Templates

Plugins have access to the same template system as the main application. Use this whenever you need to display or render HTML code in your plugin.

All plugin templates are located in a templates subdirectory.

ojs
│
├─┬ plugins
│ │
│ └─┬ generic
│   │
│   └─┬ tutorialExample
│     │
│     ├─┬ templates
│     │ ├── example.tpl
│     │ └── settings.tpl
│     ├── index.php
│     └── TutorialExamplePlugin.php
│     └── version.xml

The getTemplateResource() method is available to every plugin. Use it to load a template in the plugin’s template directory.

$templateMgr = TemplateManager::getManager($request);
$templateMgr->display($this->getTemplateResource('example.tpl'));

Templates can be nested in subdirectories.

ojs
│
├─┬ plugins
│ │
│ └─┬ generic
│   │
│   └─┬ tutorialExample
│     │
│     ├─┬ templates
│     │ ├── example.tpl
│     │ └─┬ settings
│     │   └── index.tpl
│     ├── index.php
│     ├── TutorialExamplePlugin.php
│     └── version.xml

$templateMgr = TemplateManager::getManager($request);
$templateMgr->display($this->getTemplateResource('settings/index.tpl'));

Override templates #

By default, a template file in a theme plugin that matches the path of a template file in the application will override it. You can grant this ability to any plugin.

Learn more about template overrides.

Add a hook during registration to allow a plugin’s templates to override templates in the application.

import('lib.pkp.classes.plugins.GenericPlugin');
class TemplateOverrideExamplePlugin extends GenericPlugin {
	public function register($category, $path, $mainContextId = NULL) {
		$success = parent::register($category, $path);
 		if ($success && $this->getEnabled()) {
			HookRegistry::register('TemplateResource::getFilename', array($this, '_overridePluginTemplates'));
		}
		return $success;
	}
}

Any template that matches the path and filename of an application’s template will override it. In the example below, the plugin overrides the application’s common/footer.tpl template.

ojs
│
├─┬ plugins
│ └─┬ generic
│   └─┬ templateOverrideExample
│     ├─┬ templates
│     │ └─┬ common
│     │   └── footer.tpl
│     └── ...
├─┬ templates
│ └─┬ common
│   └── footer.tpl

Any plugin that can override application templates can also override the templates of another plugin. In the example below, the plugin overrides the block template of the makeSubmission block plugin.

ojs
│
├─┬ plugins
│ ├─┬ blocks
│ │ └─┬ makeSubmission
│ │   ├─┬ templates
│ │   │ └── block.tpl
│ │   └── ..
│ └─┬ generic
│   └─┬ templateOverrideExample
│     ├─┬ templates
│     │ └─┬ plugins
│     │   └─┬ blocks
│     │     └─┬ makeSubmission
│     │       └─┬ templates
│     │         └── block.tpl
│     └── ..

Learn how to add settings to your plugin.