you can try something like that:
<?php
$output = '';
/* get default properties */
$classname = $modx->getOption('classname',$scriptProperties,'News');
$tpl = $modx->getOption('tpl',$scriptProperties,'news_item');
$outerTpl = $modx->getOption('outerTpl',$scriptProperties,'news_outer');
$noResults = $modx->getOption('noResults',$scriptProperties,'');
$altRowCss = $modx->getOption('altRowCss',$scriptProperties,'quip-comment-alt');
$dateFormat = $modx->getOption('dateFormat',$scriptProperties,'%b %d, %Y at %I:%M %p');
$sortBy = $modx->getOption('sortBy',$scriptProperties,'id');
$sortByAlias = $modx->getOption('sortByAlias',$scriptProperties,$classname);
$sortDir = $modx->getOption('sortDir',$scriptProperties,'DESC');
$limit = $modx->getOption('limit',$scriptProperties,25);
$offset = $modx->getOption('offset',$scriptProperties,0);
$totalVar = $modx->getOption('totalVar',$scriptProperties,'total');
$orderBy = $modx->getOption('orderBy',$scriptProperties,'');
$dept = $modx->getOption('dept',$scriptProperties,'');
$c = $modx->newQuery($classname);
/*
$c->where(array(
'published' => 1,
));
$c->where(array(
'deleted' => 0,
));
*/
if (!empty($dept)){
$c->where(array($classname.'.dept' => $dept));
}
$count = $modx->getCount($classname,$c);
$modx->setPlaceholder($totalVar, $count);
$placeholders['total'] = $count;
if (!empty($orderBy)) {
$c->sortby($orderBy,'');
$sortBy='';
}
if (!empty($sortBy)) {
$c->sortby('`'.$sortByAlias.'`.`'.$sortBy.'`',$sortDir);
}
if (!empty($limit)) $c->limit($limit, $offset);
//$c->prepare();echo $c->toSql();
$objects = $modx->getCollection($classname,$c);
/* iterate */
$placeholders['items'] = '';
$alt = false;
if ($count > 0){
foreach ($objects as $object){
$objectArray = $object->toArray();
//echo '<pre>'.print_r($objectArray,1).'</pre>';
if ($alt)
{
$objectArray['alt'] = $altRowCss;
}
//$objectArray['createdon_format'] = strftime($dateFormat, strtotime($object->get('createdon')));
$placeholders['items'] .= $modx->getChunk($tpl, $objectArray);
$alt = !$alt;
//echo '<pre>'.print_r($objectArray,1).'</pre>';
}
$modx->toPlaceholders($placeholders, 'items');
//echo '<pre>'.print_r($placeholders,1).'</pre>';
if ($modx->getOption('useWrapper', $scriptProperties, true)){
$output = $modx->getChunk($outerTpl, $placeholders);
}
else $output = $placeholders['items'];
}
else{
$output=$noResults;
}
return $output;
?>