Page Blocks, how is it meant to work?

sarah_h · **Joined:** Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:30 am **Posts:** 189

Hi All,

I'm having a little difficulty getting my head around page blocks.

I thought it worked like this:

create a page block
this can then be added to any existing page

Is this right?

I'd like to create pages which have some info on the RHS which can be 'plugged' into any page by the user.

Hope someone can shed some light...

Sarah

Pierre M. · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:53 pm

Hello Sarah,

may be what you are describing is more close to what CMSms v2 will be.

With 1.x it is rather :
-enjoy the default {content} block in each template or add other blocks : {content block='name'}
-fill their content for each page using this template.

Shared content among several pages is done with global content blocks (GCB) like the one used for footers. See the sample default install.

Pierre M.

sarah_h · **Joined:** Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:30 am **Posts:** 189

Thanks Pierre for getting back to me. I was looking at the V2 roadmap and I am looking forward to seeing what it has to offer. The ability to add content blocks to pages would be very useful.

stopsatgreen · **Posted:** Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:13 pm

Quote:

The ability to add content blocks to pages would be very useful.

You can do that now. Go to Content > Global Content Blocks and create a new block, then add it to the page with {global_content name='blockname'}.

jubasolo · **Joined:** Wed Aug 13, 2008 3:09 pm **Posts:** 19

Hi Sarah,

regarding Page Blocks, it used to work like you describe for quite a while. I have been using it in many websites.

It also has another wonderful feature: You can add several blocks of information underneath eachother, based on the same scheme. This is really the most useful feature, because what you are looking for could also be solved (partly) with Global Content Blocks.

The last CMS version I find it working in is 1.1.2 (Savaii)

But...

suddenly it does not work anymore with version 1.3.0 (Cuba). I still haven't tried the last version, but it does not seem like this is part of the bug fixes. The thing that is missing when you install the module in the CMSMS 1.3.0 is the link/button called "Add block". It is nowhere to be found. Hence the module is of no use...

I really hope that this module can have a bug fix, because it is an important function for me. Or, if I have missed something, could someone please give me a hint?

Jonathan

Pierre M. · **Posted:** Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:06 pm

I doubt this module-hack has enough momemtum to get patches against 1.4.1+ but I may be wrong.
Hopefully 2.0 will help you. Meanwhile, it is GCB + default install samples.

Pierre M.

jubasolo · **Joined:** Wed Aug 13, 2008 3:09 pm **Posts:** 19

Thanks for your suggestions.

But GCB does not have that feature...

GCB can not be repeated with different content inside same scheme underneath eachother. For that you need Page Blocks (or other functionality I don't know about). This feature is so commonly useful that I feel it must be of high interest for many.

Here is what I mean, in an example:

My example client, which is a Real Estate company, should be able to add new real estate properties underneath eachother. Each property prospect should be listed with 1. Headline, 2. Picture, 3. Picture related text, 4. Main text, 5. a link, 6. a link text

With Page Blocks I solve this by assigning the page block tag to the place in the page where I want the list of propert to appear. Then I make a template inside the Page Block Module, and the template consists of plain html code and some tags like this:

Code:

<div class="Property_prospects">

  <div class="Prospect_Header">

    <h3>{content block="Headline" oneline="true"}</h3>

  </div>

                <div class="Prospect_Content">

                <div class="Prospect_Photo">{content block="Photo"}<br />

                {content block="Photo_Text" oneline="true"}</div>

                    <p>{content}</p>

                    </div>

                <div class="Prospect_Link">[<a href="{content block="Read-More-Link" oneline="true"}">Read more ...</a>]</div>

</div>

Inside the editor for each Page Block I am then able to access a nice looking scheme, where I (or rather my client) can put in the information bits, one by one, very easy. And every time my client receive a new property prospect in his portfolio, he can add it. Of course without thinking a second about code. It is wonderful.

Can any other module solve this?

Is this a weird and uncommon kind of use? It shouldn't be... But I know I might have missed something, because I am not too tech. So any smart tip would be useful.

Jonathan

jubasolo · **Joined:** Wed Aug 13, 2008 3:09 pm **Posts:** 19

Well, at last I found out it works in English in the version 1.4.1, but only in English. It has stopped working in other languages.

Dr.CSS · **Posted:** Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:32 pm

Maybe it just needs the lang. files updated/retranslated...

jubasolo · **Joined:** Wed Aug 13, 2008 3:09 pm **Posts:** 19

No, I think it is something else than that. Because when I renamed and moved the Norwegian lang file, so that it took the place of the English lang file, most of the text is translated beautifully.

This solved my case for now. But of course, something sholud be done on a more permanent basis in the code.

Dr.CSS · **Posted:** Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:56 pm

What I meant was the way the latest CMSMS handles the lang./translated files may be diff. from how that module, compared to newer ones, handles them...

jubasolo · **Joined:** Wed Aug 13, 2008 3:09 pm **Posts:** 19

Yes, probably you are right.

But I am not able to go deep into PHP. So I have to leave it to somebody else.

Anyway, I have stopped crying, and beginning to smile a little.

Thanks for your attention!

Jonathan

jubasolo · **Joined:** Wed Aug 13, 2008 3:09 pm **Posts:** 19

This was how long my smile lasted...

I must be tired. When I turned the personal settings back to Norwegian, of course my smart trick was in vain. So, back to zero.

Jonathan

denli · **Joined:** Tue Sep 04, 2007 12:26 pm **Posts:** 79

Hi all,

Back with a question.

How can I get other modules to work in parent pages that pull several child pages info.

Example:
I have one parent page that pulls in child pages info under it but each child has a showtime module tag or Youtube tag.

In the child pages it works but not in the parent page?
It sees the code as plain text which is visible as text like {showtime show='1'} but I want the Show $:-\$ not the tekst

Hope that you all know what I mean.

klenkes · **Posted:** Thu Mar 24, 2011 4:14 pm

Take a look at the plugin content_dump

There is an option to process smarty in your request.

Page Blocks, how is it meant to work?

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