Theming best practices and preprocess by ayushi infotech

Overview Theme Architecture an Introduction

• Structure of theme Files• Core Template for different regions• Template Hierarchy• Theme() execution Hierarchy• Standard templates available for moduleTools for getting started Exploring for themeExamples: Step-by-step guide to theme a

page and form in a module for D 6/7 .

Structure of Theme Files

Each Template Handles A Region of Your Site

html.tpl.php -Master template file for your site

page.tpl.php - Entire Pagefront-page.tpl.php - Just Front Pageblock.tpl.php - Blockscomment.tpl.php - Commentsforum.tpl.php – Forumsfield.tpl.php - modules/field/theme

Template Hierarchy

Home Pagepage-front.tpl.phppage.tpl.php

Nodesnode-type.tpl.phpnode.tpl.php

Pagespage-node-edit.tpl.phppage-node-1.tpl.phppage-node.tpl.phppage.tpl.php

Blocksblock-module-delta.tpl.phpblock-module.tpl.phpblock-region.tpl.phpblock.tpl.php

Boxesbox.tpl.php

Commentscomment.tpl.php

Theme() execution hierarchy

theme() execute in below sequence1.Theme() check first for

themename_mycallback() in template.php. If it finds one, it takes precedent.

2.If not it looks, again in template.php, for a phptemplate_mycallback ()

3. If it finds nothing else, it uses the theme_mycallback () in your module.

Available templates for module• theme(‘pager’)• theme(‘image’)• theme(‘table’)• theme(‘item_list’) or

theme_item_list()

Tool helps in theming1. Firebug2. Drupal for Firebug3. Devel and devel_themer4. coder5. Web Developer Toolbar6. Starter Theme e.g. zen or

fusion7. XDebug & NetBeans

Devel: dpm()

Firebug: To inspect HTML and CSS, and prototype styles(http://getfirebug.com)

Web Developer Toolbar: Adds a menu and a toolbar to Firefox with various helpful web developer tools. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60 XDebug & NetBeans

Drupal for Firebug: Install the Drupal for Firebug module

Exploring for theme• theme.inc• template.inc• Mytheme_preprocess_page()

• Mytheme_preprocess_node()

Ex 1: How to Call theme()A brief overview of theming in Drupal 6/7.• Create a tpl.php file for your template• Create a hook_theme() implementation to register

your template• Create a module preprocess function for any

variables you wish to make present in the template• Clear caches• Go to the block/menu callback/other location you

have invoked the theme() function from to call your template

Step1) hook_menu() implementationfunction drupalcamp_menu(){

$items['my-themeing-page'] = array(

'title' => 'General page callback',

'page callback' => 'drupalcamp_page_theming',

'access arguments' => array('access content'),

'type' => MENU_NORMAL_ITEM

);

return $items;

}

Step2) hook_preprocessfunction drupalcamp_preprocess_drupalcamp_page_theming(&$vars){ $vars['new_variable1'] = 'this is my first variable‘; }

Step3) hook_theme implementation

function drupalcamp_theme(){

$items['drupalcamp_page_theming'] = array(

'template' => 'drupalcamp-page-theming',

'arguments' => array(),

'access agruments' => TRUE

);

return $items;

}

Note the underscores in the theme function name are replaced with hyphens when we create our template reference. Note also that, in theory, the template name does not have to match the theme function name, however, we have discovered through testing that if the template name is different from the theme function name then the theme may not recognise the template file when it is coped to the theme's template directory. I'm not sure if this is by design, but for safety's sake make sure the template file and the theme registration are the same in name.

Step 4) call theme() functionfunction drupalcamp_page_theming(){ return theme('drupalcamp_page_theming');}

Step 5) Next job is to create our template file drupalcamp-page-theming.tpl.php

<div class="my-theme"> This is my template. <?php print $new_variable1; ?></div>

Now if you clear the Drupal cache (see below) and we visit the page http://yoursite.com/my-themeing-page then we will see the output of our theme function

Ex 2: Page callback & themeThis is similar to example 1 only difference is we added page callback =>

‘theme’ and deleted step4

Step1) hook_menu() implementationfunction drupalcamp_menu(){

$items['my-themeing-page'] = array(

'title' => 'General page callback',

'page callback' => ‘theme',

‘page arguments’ => array(‘drupalcamp_page_theming’),

'access arguments' => array('access content'),

'type' => MENU_NORMAL_ITEM

);

return $items;}

Step2) hook_theme implementation

function drupalcamp_theme(){

$items['drupalcamp_page_theming'] = array(

'template' => 'drupalcamp-page-theming',

'arguments' => array(),

'access agruments' => TRUE

);

return $items;

}

Step3) hook_preprocessfunction drupalcamp_preprocess_drupalcamp_page_theming(&$vars){ $vars['new_variable1'] = 'this is my first variable'; $vars['goto_back'] = l(‘My Link', ‘my url’, array('attributes' => array('class' => 'orangeBtn')));}

Ex 3: How to theme a formStep1) hook_menu() implementationfunction drupalcamp_menu(){

$items['form_theme'] = array(

'title' => 'How to implement theme with a form callback‘,

'page callback' => 'drupal_get_form',

'page arguments' => array('drupalcamp_form'),

'access arguments' => array('access content'),

'type' => MENU_NORMAL_ITEM

);

}

Step2) hook_theme implementation

function drupalcamp_theme(){

$items['drupalcamp_form'] = array(

'template' => 'drupalcamp-form',

'arguments' => array('form' => NULL),

'access arguments' => TRUE,

); }

Step3) hook_preprocessfunction drupalcamp_preprocess_drupalcamp_page_theming(&$vars){ $vars[‘about_us'] = l(‘About Us', ‘url’, array('attributes' => array('class' => ‘Btn'))); $image_path = drupal_get_path('module', ‘drupalcamp') . '/images/image.png'; $var[‘my_image'] = theme_image($image_path,'',''); $var['setmessages'] = drupal_get_messages();$vars['firstname'] = drupal_render($vars['form']['firstname']);$var[‘add_temp'] = theme('drupalcamp-page-theming'); // Called a template}

Step4) hook_form implementation

function drupalcamp_form(){

$form['firstname'] = array(

'#type' => 'textfield',

'#title' => 'First Name',

'#default_value' => 'test',

);

return $form;

}

Step5) Create drupalcamp-form.tpl.php page<div class="paymentFooterLnks"> <?php print $about_us;?> </div>

<div> <?php print $add_temp;?></div><div class="verisign"><?php print $my_image;?></div> <div class="billing"><?php print $firstname;?> </div><?php print drupal_render($form);?>

Some Useful Linkshttps://ratatosk.backpackit.com/pub/1836982-debugging-drupalhttp://drupal.org/project/devel_themerhttp://mogdesign.eu/blog/performance-tips-for-drupal-theming/http://www.drupaler.co.uk/blog/theming-drupal-6/96#comment-1504http://design.acquia.com/content/tools-getting-startedhttp://www.appnovation.com/theming-views-drupal-6-simple-way

Catch me atMandakini125 (skype)mandakini@ayushiinfotech.com