My Walks Part 2: The Administrator code
J4 Component Tutorial: Mywalks Part 2 - The Admin Code
It should be possible to read through Part 2 of the Mywalks tutorial without first reading Part 1. Take them in either order. This part is about the Admin code. There will be some repeat of points common to both. Please download the complete code from Github:
and read through it where indicated in the tutorial.
Review of Part 1
The scenario is that, for tutorial purposes, the Mywalks component manages a list of walks and the occasions on which those walks were undertaken. So two tables are needed. There are no frills: no categories, scores, hit counters or site side data entry, etc. Just simple code to get newcomers and upgraders to Joomla 4 started on component coding.
The data schema is given in part 1. Or you can look at the admin/sql/install.mysql.sql file in the unzipped source code. You can also look at the mywalks.xml manifest file in the root of the downloaded source to see the component structure. Notice the folders and files with Upper Case first letters in folder and file names are name-spaced and others are not. And there is a different folder and file structure from previous Joomla versions.
The Language Files
Small components grow bigger and bigger components grow bigger still. This can lead to language files that are messy and hard to maintain. The lib_joomla.ini file contains over 800 lines. So it pays to think about the structure in advance. Here is my suggestion:
[COM_COMPONENT]_[VIEW]_[USAGE]_[DESCRIPTIVE_TEXT]="The translation"
For example:
COM_MYWALKS_MYWALKS_PAGE_TITLE="Mywalks - list of Walks"
COM_MYWALKS_MYWALKS_TABLE_CAPTION="List of Walks"
COM_MYWALKS_MYWALKS_LABEL_DESCRIPTION="Description"
COM_MYWALKS_MYWALKS_LABEL_DISTANCE="Distance"
And sort into alphabet order. You can look at the Joomla core language files to see for alternatives. The choice is yours. Just think about it!
In case you were wondering: the [component].sys.ini file is used by the admin system for managing the component. It contains very few terms. The [component].ini file is the one where the component text terms live.
A word of warning: all fixed English text in the component should appear as keys. You may be tempted to enter just the text value in the code with the intention of fixing it later. If you do, you will come to regret it!
The Admin Files
Just a reminder of the Admin folder structure from the manifest mywalks.xml file:
<administration>
<files folder="admin">
<file>access.xml</file>
<file>config.xml</file>
<folder>forms</folder>
<folder>services</folder>
<folder>sql</folder>
<folder>src</folder>
<folder>tmpl</folder>
</files>
<languages folder="admin">
<language tag="en-GB">language/en-GB/com_mywalks.ini</language>
<language tag="en-GB">language/en-GB/com_mywalks.sys.ini</language>
</languages>
<menu img="class:default" link="option=com_mywalks">Mywalks</menu>
</administration>
Note that the src folder contains all of the namespaced code in separate sub-folders.
Not so obvious is that there are four Views to manage: the list of walks, the walk edit form, the list of dates visited and the date visited form. So four View files, four tmpl files, four Model files, four form files, four Controller files but only two Table files. More on that later. It is probably enough to cover two examples: the walks list View and the walk Edit view. Notice the singular and plural: walk and walks. The former implies an Edit view and the latter a List view. A subtle difference for tired old eyes! The component is entered via a menu item leading to the walks list view. None of the other views have menu items. The walks list view and the walk edit view have some tricky linking issues to be covered later.
The Walks List
This is a screen shot of the working Administrator's Walks list:
The code to generate this list is explained here in reverse alphabet order: View, tmpl, Model and Controller. A Table is not required as the list is not modifying data and is in fact extracting data from two tables.
The View file - View/Mywalks/HtmlView.php
To explain fragments of the file piece by piece
The namespace and use statements
namespace J4xdemos\Component\Mywalks\Administrator\View\Mywalks;
defined('_JEXEC') or die;
use Joomla\CMS\Helper\ContentHelper;
use Joomla\CMS\Language\Text;
use Joomla\CMS\MVC\View\GenericDataException;
use Joomla\CMS\MVC\View\HtmlView as BaseHtmlView;
use Joomla\CMS\Toolbar\Toolbar;
use Joomla\CMS\Toolbar\ToolbarHelper;
The namespace statement must come before any executable statements, so before the check that this script has been loaded by Joomla and not called directly via a web url. The references to use Joomla\CMS in fact refer to classes found in site_root/libraries/src. If you copy and paste from another component you may have library files you don't need and you might be missing ones you do.
The class statements
class HtmlView extends BaseHtmlView
{
protected $items;
protected $pagination;
protected $state;
public $filterForm;
public $activeFilters;
protected $sidebar;
When the tmpl file uses \$this it is referring to this class. So \$this->items needs to be populated with walk data in this file.
The display function
public function display($tpl = null)
{
$this->items = $this->get('Items');
$this->pagination = $this->get('Pagination');
$this->state = $this->get('State');
$this->filterForm = $this->get('FilterForm');
$this->activeFilters = $this->get('ActiveFilters');
// Check for errors.
if (count($errors = $this->get('Errors')))
{
throw new GenericDataException(implode("\n", $errors), 500);
}
$this->addToolbar();
return parent::display($tpl);
}
It is not obvious, but calls of the form \$this->get('Items') refer to the getItems() public function in the model or its parent model. So look for the functions in Model/MywalksModel.php. After setting up the View with Model data control is passed to the parent::display() and returns whatever it returns.
The addToolbar function
protected function addToolbar()
{
// Get the toolbar object instance
$toolbar = Toolbar::getInstance('toolbar');
ToolbarHelper::title(Text::_('COM_MYWALKS_MYWALKS_PAGE_TITLE'), 'mywalks');
$canDo = ContentHelper::getActions('com_mywalks');
if ($canDo->get('core.create'))
{
$toolbar->addNew('mywalk.add');
}
The ToolbarHelper::Title call puts the Title at the top of the page. In this case translated as Mywalks - list of Walks.
The ContentHelper::getActions function is called to find out what this user can do with this component. If the user is allowed to create new walks then a 'New' button is added to the Toolbar. Look at the code to see how other buttons are created. There are a lot buttons to choose from and you can create custom buttons.
The tmpl file - tmpl/mywalks/default.php
As this is the default view of the component the tmpl file is named default.php file. Have a look at it in the downloaded code. Notice that there is no namespace statement at the top of the file. This file does not declare a class so a namespace is not needed. Short extracts are explained here.
Setting some variables
$listOrder = $this->escape($this->state->get('list.ordering'));
$listDirn = $this->escape($this->state->get('list.direction'));
$states = array (
'0' => Text::_('JUNPUBLISHED'),
'1' => Text::_('JPUBLISHED'),
'2' => Text::_('JARCHIVED'),
'-2' => Text::_('JTRASHED')
);
$editIcon = '<span class="fa fa-pen-square mr-2" aria-hidden="true"></span>';
It is sometimes helpful to create pieces of text within the top php section for use later. It makes the code more readable and in some cases creates a variable once for use many times as an alternative to calling a function many times.
The Form tag
<form action="<?php echo Route::_('index.php?option=com_mywalks'); ?>"
method="post" name="adminForm" id="adminForm">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-12">
<div id="j-main-container" class="j-main-container">
<?php echo LayoutHelper::render('joomla.searchtools.default', array('view' => $this)); ?>
When submitted the form calls itself. The actions it can take involve changing the sort order or changing the state of one or more walks. Pretty much all Joomla forms have 'adminForm' for the 'name' and 'id'. Anything else requires custom handling. The call to LayoutHelper:: render creates the Search tools bar above the results table.
Bootstrap 4 markup is not covered in this tutorial!
The No Data Alert
<?php if (empty($this->items)) : ?>
<div class="alert alert-info">
<span class="fa fa-info-circle" aria-hidden="true"></span>
<span class="sr-only"><?php echo Text::_('INFO'); ?></span>
<?php echo Text::_('JGLOBAL_NO_MATCHING_RESULTS'); ?>
</div>
<?php else : ?>
If there are no data returned, for example if the Trashed state filter has been selected and there are no trashed walks, a simple message is displayed and there is no results table. Otherwise the results table is displayed.
The Data Table
<table class="table" id="mywalksList">
<caption id="captionTable">
<?php echo Text::_('COM_MYWALKS_MYWALKS_TABLE_CAPTION'); ?>,
<?php echo Text::_('JGLOBAL_SORTED_BY'); ?>
</caption>
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="text-center">
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('grid.checkall'); ?>
</td>
<th scope="col" class="text-center">
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('searchtools.sort', 'JSTATUS', 'a.state', $listDirn, $listOrder); ?>
</th>
The HTMLHelper here creates the check all checkbox and the column sorting feature in the table header.
The Table Rows
</thead>
<tbody>
<?php
$n = count($this->items);
foreach ($this->items as $i => $item) :
?>
<tr class="row<?php echo $i % 2; ?>">
<td class="text-center">
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('grid.id', $i, $item->id); ?>
</td>
<td class="class="article-status"">
<?php echo $states[$item->state]; ?>
</td>
<th scope="row" class="has-context">
<a class="hasTooltip" href="<?php echo Route::_('index.php?option=com_mywalks&task=mywalk.edit&id=' . $item->id); ?>">
<?php echo $editIcon; ?><?php echo $this->escape($item->title); ?>
</a>
</th>
<td class="">
<?php echo $item->description; ?>
</td>
To create the table of results the code cycles through each of the \$items, creating one row for each \$item. The item results are accessed as object variables: \$item->id, \$item->state, \$item->description and so on.
Pagination
<?php endforeach; ?>
</tbody>
</table>
<?php // load the pagination. ?>
<?php echo $this->pagination->getListFooter(); ?>
If there are more results than is set in the filters (the default is typically 20 or 25 and is set globally) the pagination function returns the html code to render a page selector. Otherwise it returns nothing.
The Hidden Variables
<input type="hidden" name="task" value="">
<input type="hidden" name="boxchecked" value="0">
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('form.token'); ?>
These variables are important! The task variable initially has no value. It is given a value when an action button is clicked. For example the New or Status buttons or the Filter Options button. The form is then submitted with that action requested. The boxchecked value is set and unset by Javascript and is used to block form submission if no check boxes are selected. The form token Helper creates a hidden field with a long alphanumeric name and a value of 1. The form token is validated when the form is submitted. If it is not valid the action is blocked and a blank screen result is returned.
The Filter XML File - forms/mywalks_filter.xml
Notice the file naming convention. Stick to it or the filter will not appear. There are typically two parts to the xml content: the filter and the list.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<form>
<fields name="filter">
<field
name="search"
type="text"
label="COM_MYWALKS_FILTER_SEARCH_LABEL"
description="COM_MYWALKS_FILTER_SEARCH_DESC"
hint="JSEARCH_FILTER"
/>
<field
name="published"
type="status"
label="JOPTION_SELECT_PUBLISHED"
onchange="this.form.submit();"
>
<option value="">JOPTION_SELECT_PUBLISHED</option>
</field>
</fields>
<fields name="list">
<field
name="fullordering"
type="list"
label="JGLOBAL_SORT_BY"
default="a.name ASC"
onchange="this.form.submit();"
>
<option value="">JGLOBAL_SORT_BY</option>
<option value="a.published ASC">JSTATUS_ASC</option>
<option value="a.published DESC">JSTATUS_DESC</option>
<option value="a.title ASC">JGLOBAL_TITLE_ASC</option>
<option value="a.title DESC">JGLOBAL_TITLE_DESC</option>
<option value="a.id ASC">JGRID_HEADING_ID_ASC</option>
<option value="a.id DESC">JGRID_HEADING_ID_DESC</option>
</field>
<field
name="limit"
type="limitbox"
label="JGLOBAL_LIST_LIMIT"
default="25"
onchange="this.form.submit();"
/>
</fields>
</form>
In this case the filter tools bar will contain a text search form field and a status form fiel. You could add more fields - for example a toilets form field. If you do, you also have to make an entry in the model, covered next. Notice that a change in the list limit filter field will trigger imediate form submission.
The Model File - Model/MywalksModel
See your downloaded code for the full file with its Joomla doc blocks.
The class constructor
class MywalksModel extends ListModel
{
public function __construct($config = array())
{
if (empty($config['filter_fields']))
{
$config['filter_fields'] = array(
'id', 'a.id',
'title', 'a.title',
'state', 'a.state',
);
}
parent::__construct($config);
}
This is where the filter fields added to the mywalks_filter.xml must be declared to make them appear in the output. The parent ListModel has a lot of code not mentioned here. See the API documentation when it appears. Or just look for the file containing the ListModel class and its parent too.
The populateState method
protected function populateState($ordering = 'a.id', $direction = 'asc')
{
$search = $this->getUserStateFromRequest($this->context . '.filter.search', 'filter_search');
$this->setState('filter.search', $search);
$published = $this->getUserStateFromRequest($this->context . '.filter.published', 'filter_published', '');
$this->setState('filter.published', $published);
// List state information.
parent::populateState($ordering, $direction);
}
When a page is first loaded no filters are set. When a filter is set the next page load has the new filter setting in the form submission. We need to save that setting as state variable for use when filtering is actually used in the getQuery function. Notice the default values for ordering and direction if none are passed to this function.
The getStoreId method
protected function getStoreId($id = '')
{
// Compile the store id.
$id .= ':' . $this->getState('filter.search');
$id .= ':' . $this->getState('filter.published');
return parent::getStoreId($id);
}
Tricky to explain! This function puts together a string from which a hash is calculated that is used to cache part of an SQL query to avoid clashes with another extension, such as a module, that may be executed in the same page load.
The getListQuery function
protected function getListQuery()
{
// Create a new query object.
$db = $this->getDbo();
$query = $db->getQuery(true);
// Select the required fields from the table.
$query->select(
$this->getState(
'list.select',
'a.*, (SELECT count(`date`) from #__mywalk_dates WHERE walk_id = a.id) AS nvisits'
)
);
$query->from('#__mywalks AS a');
// Filter by published state
$published = (string) $this->getState('filter.published');
if (is_numeric($published))
{
$query->where($db->quoteName('a.state') . ' = :published');
$query->bind(':published', $published, ParameterType::INTEGER);
}
elseif ($published === '')
{
$query->where('(' . $db->quoteName('a.state') . ' = 0 OR ' . $db->quoteName('a.state') . ' = 1)');
}
// Filter by search in title.
$search = $this->getState('filter.search');
if (!empty($search))
{
$search = $db->quote('%' . str_replace(' ', '%', $db->escape(trim($search), true) . '%'));
$query->where('(a.title LIKE ' . $search . ')');
}
// Add the list ordering clause.
$orderCol = $this->state->get('list.ordering', 'a.id');
$orderDirn = $this->state->get('list.direction', 'ASC');
$query->order($db->escape($orderCol) . ' ' . $db->escape($orderDirn));
return $query;
}
This where you need to know about sql! You need to be able to write queries and debug them. To start we need a database object in the \$db variable and a database query object in \$query. Passing true to \$db->getQuery(true) returns a new object. If true is omitted an existing query is returned that is already populated, usually resulting in disaster. In Joomla, parts of a query can be chained together, which tends to make for tricky understanding. So here the parts are assembled separately.
The 'select' statement: the part that says \$this->getState will either get the query using the storeId hash or create a new query and store it in the hash for later in this page load. The query itself selects all fields from table 'a' and a count of the number of walk visits for each walk returned. ToDo: add a where clause to count only published walk visits.
The 'from' statement: this simply says which table to use. The #__ part gets replaced by the table prefix, which varies from site to site.
The 'where' clauses use any filters set. They are complicated because they may be integers or strings or null.
The 'order' clause adds the ordering statements.
The query is then returned to the caller where page limit statements are added.
If there is an error in your sql syntax you may just see a 500 Internal Error message. If so, before the return statement you can insert echo \$query->__tostring();die(); to see what your query contains at that stage.
The getItems function
public function getItems()
{
$items = parent::getItems();
return $items;
}
You only need this if you want to add access code or as a step in debugging. If the function is left out the parent getIems function will be callsed.
The Controller File - Controller/DisplayController.php
Note: this is the controller file with th doc blocks removed. Put them in or leave them in on any component you create.
namespace J4xdemos\Component\Mywalks\Administrator\Controller;
defined('_JEXEC') or die;
use Joomla\CMS\MVC\Controller\BaseController;
class DisplayController extends BaseController
{
protected $default_view = 'mywalks';
public function display($cachable = false, $urlparams = array())
{
return parent::display();
}
}
The only job the controller has to do is define the default component view.
That is it! This view should now display by selecting the Menu item.
The Walk Edit Form
In the list of walks the walk Title was made a link to the Edit form. The link says index.php?option=com_mywalks&task=mywalk.edit&id=1. A similar set of files are involved to those needed for the list of walks, except that all of the filenames are singular and this time a Table file is required.
This is a screenshot of the working Administrator's Walk edit form: 
The View file - View/Mywalk/HtmlView
This file is very similar to the View/Mywalks/Html file so there is nothing to be gained by showing it in full. It loads a different title and a different set of buttons. See the downloaded code.
The tmpl file - tmpl/Mywalk/edit.php
The form tab top code
<form action="<?php echo Route::_('index.php?option=com_mywalks&view=mywalk&layout=edit&id=' . (int) $this->item->id); ?>"
method="post" name="adminForm" id="mywalks-form" class="form-validate">
<?php echo LayoutHelper::render('joomla.edit.title_alias', $this); ?>
<div>
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('uitab.startTabSet', 'myTab', array('active' => 'details')); ?>
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('uitab.addTab', 'myTab', 'details', Text::_('COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_TAB_DETAILS')); ?>
Notice tha the form action refers to itself. In this case the id is different in case we need to implement a custom form validator. The LayoutHelper::render function puts the walk Title above the rest of the form, which is broken into tabbed panels. This is a common Joomla layout.
The Tabset and individual tabs are created by the HTMLHelper. It is possible to get the form structure from the form xml file and cycle through the tabs and the fields in code. That technique is not implemented here.
The details tab and its form fields
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('uitab.addTab', 'myTab', 'details', Text::_('COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_TAB_DETAILS')); ?>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-9">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-6">
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('description'); ?>
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('distance'); ?>
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('id'); ?>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="col-md-3">
<div class="card card-light">
<div class="card-body">
<?php echo LayoutHelper::render('joomla.edit.global', $this); ?>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('uitab.endTab'); ?>
In this layout the first three form fields appear occupying 9/12 of the parent div width. The status field appears to the right, occupying 3/12 of the parent div width.
The options tab and its form fields
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('uitab.addTab', 'myTab', 'options', Text::_('COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_TAB_OPTIONS')); ?>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-12">
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('toilets'); ?>
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('cafe'); ?>
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('bogs'); ?>
</div>
</div>
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('uitab.endTab'); ?>
The picture tab and its form fields
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('uitab.addTab', 'myTab', 'picture', Text::_('COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_TAB_PICTURE')); ?>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-12">
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('picture'); ?>
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('width'); ?>
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('height'); ?>
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('alt'); ?>
</div>
</div>
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('uitab.endTab'); ?>
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('uitab.endTabSet'); ?>
</div>
<input type="hidden" name="task" value="">
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('form.token'); ?>
</form>
The appearance of each of the form fields is defined in the form xml file
The xml form file - forms/mywalk.xml
Notice that if the field sets and fields are cycled through in code they will appear in the order given here.
The details fields
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<form>
<fieldset name="details" label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_TAB_DETAILS">
<field
name="id"
type="number"
label="JGLOBAL_FIELD_ID_LABEL"
default="0"
class="readonly"
readonly="true"
/>
<field
name="title"
type="text"
label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_LABEL_TITLE"
size="40"
required="true"
/>
<field
name="description"
type="textarea"
label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_LABEL_DESCRIPTION"
rows="5"
cols="40"
required="true"
/>
<field
name="distance"
type="decimel"
label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_LABEL_DISTANCE"
required="true"
/>
<field
name="published"
type="list"
label="JSTATUS"
default="1"
id="published"
class="custom-select-color-state"
size="1"
>
<option value="1">JPUBLISHED</option>
<option value="0">JUNPUBLISHED</option>
<option value="2">JARCHIVED</option>
<option value="-2">JTRASHED</option>
</field>
</fieldset>
The id field is set to read only because the id is allocated on saving and must not be changed. Notice the different field types: number, text, textarea, decimel and list. Various attributes are set here, such as class, readonly, size and so on.
The options fields
<fieldset name="options" label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_TAB_OPTIONS">
<field name="toilets"
type="list"
label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_LABEL_TOILETS"
>
<option value="0">JNO</option>
<option value="1">JYES</option>
</field>
<field name="cafe"
type="list"
label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_LABEL_CAFE"
default="0"
size="1"
>
<option value="0">JNO</option>
<option value="1">JYES</option>
</field>
<field name="bogs"
type="list"
label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_LABEL_BOGS"
default="0"
size="1"
>
<option value="0">JNO</option>
<option value="1">JYES</option>
</field>
</fieldset>
The fields here return Yes/No boolean values. In some cases a number may be preferable, for example a bog facto on a scale of 1 to 5.
The picture fields
<fieldset name="picture" label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_TAB_PICTURE">
<field
name="picture"
type="media"
label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_LABEL_PICTURE_URL"
/>
<field
name="width"
type="number"
label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_LABEL_PICTURE_WIDTH"
default="0"
/>
<field
name="height"
type="number"
label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_LABEL_PICTURE_HEIGHT"
default="0"
/>
<field
name="alt"
type="text"
label="COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_LABEL_PICTURE_ALT"
size="40"
/>
</fieldset>
</form>
The media field allows selection of a photograph from the site images folder. And the selector form that appears also allows uploads. ToDo: implement use of the pictures.
The Model file - Models/MywalksModel.php
The model file is about 300 lines long and mostly boilerplate code that does not need much comment.
The getTable function
public function getTable($name = '', $prefix = '', $options = array())
{
$name = 'mywalks';
$prefix = 'Table';
if ($table = $this->_createTable($name, $prefix, $options))
{
return $table;
}
throw new \Exception(Text::sprintf('JLIB_APPLICATION_ERROR_TABLE_NAME_NOT_SUPPORTED', $name), 0);
}
This is worthy of mention because it is where the name of the database table containing the list of walks is defined. ToDo: find out what this file does that the Table file does not.
The Table file - Table/MywalksTable.php
namespace J4xdemos\Component\Mywalks\Administrator\Table;
defined('JPATH_PLATFORM') or die;
use Joomla\CMS\Table\Table;
use Joomla\Database\DatabaseDriver;
class MywalksTable extends Table
{
public function __construct(DatabaseDriver $db)
{
parent::__construct('#__mywalks', 'id', $db);
}
}
The Controller file - Controller/MywalkController
namespace J4xdemos\Component\Mywalks\Administrator\Controller;
defined('_JEXEC') or die;
use Joomla\CMS\MVC\Controller\FormController;
class MywalkController extends FormController
{
}
This file does nothing! All of the required actions are executed by the parent Class.
That is it! We should now be able to edit existing walks and create new ones.
The Walk Dates List and Edit Form
Much of the code for handling the walk dates is similar to the code for handling the walks and there is no real need to repeat that here for tutorial purposes. However, there is one big difference that needs explanation. It concerns passing the walk id from walks list to the walk dates list.
Access to the visits list is via a link in the walks list: index.php?option=com_mywalks&view=mywalk_dates&walk_id=1. So the walk id is passed to the list to show the list of walk dates for that walk, including none if the walk has yet to be visited. The walk id needs to be stored in a hidden field in the list form because it disappears from the url if there is a table sort or filter change. So we capture the walk id in the populateState function or from a session state variable.
Extract from Mywalk_datesModel.php
protected function populateState($ordering = 'a.id', $direction = 'asc')
{
$app = Factory::getApplication();
$walk_id = $app->input->get('walk_id', 0, 'int');
if (empty($walk_id)) {
$walk_id = $app->getUserState('com_mywalks.walk_id');
}
$this->setState('walk_id', $walk_id);
// keep the walk_id for adding new visits
$app->setUserState('com_mywalks.walk_id', $walk_id);
We get the Walk title and walk id in the tmpl/Mywalk_dates/default.php file and display the title, in case we have forgotten which walk we are dealing with. And we put the walk id into a hidden form variable.
Extract from tmpl/mywalk_dates/default.php
$editIcon = '<span class="fa fa-pen-square mr-2" aria-hidden="true"></span>';
$title = MywalksHelper::getWalkTitle($this->state->get('walk_id'))->title;
$walk_id = $this->state->get('walk_id')
?>
<h3><?php echo Text::_('COM_MYWALKS_MYWALK_DATES_PAGE_TOP') . ' ' . $walk_id . ': ' . $title; ?></h3>
<form action="<?php echo Route::_('index.php?option=com_mywalks&view=mywalk_dates'); ?>" method="post" name="adminForm" id="adminForm>
...
<input type="hidden" name="task" value="">
<input type="hidden" name="boxchecked" value="0">
<input type="hidden" name="walk_id" value="<?php echo $walk_id; ?>">
<?php echo HTMLHelper::_('form.token'); ?>
...
</form>
The walk dates list has a link to existing visits so we don't need the walk id to edit existing visits. The 'New' button does not help because the default id is 0. That is the id of the new visit until committed to the database, when it takes the next available value. We pick up the walk id in tmp/mywalk_date/edit.php and set the value of the walk id in the form field:
$app = Factory::getApplication();
$walk_id = $app->getUserState('com_mywalks.walk_id');
if (empty($walk_id)) {
throw new GenericDataException("\nThe walk id was not set!\n", 500);
}
...
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('date'); ?>
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('weather'); ?>
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('id'); ?>
<?php $this->form->setValue('walk_id', null, $walk_id); ?>
<?php echo $this->form->renderField('walk_id'); ?>
The walk_id field is read only to prevent the user from changing it. And here is one of those instances where a fixed string was typed in English rather than a language file key. Left in to illustrate the point!
ToDo: Implement a Save and Close button.
And Finally
That is it! A primitive but working component.
Clifford E Ford. August 2019.