'
fieldset: homepage
## Using Config Assistant for Plugin Settings
*This is admittedly a little rough as it is based upon a much earlier version
of the plugin. This will get simplified.*
The data structure for input form elements is relatively straight forward.
This plugin adds support for a new registry key called `plugin_config`.
The `plugin_config` element has a child element which corresponds to the plugin's
id. It is this element under which all the various fields are defined under
"fieldsets".
Each plugin can have multiple fieldsets, or grouping of input parameters.
Each fieldset should have a unique key or identifier.
Under each fieldset is a sequence of fields.
In order to surface the form under your plugin's settings area, you will need
to define a blog configuration template like so:
blog_config_template: '<mt:PluginConfigForm id="MyPluginID">'
## Fields
Each field definition supports the following properties:
* `type` - the type of the field. Supported values are: text, textarea, select,
checkbox, blogs
* `label` - the label to display to the left of the input element
* `show_label` - display the label? (default: yes). This is ideal for checkboxes.
* `hint` - the hint text to display below the input element
* `tag` - the template tag that will access the value held by the corresponding
input element
### Supported Field Types
Below is a list of acceptable values for the `type` parameter for any defined
field:
* `text` - Produces a simple single line text box.
* `textarea` - Produces a multi-line text box. You can specify the `rows` sibling
element to control the size/height of the text box.
* `select` - Produces a pull-down menu or arbitrary values. Those values are
defined by specifying a sibling element called `values` which should contain
a comma delimitted list of values to present in the pull down menu
* `checkbox` - Produces a single checkbox, ideal for boolean values.
* `blogs` - Produces a pull down menu listing every blog in the system.
*Warning: this is not advisable for large installations as it can dramatically
impact performance (negatively).*
## Defining Template Tags
Each plugin configuration field can define a template tag by which a designer
or developer can access its value. If a tag name terminates in a question mark
then the system will interpret the tag as a conditional block element. Here are
two example fields:
feedburner_id:
type: text
label: "Feedburner ID"
hint: "This is the name of your Feedburner feed."
tag: 'FeedburnerID'
use_feedburner:
type: checkbox
label: "Use Feedburner?"
tag: 'IfFeedburner?'
And here are corresponding template tags that make use of these configuration
options:
<mt:IfFeedburner>
My feedburner id is <mt:FeedburnerID>.
<mt:Else>
Feedburner is disabled!
</mt:IfFeedburner>
# Sample config.yaml
blog_config_template: '<mt:PluginConfigForm id="MyPluginID">'
plugin_config:
MyPluginID:
fieldset_1:
label: "This is a label for my fieldset"
description: "This is some text to display below my fieldset label"
feedburner_id:
type: text
label: "Feedburner ID"
hint: "This is the name of your Feedburner feed."
tag: 'MyPluginFeedburnerID'
# Support
http://forums.movabletype.org/codesixapartcom/project-support/
# Info
Configuration Assistant Plugin for Movable Type
Author: Byrne Reese
Copyright 2008 Six Apart, Ltd.
Copyright 2009 Byrne Reese
License: Artistic, licensed under the same terms as Perl itself
) is private.
