Magento

I’m trying to move the search box around some....

This block is found in default.xml

<block type="core/template" name="top.search" as="topSearch">
<action method="setTemplate"><template>catalogsearch/form.mini.phtml</template></action>
</block>

My first instinct was to just remove this block from the header block and put it by it self.  I figured then I could call it seperately inside of the 3columns.phtml file wherever I wanted using:

<?=$this->getChildHtml('topSearch')?>

This however does not work.... I know I’m missing something simple… but what is it

Try to use

<?=$this->getLayout()->getBlock('top.search')->toHtml()?>

instead of

<?=$this->getChildHtml('topSearch')?>

so you’ll be able to put the search bar anywhere in your template.

Moshe said that they may change the method that gets the HTML of the child block. Personally, I haven’t been able to get an HTML block’s HTML to render without using Adam’s above code. Moshe mentioned that they may change this to simply getBlockHtml() which I would highly suggest. Your average designer wouldn’t know to use <?=$this->getLayout()->getBlock('top.search')->toHtml()?> and is probably already daunted by use of the XML blocks, and the associated learning curve of them right from the start.

Thanks @A.Piotrowski (Lento.pl):
The code is useful to adjust the search box wherever I like - simple and helpful.

Just to clarify:

in this line of code:  ?=$this->getLayout()->getBlock(’top.search’)->toHtml()?> what goes between parentheses?

?=$this->getLayout( WHAT GOES HERE )->getBlock(’top.search’)->toHtml( WHAT GOES HERE )?>

i’m such a noob lol

plz hlp

Hi,

I would like to understand how the mechanism be different and works between

<?=$this->getLayout()->getBlock('top.search')->toHtml()?>

vs.

<?=$this->getChildHtml('topSearch')?>

Can someone explain at a high level? Thanks

Can anyone shed some light on how this works? Thanks

Awesome solution thanks _

I would also like more info on this mechanism if anyone can give more input.

Thanks again!

Thank you.

Hi this may help you.

http://www.magentocommerce.com/design_guide/articles/intro-to-layouts

<?=$this->getLayout()->getBlock('top.search')->toHtml()?>
worked great for me.

I am modifying the modern template and having trouble removing the search from the cookie-crumbs line:

I have figured out how (from this thread) to get the search into the upper portion of the header, but I cannot find where
in the xml files to remove the lower duplicated search.  See screen capture.

Note that I am using the new 1.4.0.1 magento and the updated modern template for 1.4.0.1.

Click thumbnail to see full-size image

I think removing/commenting out the following line from app/design/frontend/modern/default/template/page/html/header.phtml should do it:

Please let me know if this helps.

_ - 15 September 2007 06:54 AM

Try to use

<?=$this->getLayout()->getBlock('top.search')->toHtml()?>

instead of

<?=$this->getChildHtml('topSearch')?>

so you’ll be able to put the search bar anywhere in your template.

Worked a treat, ta

gKat - 08 June 2010 06:14 AM

_ - 15 September 2007 06:54 AM

Try to use

<?=$this->getLayout()->getBlock('top.search')->toHtml()?>

instead of

<?=$this->getChildHtml('topSearch')?>

so you’ll be able to put the search bar anywhere in your template.

Worked a treat, ta

This works but I would like to know why using the getBlock statement is better than using getChildHtml? Does one perform better than the other? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks in advance!

@Primary Numbers You need to open catalogsearch.xml in the layout and change the following:

to

You then should be able to use

Is there a way of removing the Search Box from the header through the XML layout mechanism without removing it entirely? I want to move the search box to the footer and have used the following:

it removes both the search box in the footer as well as the one in the header. Is it necessary to hack the template file (page/html/header.phtml) to remove the following method call:

$this->getChildHtml(’topSearch’)

to achieve what I want or can it be done more elegantly with an XML instruction?