Custom template controller issues.

[christianmagill]

I've been running into issues with custom templates. Whether I am relying on naming the controller the same or setting the template property, the controller fails to send data to the view.

However, the standard page controller does send it's data.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

templates/faq.blade.php

{{--
  Template Name: Frequently Asked Questions
--}}

@extends('layouts.base')

@section('content')
  @while(have_posts()) @php(the_post())
  @include('partials.page-header')
  @include('partials.content-page')
  @endwhile
  {{ $faq or 'No $faq variable returned' }}<br/>
  {{ $page or 'No $page variable returned' }}
@endsection

controllers/faq.php

<?php
namespace App;
use Sober\Controller\Controller;

class Faq extends Controller
{
    /**
     * Protected methods will not be passed to the template
     */
    protected function hidden()
    {

    }
    public function faq()
    {
        return 'Testing FAQ Controller';
    }
}

controllers/page.php

<?php
namespace App;
use Sober\Controller\Controller;

class Page extends Controller
{
    /**
     * Protected methods will not be passed to the template
     */
    protected function hidden()
    {

    }
    public function page()
    {
        return 'Testing Page Controller';
    }
}

Outputs

No $faq variable returned
Testing Page Controller

[darrenjacoby]

@christianmagill thanks for flagging this.

The controllers essentially work using the body class, so as a workaround you could add this to the controller;

<?php

namespace App;

use Sober\Controller\Controller;

class Faq extends Controller
{
    public $template = 'page-template-faq-blade';

    public function faq()
    {
        return 'Testing FAQ Controller';
    }
}

I'd like to improve this solution in the next release which I'll be working on this weekend, so I'm going to keep the issue open for now.

[darrenjacoby]

I've just released 1.0.0-alpha6 which should address this. Your original setup should now work.

I've also added in a controllers/singular.php option as I use that often (single.php or page.php will override), or you could use controllers/base.php for global options.

d200c7e#diff-3864ffe37f3a1de39876ea62cae525f3

[christianmagill]

Thanks for the information and fix!

If the controllers work on the body classes, why not just make this more transparent in the documentation and property name. It's similar to the way Sage handles their javascript routing.

In reality the way you describe the template/controller connection is not exactly right. For instance, a custom page template, with it's own controller, will still incorporate the standard page controller.

This could be useful in many contexts but confusing if it is not expected. I am not sure what happens when two applied controllers have the identically named methods.

[darrenjacoby]

@christianmagill sure, it's still in alpha so there's a bit to work through to be honest. I'm working on some changes this weekend and will be testing multiple scenarios and the best way to deal with them. I will update the docs once it's in beta (hopefully soon).

[christianmagill]

Thanks! I appreciate your work on this. I think it's going to be great. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

[darrenjacoby]

I will keep this issue open for now, appreciate your feedback so far, will let you know when the next alpha is released.

[darrenjacoby]

@christianmagill I rewrote a lot of the plugin today.

I realised that having template override options is a bad idea as it quickly becomes an unstructured mess.

The new code should make it more structured/easier to reason about, while still allowing the use of components through traits.

Here's an implementation example of partials/components;

controllers/partials/images.php

<?php

namespace App;

trait Images
{
    public function images()
    {
        return get_field('images');
    }
}

controllers/single.php

<?php

namespace App;

use Sober\Controller\Controller;

class Single extends Controller
{
    use Images;

    public function books()
    {
        return array();
    }
}

By default, each controller does not inherit the template hierarchy. However, in some edge cases, you can inherit the template hierarchy using the following;

<?php

namespace App;

use Sober\Controller\Controller;
use Sober\Controller\Tree;

class Single extends Controller implements Tree
{
    use Images;

    public function books()
    {
        return array(1,2,3,4,5,6);
    }
}

This will include methods from controllers/partials/images.php as well as controllers/singular.php.

Duplicate method names override the previous. This is useful if you would like to override a singular.php above for example.

Please flag any issues you may notice, I'll be doing more testing tomorrow and then release as a beta.

[christianmagill]

How is the determination made as to which templates load which controllers? Is it just anything that is a body class? Thanks for your work on this. I'm out tonight but will test out tommorow.

[christianmagill]

Okay, I noticed updated documentation in read me and that helped clear up some things.

The only thing I'm not completely clear on is "Inheriting the Tree/Heirarchy". Where do these co trollers come from and do they stack on top of each other according to the template hierarchy. You mention singular, but there is no "singular" in the template hierarchy. Is thay in reference to the associated body class. Thanks. I really like how things are setup!

[darrenjacoby]

@christianmagill the standard WordPress hierarchy (https://developer.wordpress.org/files/2014/10/template-hierarchy.png) has been implemented in 1.0.0-beta1. If you inspect the body class on a page, you will notice *-data classes;

All classes with *-data can become controller files (omitting -data from the filename), with the latest one always overriding the previous should you not add "implements Tree" to the Controller Class declaration.

You can use the Blade directive @debug('hierarchy') in any template to output this as well.

[christianmagill]

Great. I was unfamiliar with the addition of singular.php to the template hierarchy which caused some confusion. The way you have things setup seems very powerful and well organized. Can't wait to try it out.

[mtx-z]

Hey there !
Just found this issue related to mine.

I'm using latest Beta, and i'm wandering if there's a way to use a Class attribute
like
public $template = 'page-template-faq-blade';

To override the controller search based on controller filename ?
It would be just to :

• Have clear controllers filename
• Be able to specify in the controller the "slug" that this controller will match, in addition to its filename.

As when I want a controller for a specific template, the filename should be "template-my-template.php" or "page-mypage-slug.php" which is not "perfect".

This is only for "name design" purpose, all is working :)

Thanks !