How to Set Default Layout for Custom Module – Magento 1.8

layoutmagento-1.8

I am working on my first module and I stuck with frontend layout.

I created a block which I want to display in the right column.

In my layout.xml when I put my code in the default tag it is showing in my whole website, so i tried using this code blog_default tag but it is not showing anything.
How can I display my block in the right column.

Here is my layout.xml file

<?xml version="1.0"?>   
<layout version="0.1.0">
<default>
 <reference name="root">   
  <action method="setTemplate"><template>page/3columns.phtml</template></action>   
</reference>
</default>
<blog_default>
  <reference name="right">
   <block type="blog/category_list" before="-" name="blog.category.list">
    <action method="setShowPopulatedOnly" ><show>1</show></action>
   </block>
   <block type="blog/widget_post_list" after="blog.category.list" name="blog.latest.posts"/>
 </reference>
</blog_default>
<blog_index_index>   
 <reference name="content">   
  <block type="blog/article_index" name="blog_index" template="blog/article/index.phtml"/>   
</reference>   
</blog_index_index>   
</layout>

by this the right column is not showing my block. How can I display my block.

Best Answer

<default> is used for all pages of the site.

As I understood you want to display your block on every page of your blog controller.

But magento does not support that. You need to place your block definition in every module controller_action_handle.

<?xml version="1.0"?>   
<layout version="0.1.0">
    <default>
        <reference name="root">   
            <action method="setTemplate"><template>page/3columns.phtml</template>     </action>   
        </reference>
    </default>
    <blog_index_index>   
        <reference name="right">
            <block type="blog/category_list" before="-" name="blog.category.list">
                <action method="setShowPopulatedOnly" ><show>1</show></action>
            </block>
            <block type="blog/widget_post_list" after="blog.category.list" name="blog.latest.posts"/>
        </reference>
        <reference name="content">   
            <block type="blog/article_index" name="blog_index" template="blog/article/index.phtml"/>   
        </reference>   
    </blog_index_index>
    <layout_handle>
        <reference name="right">
            <block type="blog/category_list" before="-" name="blog.category.list">
                <action method="setShowPopulatedOnly" ><show>1</show></action>
            </block>
            <block type="blog/widget_post_list" after="blog.category.list" name="blog.latest.posts"/>
        </reference>
    </layout_handle> 
 </layout>

Where layout_handle is layout handle of every page you want to see a block.

Related Solutions

Magento – How to include the checkout progress on the Paypal express review page

Yes it is possible.

This is what you will need to achieve it.

In your module.xml remove all references <remove name="right" /> from the paypal_express_review handle and update the template the same as you have done in step 1 and 2.

Next you can add the checkout.progress wrapper block into the right reference. This block can be found in app/design/frontend/base/default/layout/checkout.xml

<reference name="right">
            <action method="unsetChildren"></action>
            <block type="page/html_wrapper" name="checkout.progress.wrapper" translate="label">
                <label>Checkout Progress Wrapper</label>
                <action method="setElementId"><value>checkout-progress-wrapper</value></action>
                <block type="checkout/onepage_progress" name="checkout.progress" before="-" template="checkout/onepage/progress.phtml">
                    <block type="checkout/onepage_progress" name="billing.progress" template="checkout/onepage/progress/billing.phtml"></block>
                    <block type="checkout/onepage_progress" name="shipping.progress" template="checkout/onepage/progress/shipping.phtml"></block>
                    <block type="checkout/onepage_progress" name="shippingmethod.progress" template="checkout/onepage/progress/shipping_method.phtml"></block>
                    <block type="checkout/onepage_progress" name="payment.progress" template="checkout/onepage/progress/payment.phtml"></block>
                </block>
            </block>
        </reference>

Once you get to the paypal/express/review/ page you should see that there is a blank column? Why isn't you block showing up? If you inspect the page in the right column you should see opactity: 0;. Update your styles to be opacity:1; and the block should be there.

The only issue you may have is getting the change links to work as they are expecting the container to be there already. If not you could look at creating your own template for progress and removing the links. Hope this helps :D

Magento 1.8 Custom Block Module – How to Create

I find the whole XML thing difficult so I am sympathetic to your cause here.

It looks to me like there is a discrepancy with your class name and your block XML

class Crusader_CLHomePage_Block_Qwerty extends Mage_Core_Block_Template

and

    <block type="core/template" name="homepage" template="crusader/home.phtml">
        <block type="crusaderhome/qwerty" name="homeads" as="homeads" template="crusader/homeads.phtml" />
    </block>

Let's start with the block type and work backward. I think here I would expect to see something like

<block type="crusader_home/qwerty" ...

and that type would refer Magento to the class

Crusader_Home_Block_Qwerty extends Mage_Core_Block_Template

Continuing to work backward on this tack, the file app\code\local\Crusader\CLHomePage\etc\config.xml would need to be modified to something like

<global>
    <blocks>
        <crusader_home>
            <class>Crusader_Home_Block</class>
        </crusader_home>
    </blocks>
</global>

It points Magento to all classes starting 'Crusader_Home_Block_*'. And now I think you need to rename your module Crusader_Home instead of Crusader_CLHomePage and change the folder names accordingly...

AND / BUT I strongly recommend you change your module name. Only ever use one capital letter at the start of the module name not three and don't put capital letters in the middle of the name either.

You may want to look into some of the tools available for generating modules. I find them very useful for avoiding typing errors. I use this one by the very clever people at MGT Commerce (it has simplicity on its side) and this one is all-encompassing and an astonishing piece of coding by Silk Software.

***EDIT following comments below

Additionally based on the error log I think the problem is that Magento can't find your class file. So double-check the caches are refreshed or off, particularly XML cache, and that the compiler is off or re-enabled.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Magento – How to include the checkout progress on the Paypal express review page

Magento 1.8 Custom Block Module – How to Create

Related Topic