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XML file theming layer poorly documented

peach Total Posts: 22 Joined: 2008-01-11 Ignore user	I’ve read through the designers guide but I still can’t look at the xml files and see where all the tag attributes are referring to.. Example code from catalog.xml: <catalog_product_view> <!-- Mage_Catalog --> <reference name="root"> <action method="setTemplate"><template>page/2columns-right.phtml</template></action> </reference> <reference name="head"> <action method="addJs"><script>varien/product.js</script></action> </reference> <reference name="content"> <block type="catalog/product_view" name="product.info" template="catalog/product/view.phtml"> <block type="catalog/product_view_super_config" name="product.info.config" as="super_config" template="catalog/product/view/super/config.phtml"/> <block type="catalog/product_view_super_group" name="product.info.group" as="super_group" template="catalog/product/view/super/group.phtml"/> <block type="catalog/product_list_upsell" name="product.info.upsell" as="upsell_products" template="catalog/product/list/upsell.phtml"/> <block type="catalog/product_view_additional" name="product.info.additional" as="product_additional_data" /> </block> </reference> <reference name="right"> <block type="catalog/product_list_related" name="catalog.product.related" before="-" template="catalog/product/list/related.phtml"/> </reference> </catalog_product_view> -I’m pretty sure that catalog_product_view refers to the type of page that is being viewed, and the child elements are used when it’s demanded that the catalog.xml layout is updated to the product_view layout (rather than default layout). -the template attribute loads the contents of the block by loading the phtml file -block type, how does this work? -block name, whats the use of this again? And then in other files I see a method used called thisChildHtml or something, how does that compare to whats happening to the above code? That’s all my questions for now
	Posted: January 19 2008 \| top

peach Total Posts: 22 Joined: 2008-01-11 Ignore user	as – This is the name by which a template calls the block in which this attribute is assigned. When you see the getChildHtml(’block_name’) PHP method called from a template , you can be sure it is referring the block whose attribute ‘as’ is assigned the name ‘block_name’. (ie. The method <?=$this->getChildHtml('header')?> in the a skeleton template correlates to <block as=“header”> This type of explanation covers the technical side of it but I think it would be helpful to add some examples of how to use it in practice. Alternatively you can just add this code to the guide; `Global $user; if ($user->IQ < 190) { print '<h1>Don't bother reading this!</h1>; }` Just kidding of course, the guide is comprehensible but it sure can be better, maybe a chart that depicts the callbacks between template files would clear up all the mist around this complex templating engine.
	Posted: January 20 2008 \| top \| # 1

peach Total Posts: 22 Joined: 2008-01-11 Ignore user	and the first example involves using main.xml, which has become obsolete. The second as well but that one was easy to figure out nevertheless
	Posted: January 20 2008 \| top \| # 2

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