core/template block should use a helper or a model

[vsushkov]

core/template block should use a helper or a model to render a template. If it will be so than anyone can rewrite this helper or model and implement, for example, HAML templates support. At the moment the only way to do so is to place Mage_Core_Block_Template in app/local folder.

[paulchubatyy]

Also it would be nice to have each renderrer defined per module basis.

[stalniy]

Do you want to rewrite base Magento theme to HAML?

[vsushkov]

@stalniy I haven't decided yet. Maybe slim :)

[jmspldnl]

@vsushkov Why wouldn't you just create a new block that extends from the core/template block? Then you would only need to override the render functions with code that processes your new template type, and then make sure your template files use your new block.

I guess I'm confused on how a helper or model would provide any additional functionality that doesn't already exist.

[vsushkov]

Why wouldn't you just create a new block that extends from the core/template block?

@jmspldnl Because if I'd like to write all my catalog templates on HAML, I'd have to create a thousand of blocks.

[jmspldnl]

@vsushkov I don't really see how a helper would "help" in this situation though. You would only really move the changes into the helper, but you would still have to rewrite the helper to make it work.

If you are trying to do this in your magento-haml repo, then I'm not sure you are going about it the best way. It's bad practice to copy core files directly into your local path. You really should "rewrite" the core/template block with a block that extends from it and only override the functions you need to change. I would think that you could do some kind of if/else logic so that a template that ends with .haml would call the haml parser.

[magento-team]

Hi @vsushkov,

thank you for the proposal. We're working on it. Please stay tuned.

[vsushkov]

@mage2-team thank you! :)

@jmspldnl

You really should "rewrite" the core/template block with a block that extends from it and only override the functions you need to change.

It won't help as soon as I cannot (=I don't want) to rewrite all standard Magento blocks and extend them from my own template class. Rewrites are used only in createBlock factory methods. It's long to explain, just google about it.

but you would still have to rewrite the helper to make it work.

No, it's not necessary if this helper will iterate through all declared template processors (like Magento iterates through total models, payment methods etc.)

[stalniy]

Something like this i think will be nice

Mage_Core_Block_Template extends Mage_Core_Block_Abstract {
protected static $_defaultRenderer;
protected $_renderer;

public static function setDefaultRenderer(Mage_Core_Block_Renderer_Interface $renderer) {
    self::$_defaultRenderer = $renderer;
}

public function setRenderer(Mage_Core_Block_Renderer_Interface $renderer) {
    $this->_renderer = $renderer;
    return $this;
}

public function getRenderer() {
    return $this->_renderer ? $this->_renderer : self::$_defaultRenderer;
}

public function renderView()
{
    $this->setScriptPath(Mage::getBaseDir('design'));
    $html = $this->getRenderer()->render($this->getTemplateFile());
    return $html;
}
............................................................................................
}

How to use:

• using "core_block_abstract_to_html_before" you can change renderer for each block before rendering
• somewhere in the code (e.g. in index.php, but i'm not sure if this is the best place) Mage_Core_Block_Template::setDefaultRenderer(new HamlRenderer($someConfigurations));

[jmspldnl]

@vsushkov that makes a little more sense now. So you're saying you would essentially define template parsers/processors in config, and then the helper would iterate through the config to determine which parser to call. Let's see what the @mage2-team comes up with, but I think it's a little more clear for me now.

[magento-team]

After careful examination of the subject by the team and product management it was considered that implementing such feature can have negative impact on Magento community.
Supporting different template types in one system makes its support more complicated. Since every module may contain templates in different formats, a developer should be familiar with all kind of template engines in order to work with a system.
In case of discovering a bug in such a system it becomes not clear whether it's caused by the Magento core or custom template renderer functionality.

Magento 2 roadmap contains stories, which require changes of view layer design. If proposed feature would be implemented, it may appear to contradict with the upcoming view layer refactoring.

Thank you for the proposition.

[LeeSaferite]

So basically you don't want a flexible system, you just want us to do it your way or not at all? Why make anything extendable at all then?