Publisher - Custom Templates

Custom Templates in Publisher

Guide to creating and customizing Publisher templates using Smarty, CSS, and HTML overrides.

Template System Overview

What Are Templates?

Templates control how Publisher displays content:

Templates render:
  ├── Article display
  ├── Category listings
  ├── Archive pages
  ├── Article listings
  ├── Comment sections
  ├── Search results
  ├── Blocks
  └── Admin pages

Template Types

Base Templates:
  ├── publisher_index.tpl (module home)
  ├── publisher_item.tpl (single article)
  ├── publisher_category.tpl (category page)
  └── publisher_archive.tpl (archive view)

Block Templates:
  ├── publisher_block_latest.tpl
  ├── publisher_block_categories.tpl
  ├── publisher_block_archives.tpl
  └── publisher_block_top.tpl

Admin Templates:
  ├── admin_articles.tpl
  ├── admin_categories.tpl
  └── admin_*

Template Directories

Template File Structure

XOOPS Installation:
├── modules/publisher/
│   └── templates/
│       ├── Publisher/ (base templates)
│       │   ├── publisher_index.tpl
│       │   ├── publisher_item.tpl
│       │   ├── publisher_category.tpl
│       │   ├── blocks/
│       │   │   ├── publisher_block_latest.tpl
│       │   │   └── publisher_block_categories.tpl
│       │   └── css/
│       │       └── publisher.css
│       └── Themes/ (theme-specific)
│           ├── Classic/
│           ├── Modern/
│           └── Dark/

themes/yourtheme/
└── modules/
    └── publisher/
        ├── templates/
        │   └── publisher_custom.tpl
        ├── css/
        │   └── custom.css
        └── images/
            └── icons/

Template Hierarchy

graph TD
    A[XOOPS looks for template] -->|First| B[Theme-specific template]
    B -->|If not found| C[Module default template]
    C -->|If not found| D[Fallback/error]

Creating Custom Templates

Copy Template to Theme

Method 1: Via File Manager

1. Navigate to /themes/yourtheme/modules/publisher/
2. Create directory if not exists:
   - templates/
   - css/
   - js/ (optional)
3. Copy module template file:
   modules/publisher/templates/Publisher/publisher_item.tpl
   → themes/yourtheme/modules/publisher/templates/publisher_item.tpl
4. Edit theme copy (not module copy!)

Method 2: Via FTP/SSH

# Create theme override directory
mkdir -p /path/to/xoops/themes/yourtheme/modules/publisher/templates

# Copy template files
cp /path/to/xoops/modules/publisher/templates/Publisher/*.tpl \
   /path/to/xoops/themes/yourtheme/modules/publisher/templates/

# Verify files copied
ls /path/to/xoops/themes/yourtheme/modules/publisher/templates/

Edit Custom Template

Open theme copy in text editor:

File: /themes/yourtheme/modules/publisher/templates/publisher_item.tpl

Edit:
  1. Keep Smarty variables intact
  2. Modify HTML structure
  3. Add custom CSS classes
  4. Adjust display logic

Smarty Template Basics

Smarty Variables

Publisher provides variables to templates:

Article Variables

{* Single Article Variables *}
<h1>{$item->title()}</h1>
<p>{$item->description()}</p>
<p>{$item->body()}</p>
<p>By {$item->uname()} on {$item->date('l, F j, Y')}</p>
<p>Category: {$item->category}</p>
<p>Views: {$item->views()}</p>

Category Variables

{* Category Variables *}
<h2>{$category->name()}</h2>
<p>{$category->description()}</p>
<img src="{$category->image()}" alt="{$category->name()}">
<p>Articles: {$category->itemCount()}</p>

Block Variables

{* Latest Articles Block *}
{foreach from=$items item=item}
  <div class="article">
    <h3>{$item->title()}</h3>
    <p>{$item->summary()}</p>
  </div>
{/foreach}

Common Smarty Syntax

{* Variable *}
{$variable}
{$array.key}
{$object->method()}

{* Conditional *}
{if $condition}
  <p>Content shown if true</p>
{else}
  <p>Content shown if false</p>
{/if}

{* Loop *}
{foreach from=$array item=item}
  <li>{$item}</li>
{/foreach}

{* Functions *}
{$variable|truncate:100:"..."}
{$date|date_format:"%Y-%m-%d"}
{$text|htmlspecialchars}

{* Comments *}
{* This is a Smarty comment, not displayed *}

Template Examples

Single Article Template

File: publisher_item.tpl

<!-- Article Detail View -->
<div class="publisher-item">

  <!-- Header Section -->
  <div class="article-header">
    <h1>{$item->title()}</h1>

    {if $item->subtitle()}
      <h2 class="article-subtitle">{$item->subtitle()}</h2>
    {/if}

    <div class="article-meta">
      <span class="author">
        By <a href="{$item->authorUrl()}">{$item->uname()}</a>
      </span>
      <span class="date">
        {$item->date('l, F j, Y')}
      </span>
      <span class="category">
        <a href="{$item->categoryUrl()}">
          {$item->category}
        </a>
      </span>
      <span class="views">
        {$item->views()} views
      </span>
    </div>
  </div>

  <!-- Featured Image -->
  {if $item->image()}
    <div class="article-featured-image">
      <img src="{$item->image()}"
           alt="{$item->title()}"
           class="img-fluid">
    </div>
  {/if}

  <!-- Article Body -->
  <div class="article-content">
    {$item->body()}
  </div>

  <!-- Tags -->
  {if $item->tags()}
    <div class="article-tags">
      <strong>Tags:</strong>
      {foreach from=$item->tags() item=tag}
        <span class="tag">
          <a href="{$tag->url()}">{$tag->name()}</a>
        </span>
      {/foreach}
    </div>
  {/if}

  <!-- Footer Section -->
  <div class="article-footer">
    <div class="article-actions">
      {if $canEdit}
        <a href="{$editUrl}" class="btn btn-primary">Edit</a>
      {/if}
      {if $canDelete}
        <a href="{$deleteUrl}" class="btn btn-danger">Delete</a>
      {/if}
    </div>

    {if $allowRatings}
      <div class="article-rating">
        <!-- Rating component -->
      </div>
    {/if}
  </div>

</div>

<!-- Comments Section -->
{if $allowComments}
  <div class="article-comments">
    <h3>Comments</h3>
    {include file="publisher_comments.tpl"}
  </div>
{/if}

Category Listing Template

File: publisher_category.tpl

<!-- Category Page -->
<div class="publisher-category">

  <!-- Category Header -->
  <div class="category-header">
    <h1>{$category->name()}</h1>

    {if $category->image()}
      <img src="{$category->image()}"
           alt="{$category->name()}"
           class="category-image">
    {/if}

    {if $category->description()}
      <p class="category-description">
        {$category->description()}
      </p>
    {/if}
  </div>

  <!-- Subcategories -->
  {if $subcategories}
    <div class="subcategories">
      <h3>Subcategories</h3>
      <ul>
        {foreach from=$subcategories item=sub}
          <li>
            <a href="{$sub->url()}">{$sub->name()}</a>
            ({$sub->itemCount()} articles)
          </li>
        {/foreach}
      </ul>
    </div>
  {/if}

  <!-- Articles List -->
  <div class="articles-list">
    <h2>Articles</h2>

    {if count($items) > 0}
      {foreach from=$items item=item}
        <article class="article-preview">
          {if $item->image()}
            <div class="article-image">
              <a href="{$item->url()}">
                <img src="{$item->image()}" alt="{$item->title()}">
              </a>
            </div>
          {/if}

          <div class="article-content">
            <h3>
              <a href="{$item->url()}">{$item->title()}</a>
            </h3>

            <div class="article-meta">
              <span class="date">{$item->date('M d, Y')}</span>
              <span class="author">by {$item->uname()}</span>
            </div>

            <p class="article-excerpt">
              {$item->description()|truncate:200:"..."}
            </p>

            <a href="{$item->url()}" class="read-more">
              Read More →
            </a>
          </div>
        </article>
      {/foreach}

      <!-- Pagination -->
      {if $pagination}
        <nav class="pagination">
          {$pagination}
        </nav>
      {/if}
    {else}
      <p class="no-articles">
        No articles in this category yet.
      </p>
    {/if}
  </div>

</div>

Latest Articles Block Template

File: publisher_block_latest.tpl

<!-- Latest Articles Block -->
<div class="publisher-block-latest">
  <h3>{$block_title|default:"Latest Articles"}</h3>

  {if count($items) > 0}
    <ul class="article-list">
      {foreach from=$items item=item name=articles}
        <li class="article-item">
          <a href="{$item->url()}" title="{$item->title()}">
            {$item->title()}
          </a>
          <span class="date">
            {$item->date('M d, Y')}
          </span>

          {if $show_summary && $item->description()}
            <p class="summary">
              {$item->description()|truncate:80:"..."}
            </p>
          {/if}
        </li>
      {/foreach}
    </ul>
  {else}
    <p>No articles available.</p>
  {/if}
</div>

Styling with CSS

Custom CSS Files

Create custom CSS in theme:

/themes/yourtheme/modules/publisher/css/custom.css

Base Template Structure

Understand the HTML structure:

<!-- Publisher Module -->
<div class="publisher-module">

  <!-- Item View -->
  <div class="publisher-item">
    <div class="article-header">...</div>
    <div class="article-featured-image">...</div>
    <div class="article-content">...</div>
    <div class="article-footer">...</div>
  </div>

  <!-- Category View -->
  <div class="publisher-category">
    <div class="category-header">...</div>
    <div class="articles-list">...</div>
  </div>

  <!-- Block -->
  <div class="publisher-block-latest">
    <ul class="article-list">...</ul>
  </div>

</div>

CSS Examples

/* Article Container */
.publisher-item {
  background: #fff;
  border: 1px solid #ddd;
  border-radius: 4px;
  padding: 20px;
  margin-bottom: 20px;
}

/* Article Header */
.article-header {
  border-bottom: 2px solid #f0f0f0;
  padding-bottom: 15px;
  margin-bottom: 20px;
}

.article-header h1 {
  font-size: 2.5em;
  margin: 0 0 10px 0;
  color: #333;
}

.article-subtitle {
  font-size: 1.3em;
  color: #666;
  font-style: italic;
  margin: 0;
}

/* Article Meta Information */
.article-meta {
  font-size: 0.9em;
  color: #999;
}

.article-meta span {
  margin-right: 20px;
}

.article-meta a {
  color: #0066cc;
  text-decoration: none;
}

.article-meta a:hover {
  text-decoration: underline;
}

/* Article Featured Image */
.article-featured-image {
  margin: 20px 0;
  text-align: center;
}

.article-featured-image img {
  max-width: 100%;
  height: auto;
  border-radius: 4px;
}

/* Article Content */
.article-content {
  font-size: 1.1em;
  line-height: 1.8;
  color: #333;
}

.article-content h2 {
  font-size: 1.8em;
  margin: 30px 0 15px 0;
  color: #222;
}

.article-content h3 {
  font-size: 1.4em;
  margin: 20px 0 10px 0;
  color: #444;
}

.article-content p {
  margin-bottom: 15px;
}

.article-content ul,
.article-content ol {
  margin: 15px 0 15px 30px;
}

.article-content li {
  margin-bottom: 8px;
}

/* Article Tags */
.article-tags {
  margin-top: 20px;
  padding-top: 20px;
  border-top: 1px solid #f0f0f0;
}

.tag {
  display: inline-block;
  background: #f0f0f0;
  padding: 5px 10px;
  margin: 5px 5px 5px 0;
  border-radius: 3px;
  font-size: 0.9em;
}

.tag a {
  color: #0066cc;
  text-decoration: none;
}

.tag a:hover {
  text-decoration: underline;
}

/* Category Articles List */
.publisher-category .articles-list {
  margin-top: 30px;
}

.article-preview {
  display: flex;
  margin-bottom: 30px;
  padding-bottom: 30px;
  border-bottom: 1px solid #f0f0f0;
}

.article-preview:last-child {
  border-bottom: none;
}

.article-image {
  flex: 0 0 200px;
  margin-right: 20px;
}

.article-image img {
  width: 100%;
  height: 150px;
  object-fit: cover;
  border-radius: 4px;
}

.article-content {
  flex: 1;
}

/* Responsive */
@media (max-width: 768px) {
  .article-preview {
    flex-direction: column;
  }

  .article-image {
    flex: 1;
    margin: 0 0 15px 0;
  }

  .article-header h1 {
    font-size: 1.8em;
  }
}

Template Variables Reference

Item (Article) Object

{* Article Properties *}
{$item->id()}              {* Article ID *}
{$item->title()}           {* Article title *}
{$item->description()}     {* Short description *}
{$item->body()}            {* Full content *}
{$item->subtitle()}        {* Subtitle *}
{$item->uname()}           {* Author username *}
{$item->authorId()}        {* Author user ID *}
{$item->date()}            {* Publication date *}
{$item->modified()}        {* Last modified *}
{$item->image()}           {* Featured image URL *}
{$item->views()}           {* View count *}
{$item->categoryId()}      {* Category ID *}
{$item->category()}        {* Category name *}
{$item->categoryUrl()}     {* Category URL *}
{$item->url()}             {* Article URL *}
{$item->status()}          {* Article status *}
{$item->rating()}          {* Average rating *}
{$item->comments()}        {* Comment count *}
{$item->tags()}            {* Article tags array *}

{* Formatted Methods *}
{$item->date('Y-m-d')}               {* Formatted date *}
{$item->description()|truncate:100}  {* Truncated *}

Category Object

{* Category Properties *}
{$category->id()}          {* Category ID *}
{$category->name()}        {* Category name *}
{$category->description()} {* Description *}
{$category->image()}       {* Image URL *}
{$category->parentId()}    {* Parent category ID *}
{$category->itemCount()}   {* Article count *}
{$category->url()}         {* Category URL *}
{$category->status()}      {* Status *}

Block Variables

{$items}           {* Array of items *}
{$categories}      {* Array of categories *}
{$pagination}      {* Pagination HTML *}
{$total}           {* Total count *}
{$limit}           {* Items per page *}
{$page}            {* Current page *}

Template Conditionals

Common Conditional Checks

{* Check if variable exists and is not empty *}
{if $variable}
  <p>{$variable}</p>
{/if}

{* Check if array has items *}
{if count($items) > 0}
  {foreach from=$items item=item}
    <li>{$item->title()}</li>
  {/foreach}
{else}
  <p>No items available.</p>
{/if}

{* Check user permissions *}
{if $canEdit}
  <a href="edit.php?id={$item->id()}">Edit</a>
{/if}

{if $isAdmin}
  <a href="delete.php?id={$item->id()}">Delete</a>
{/if}

{* Check module settings *}
{if $allowComments}
  {include file="publisher_comments.tpl"}
{/if}

{* Check status *}
{if $item->status() == 1}
  <span class="published">Published</span>
{elseif $item->status() == 0}
  <span class="draft">Draft</span>
{/if}

Advanced Template Techniques

Include Other Templates

{* Include another template *}
{include file="publisher_comments.tpl"}

{* Include with variables *}
{include file="publisher_article_preview.tpl" item=$item}

{* Include if exists *}
{include file="custom_header.tpl"|default:"header.tpl"}

Assign Variables in Template

{* Assign variable for later use *}
{assign var="articleTitle" value=$item->title()}

{* Use assigned variable *}
<h1>{$articleTitle}</h1>

{* Assign complex values *}
{assign var="count" value=$items|count}
{if $count > 0}
  <p>Found {$count} articles</p>
{/if}

Template Filters

{* Text filters *}
{$text|htmlspecialchars}        {* Escape HTML *}
{$text|strip_tags}              {* Remove HTML tags *}
{$text|truncate:100:"..."}     {* Truncate text *}
{$text|upper}                   {* UPPERCASE *}
{$text|lower}                   {* lowercase *}

{* Date filters *}
{$date|date_format:"%Y-%m-%d"}  {* Format date *}
{$date|date_format:"%l, %F %j, %Y"} {* Full format *}

{* Number filters *}
{$number|string_format:"%.2f"}  {* Format number *}
{$number|number_format}         {* Add separators *}

{* Array filters *}
{$array|implode:", "}           {* Join array *}
{$array|count}                  {* Count items *}

Debugging Templates

Display Smarty Variables

For debugging (remove in production):

{* Show variable value *}
<pre>{$variable|print_r}</pre>

{* Show all available variables *}
<pre>{$smarty.all|print_r}</pre>

{* Check if variable exists *}
{if isset($variable)}
  Variable exists
{/if}

{* Display debug info *}
{if $debug}
  Item: {$item->id()}<br>
  Title: {$item->title()}<br>
  Category: {$item->categoryId()}<br>
{/if}

Enable Debug Mode

In /modules/publisher/xoops_version.php or admin settings:

// Enable debug
define('PUBLISHER_DEBUG', true);

Template Migration

From Old Publisher Version

If upgrading from older version:

Compare old and new template files
Merge custom changes
Use new variable names
Test thoroughly
Backup old templates

Upgrade Path

Old template          New template          Action
publisher_item.tpl → publisher_item.tpl   Merge customizations
publisher_cat.tpl  → publisher_category.tpl Rename, merge
block_latest.tpl   → publisher_block_latest.tpl Rename, check

Best Practices

Template Guidelines

✓ Keep business logic in PHP, display logic in templates
✓ Use meaningful CSS class names
✓ Comment complex sections
✓ Test responsive design
✓ Validate HTML output
✓ Escape user data
✓ Use semantic HTML
✓ Keep templates DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself)

Performance Tips

✓ Minimize database queries in templates
✓ Cache compiled templates
✓ Lazy load images
✓ Minify CSS/JavaScript
✓ Use CDN for assets
✓ Optimize images
✗ Avoid complex Smarty logic

API Reference
Hooks and Events
Configuration
Article Creation

Resources

#publisher #templates #smarty #customization #themeing #xoops

Publisher - Custom Templates

Custom Templates in Publisher

Template System Overview

What Are Templates?

Template Types

Template Directories

Template File Structure

Template Hierarchy

Creating Custom Templates

Copy Template to Theme

Edit Custom Template

Smarty Template Basics

Smarty Variables

Article Variables

Category Variables

Block Variables

Common Smarty Syntax

Template Examples

Single Article Template

Category Listing Template

Latest Articles Block Template

Styling with CSS

Custom CSS Files

Base Template Structure

CSS Examples

Template Variables Reference

Item (Article) Object

Category Object

Block Variables

Template Conditionals

Common Conditional Checks

Advanced Template Techniques

Include Other Templates

Assign Variables in Template

Template Filters

Debugging Templates

Display Smarty Variables

Enable Debug Mode

Template Migration

From Old Publisher Version

Upgrade Path

Best Practices

Template Guidelines

Performance Tips

Related Documentation

Resources