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Using the helper classes
Helper classes enable you to generate standard HTML elements for the back - office as well as for module configuration pages.
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Therefore, you will most of the time only deal with HelperForm
.
The Main Helpers
All the helper classes inherit from the Helper
parent class:
- HelperForm: used to generate an edition form for an object of type
ObjectModel
. Example: editing the client's profile. - HelperOptions: used to generate a configuration form, the values of which are stored in the
configuration
table. Example: the "Preferences" page. - HelperList: used to generate a table of elements. The elements can belong to
ObjectModel
-type objects, but they do not have to. Example: client list, order status list, etc.
The Helper Templates
The helpers use Smarty templates which are found in the following folder: admin/themes/default/template/helpers/name_of_the_helper/
Each template can be overloaded.
Helper Overloading
An AdminController
can overload any Helper template, simply by creating a .tpl
file of the same name in the folder named admin/themes/default/controllers/name_of_the_controller/helpers/name_of_the_helper/
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In addition to this section, you can read how to use helpers to overload a back - office template.
Template inheritance example: adding a new type of field in a form
For the sake of this example, let's change the edition for the client's addresses. We want a field that would display the name and e-mail of the client, if these are known, or an e-mail input field otherwise.
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