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Theme View file breakdown

Kevin Ottley edited this page Apr 8, 2014 · 5 revisions

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This article will break down the purpose of each file in the View layer, which can be used to help determine which files need to be modified for theme development. We will go into greater detail with respect to the actual content that is required on specific pages in a later section.

There are a total of 63 files which make up the view layer of Web Store 3.1. This includes layout files which control the major pieces of how a theme looks, individual files for the different sections of Web Store, and some minor files which serve as includes for other files. A few even only contain javascript code and no actual formatting.

/layouts

The /layouts folder contains the top level files that are used no matter what section or item is being displayed by web store. Files in this folder include the header, footer, column layouts, meta tags for the HTML header and some special files for credit card processing (which should not be modified).

Filename Purpose
main.php Main contains the opening and closing HTML tags as well as calls to the other primary files. No actual formatting is contained in this file.
column1.php A one-column layout file (meaning the main portion of the site extends from left margin to right margin. Displays widget for breadcrumbs and alert messages. Calls main.php
column2.php A two-column file, where the primary portion takes up most of the width, with the right-most reserved for a second column of information. (In the case of web Store, the shopping cart) Displays widget for breadcrumbs and alert messages. Calls main.php
errorlayout.php Dedicated page for error condition (i.e. 404 errors). Does not use column1 or column2, is standalone
jumper.php Code only, used by payment processors that redirect to another site. Do not modify or override.
plain.php Blank display page, no HTML headers or anything, used in special cases. Do not modify or override.

As you can see from this, you only have four files to review. You can also create additional layout files (alternatives to column1 and column2). More on this section here.

/cart

The /cart folder contains view files that deal with cart display, cart editing and checkout. All files that begin with an underscore _ character are partial files which are included in other files.

Filename Purpose
index.php Cart editing (i.e. change qty, remove items from cart, etc.)
checkout.php The checkout file. This is the largest file in all of Web Store. This is primarily a form file, so it outputs the form fields from the CheckoutForm class. The buttons (such as Apply Promo Code, Calculate Shipping and Submit) contain javascript code so any customizations should be careful to not modify this or it may break functionality. The form layout uses standard Yii commands. Some divs are created hidden and are shown based on functionality (such as the credit card form), shown only when a person chooses certain payment modules.

NOTE: Plans are in place to refactor the checkout process from a single form to a multiple progressive form/page experience.

jumper.php Outputs form only. Do not modify or override.
receipt.php Final receipt display after checkout has completed. Also can be called from an email message or at a later date.
_cartitems.php Inner table of actual cart contents.
_cartjs.php Javascript code only, do not modify or override.
_cartaxes.php Inner table of taxes on a cart
_facebookwall.php Post to Facebook, used on final receipt to allow customer to post message to wall for advertising purposes
_googleconversion.php Code only for Google conversion tracking, do not modify or override.
_paymentform.php Inner form used for certain payment modules when additional fields are required.
_sharecart.php Popup form for sharing a cart (i.e. emailing to a third party)

/custompage

The /custompage folder contains view files that deal with custom pages. Keep in mind that most of the tabs on the home page, such as About, Terms and Conditions, Top Products, New Products, etc are all custom pages generated by the user, and all use a single template file.

Filename Purpose
index.php Primary file for any custom page display. Also includes code for slider widget. Inner contents generally are read from MySQL database and will be under user's control through Admin Panel.
contact.php Contact Us form, email form for soliciting question and submitting to store.

/mail

The /mail folder contains view files that are used in emailed receipts. None of these files are displayed normally on the website. Because they are used in email, CSS should be inline instead of externally referenced since many email clients block remote CSS or other files due to security issues.

Filename Purpose
_cart.php File for emailing a cart. Will pull _cartitems from /cart folder
_contactform.php Contact Us form template to send results of /custompage/contact.
_customerreceipt.php Emailed receipt upon completion of checkout.

/myaccount

The /myaccount folder contains view files for viewing and editing customer account details. Also used when a customer is registering for a new account.

Filename Purpose
index.php Primary My Account menu, displays address book, order history, Wish Lists and SROs if enabled
edit.php Form for editing account details
address.php Form for adding or editing an address book entry

/product

The /product folder contains view files for viewing product details.

Filename Purpose
index.php Primary product detail page. Like checkout, this is a longer page and contains some javascript especially related to matrix items because portions of the page update via AJAX depending on customer selections. Also AJAX buttons for adding to Wish list and adding to cart.
_photos.php Inner layout page for product photos (primary and additional). Also contains javascript to handle zoom functionality.
_matrixdropdown.php Inner layout page for color and size matrix dropdowns, primarily Javascript code.

/search

The /search folder contains view files for search results, which ALSO is the primary viewing grid during normal navigation. Nearly all "browsing" is in fact a search (such as clicking a category from the products menu is in fact running a search by category), so these pages are used for almost all product viewing other than the details page.

Filename Purpose
index.php Advanced search form, viewed when clicking + by search bar
grid.php Primary grid layout for products. Repeats inner cell for each product on grid, contains pagination widget on bottom

/site

The /site folder contains pages which are used along with layout for all navigation. Most of these pages are included in other views, again designated by the underscore charater.

Filename Purpose
_flashmessages.php Include file for page footer, displays store name, address, hours by default
_footer.php Include file for page footer, displays store name, address, hours by default
_google.php Code only for google analytics, do not modify or override
_head.php HTML head data, i.e. title, meta tags, etc. Rarely needs modifying since it should call CSS files from your theme automatically.
_header.php Header of site. In the brooklyn theme it includes the store banner, login button and language menus (if enabled) that appear on top of each page during navigation.
_navigation.php Calls menu widget for product menu, tabs for additional menuing across top
_search.php search
_sharing_footer.php Code only, for social sharing code that needs to be at bottom of page. Do not modify or override
_sharing_header.php Code only, for social sharing code that needs to be at top of page. Do not modify or override.
_sharing_tools.php Code only, sharing buttons for social networks.
_sidecart.php Side shopping cart display, used by column2.php layout file to display shopping cart alongside normal page content.
_topcart.php Displays brief information about the cart, meant to be displayed at the top of the page
_wishlists.php Hidden by default list that offers the option to search for a wishlist and if a user is logged in, to view the list of wishlists or create a new wishlist
category.php (candidate for deletion, was designed to display categories in a grid format but system should call grid.php instead since it's common)
error.php Error 404 page, works in conjunction with /layout file of same name
index.php This is, ironically, a little used page, only displayed if the user sets Web Store to display it to a new visitor instead of the normal product grid. This file should be included in your theme but not modified since it's only there for specific customer customizations.
login.php Before v3.1, login was performed in a pop-up modal window. Now, login is its own page which allows for it to be better secured.
map.php Sitemap, largely widget code to display directory of all pages.
offline.php The page that is displayed to customers when the store owner sets the status of the site to Offline in the Admin Panel
redirect.php Hosted stores who do not have their own SSL certificates require redirect to secure versions of certain pages (ex. login, checkout). Do not modify or override.

/sro

The /sro folder contains view files for SROs (Service Repair Orders). Not all webstores use this feature but those who do repairs for electronic equipment will allow customers to review repairs and their status online.

Filename Purpose
sro.php SRO layout file
_sroitems.php Inner table of products on an SRO
_srorepairs.php Inner table of labor line items on an SRO

/wishlist

The /wishlist folder contains view files that are used in wish lists (or gift registries), where a shopper can mark items they wish to purchase at a later date. Also used by certain stories as bridal registries or other public registry functionality.

Filename Purpose
index.php Primary view file for listing all wish lists on customer account, menu to other options
create.php Create/Edit a wish list, including title, visibility, etc.
search.php Search for a wish list, including on another user's account if enabled
view.php Display the product contents of a wish list. Can be used in edit or read only mode.
_addtolist.php Popup called by /product/index.php details page when Add To Wish List is cilcked. This is only displayed if the user has more than one wish list, to ask which list to add to.
_edititem.php Edit product item on wish list, optionally delete
_sharelist.php Popup form to email a wish list to an email address
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