Theme custom template partial customization & load

[rica-carv]

As far i remember, in v1.4 it seems to have a partial template load ability, like it's yet present on the core download plugin download_template.php (i.e.: if(!isset($DOWNLOAD_CAT_TABLE_PRE)){.... )

As it is now in v2, the templates are searched or in theme or in the plugin itself, loading the first found and discarding the second, right?
This forces a theme custom template to have all the defines from the original plugin template.
I think of some drawbacks:

• Plugin developer changes main template, making theme plugin will be not up to date
• Duplicated code if theme designer only wanted to change one or two things, since it's forced to have all the defines duplicated from the original template....

[Jimmi08]

I am curious in this too. There is probably some setting I am missing. For example. With featurebox category template you can just rewrite/add new template in theme folder (not copy all file, just part of array you want to change). But with items - featurebox template - you need to include all original template file. Thanks

[rica-carv]

@Jimmi08 In featurebox plugin, might be something in these files around these lines, perhaps?
e_shortcode.php (lines 346/350 & 433/449)
featurebox.php (line 58 - I can only see a require to the plugin folder, not to the theme folder....)

[rica-carv]

Err, it seems getTemplate has a merge param.....

• @param boolean $merge merge theme with plugin templates, default is false

Got to figure out how it works....

[Moc]

@rica-carv just fyi: boolean is true/false
Don't really know this specific functionality so I cannot be of more help here.

[rica-carv]

@Moc As far i've tested until now, if you just define a partial template on any template file inside a theme, only that definition is loaded from the theme, all the other definitions are used from plugins...
And this just by using a partial template definition inside a theme, nothing more....

[rica-carv]

Well, i sung victory too soon....
After all, you need to have all the template definitions inside the custom template file inside the theme, or simply the template will be broken, since only the custom template file on the theme is loaded, and not the core or plugin template it overrides....
So, if there's any absent definition on the custom theme template, it will remain absent and will show simply nothing....

[Moc]

Is this issue still relevant?

[Jimmi08]

@Moc I haven't seen solution for this yet. If I want this: with custom plugin to add something to template without changing theme or core template. Before global variables could be rewrittten in plugin.

[Moc]

related to #3195?

[Jimmi08]

Yes, before you was able replace constants, now you can't replace method with template class/object or what is it.

[CaMer0n]

@Moc

I have added tests for getTemplate(). e107inc/e107-test@022109c (there's still some refinement to do)

I believe that setting 'merge' to true by default (as well as keeping override=true as default) could solve most of the original issue mentioned above. ie. theme template keys would merge with existing plugin template keys. Any keys missing from the theme would be automatically filled by the plugin unless this feature is specifically disabled by the plugin. ie. By setting merge = false.

The ability for plugins to override core/theme templates is a separate issue and will need to be achieved another way (see #3195 e_template.php idea)