Thanks for the quick reply.
I will try not to be harsh, as I am generally just very discouraged. The main problem I have is that people providing new functionality and content are severely holding back the potential of MODx by not being (to the minimum) granular with their installation instructions. I have spent more time looking for alternative installation instructions for a number of great functionality such as yours, than actually working with the functionality and modifying it to our needs.
So this is what I would suggest to you and any others who would read this. Please, provide step-by-step instructions to install your functionality so that there is little chance someone could do it wrong.
Additionally, because I am just sick of this being an issue, (and significantly slowing up my projects, rather than speeding up production as it obviously has the ability to do) I am going to be slowly providing instructions for installing all extras so that a friggin 7 year old who is retarded could walk through the instructions and get it to work. I will setup a web site soon so that they will neatly be in one place.
The biggest issue is just about everyone on this forum is leaving out details they assume are mundane. So then people have problems, come back here and post it and then finally the correct clarification is given. This clutters this forum, degrades the integrity of all the information here, and inevitably ruins the value of MODx.
So, please excuse my rant as I’m quite ticked off. I would like to collaborate with you so that we can provide other users the proper detailed instructions on how to get this to function properly and won’t need to come back here because they couldn’t get it to work.
Here is what I have:
automaticTpl
Installation:
1) Download the plugin from
http://modxcms.com/extras/package/?package=34
2) Create a new Template Variable with the following information:
a) Variable Name: automaticTpl
b) Caption: Leave blank (MODx will automatically set this the same as the Variable Name after save.)
c) Description: If desired.
d) Input Type: Text
e) Input Option Values:
f) Default Value:
(A newbie at this point would be lost even though this is likely blank or has the value {{}}. It needs to be said it is blank if it is so. Sometimes the mundane info is more important than the vital information.)
g) Widget: Don’t change, leave blank.
h) Sort Order: Don’t change unless desired.
i) Template Access: (Which template should I specifically be choosing here? The template that my parent document is using, all templates that will be involved in the automatic selection, or just the template that will be automatically selected when a child document is created?)
j) Access Permissions: Anything important about how this setting influences the functionality? I assume it doesn’t, however does a newbie understand this?
3) Take note of the id of the automaticTpl Template Variable from either the Template Variable Resource List or from your database table modx_site_tmplvars.
4) Create a new plugin with the following information:
a) Plugin Name: automaticTpl
b) Description: If Desired
c) Plugin Disabled: Leave Unchecked
d) Plugin code (php): Copy & paste the code from the automaticTpl.php file that you downloaded in the first step.
5) Go into the System Events tab and find OnDocFormPrerender and check it on.
6) Go into the Configuration tab and paste the following code: &automaticTplTvID=automaticTpl TV ID;text;
7) Click anywhere outside the textbox, this will dynamically generate a new parameter field.
8) Input the ID of the Template Variable you took note of before.
9) Go back to the main Plugins Resource List page and click on ’Edit Plugin Execution Order by Event’. Ensure that ’automaticTpl’ is sorted BELOW ’Inherit Parent Template’. If not, change it to be so. (What about any others like ManagerManager? Any conflicts?)
9) Create your new document and verify that the correct template is automatically assigned.
Ok, I think that is a start. I have a few additional questions. Can I make child documents that are located within different parent documents set different templates and what do I need to do in order to do that? Second, how does the Template Variable understand the difference between different sets of parent & child document template settings?
Currently I have ’9,7’ (my template IDs) set as my Input Options Values and have then selected both of these in my template access. What am I doing incorrectly?
Finally, I apologize for the long-winded post. I feel a little better..
Can you copy & paste my installation instructions and add/edit as needed?
Thanks.
