Storing templates in files instead of in database

The include function returns 1 for success and 0 for failure. If you return the return value of an include statement, you’ll get the 1 (or the 0 if it fails). You just want the include function to do its thing, not display a return value.


See http://sottwell.com/working-snippets.html

Thanks Susan & Bob

Then the docs at http://rtfm.modx.com/display/revolution20/Managing+Resources+and+Elements+via+SVN

Need to be updated.

I think this just goes to show how many MODx’ers use storing templetes, snippets, TV’s and chunks in files instead of the usual database.

This was last edited in Dec 2009.

Or maybe those who know what they are doing and are working on big projects are using this method.

Would this be the same for Templates, Snippets, Tv’s and Chunks?

Allan, I’ll test it out and update the docs to reflect the variation suggested by Susan. Even though most of Revo was done in 2009 a tonne has changed too. Thanks for being persistent and sharing.


Jay

Quote from: sottwell at Sep 30, 2010, 07:11 AM

The include function returns 1 for success and 0 for failure. If you return the return value of an include statement, you’ll get the 1 (or the 0 if it fails). You just want the include function to do its thing, not display a return value.

<?php
if (!file_exists($file)) return '';  
include $file;  
return;
?>

Susan, That’s only true if the "included" file has no return statement. if the included file has a return statement,



will return that value rather than 0 or 1.

IOW, if file.php contains



the snippet tag will be replaced with "Hello there." (At least in Revo -- I assume it would be the same in Evo).

That means that for any "return included" file that contains

return ’’;

There won’t be any output where the tag is.

Interesting... I didn’t know that; although in the case of chunks and templates there would most likely be no return statement in the included file.

http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.include.php

Am I reading this rite.

A chunk can only have HTML + placeholders + scripts and therefore cannot have a return statement.

A template can have PHP code therefore it could end with a return statement.

What about a TV?

A TV using @EVAL behaves much like a snippet; the code following the @EVAL is run through the PHP eval() function. Otherwise, it’s just HTML, like a chunk.

Thank you again Susan.