Retired Documentation
You are using the documentation for version 2.11.9. Go here for the latest version or check here for your available upgrades to the latest version.
ExpressionEngine Modules¶
Modules are the most complex form of add-on. They can have their own database tables, backend control panels, tabs and fields that are included on the publish page, as well as their own tags for use in templates.
Basic File Structure¶
Modules should be placed into the third_party folder in a package and be named after that package name. At a minimum, there are 4 required files for any module:
third_party/module_name/upd.module_name.php
- installs, uninstalls and updates the modulethird_party/module_name/mcp.module_name.php
- the backend control panelthird_party/module_name/mod.module_name.php
- the core module file, which process module tags used in templatesthird_party/module_name/language/english/module_name_lang.php
- holds all language variables, allowing multiple language versions of the module
In addition to these required files, there are a number of optional files that may be useful for modules:
third_party/module_name/tab.module_name.php
- required to add a tab/fields to the publish pagethird_party/module_name/views/anyname.html
- multiple view files inside the view folder are the primary method of presenting the backend control panel pagesthird_party/module_name/libraries/anyname.php
- modules may make use of their own libraries, either extending existing libraries or adding new ones for use within the module
With the possible exception of library files, file names and folders should be lower-case and contain no spaces.
The Update file (upd.module_name.php)¶
-
class
Module_name_upd
¶ The Update file for a module includes a class with a name that is a combination of the package’s name with a
_upd
suffix. The first letter and only the first letter of the class name should be capitalized. There is only one required class variable is$version
, which should indicate the current version of this module:class Module_name_upd { var $version = '1.0';
Update File Function Reference¶
install() *¶
-
Module_name_upd::
install
()¶ Installs the module, adding a record to the
exp_modules
table, creates and populates and necessary database tables, adds any necessary records to theexp_actions
table, and if custom tabs are to be used, adds those fields to any saved publish layouts.Add the module to the
exp_modules
table—this step is required. Notehas_cp_backend
should be'y'
if the module has a control panel,'n'
otherwise;has_publish_fields
’ should be'y'
if the module adds tabs/fields to the publish page,'n'
otherwise:$data = array( 'module_name' => 'Module_name' , 'module_version' => $this->version, 'has_cp_backend' => 'y', 'has_publish_fields' => 'y' ); ee()->db->insert('modules', $data);
Optionally add records to the
exp_actions
table—used if your module needs to invoke actions based on frontend behavior such as form submission:$data = array( 'class' => 'Module_name' , 'method' => 'method_to_call' ); ee()->db->insert('actions', $data);
Optionally add the publish page tab fields to any saved publish layouts. This is ONLY used if the module adds a tab to the publish page and it requires the
tabs()
function:ee()->load->library('layout'); ee()->layout->add_layout_tabs($this->tabs(), 'module_name');
Returns: TRUE
if everything installed properly,FALSE
if notReturn type: Boolean
update($current = ‘’) *¶
-
Module_name_upd::
update
($current = '')¶ This function is checked on any visit to the module’s control panel, and compares the current version number in the file to the recorded version in the database. This allows you to easily make database or other changes as new versions of the module come out:
function update($current = '') { if (version_compare($current, '2.0', '=')) { return FALSE; } if (version_compare($current, '2.0', '<')) { // Do your update code here } return TRUE; }
Parameters: - $current (string) – The last recorded version of the module in the
exp_modules
table
Returns: FALSE
if no update is needed,TRUE
otherwiseReturn type: Boolean
- $current (string) – The last recorded version of the module in the
uninstall() *¶
-
Module_name_upd::
uninstall
()¶ Deletes the module record from exp_modules, any associated actions from exp_actions, and uninstalls any tables created by the module. Returns TRUE
Optionally delete any publish page tab fields saved in publish layouts. This is ONLY used if the module adds a tab to the publish page and it requires the
tabs()
function:ee()->load->library('layout'); ee()->layout->delete_layout_tabs($this->tabs(), 'module_name');
Returns: TRUE
if everything uninstalled properly,FALSE
otherwiseReturn type: Boolean
tabs()¶
-
Module_name_upd::
tabs
()¶ An optional function, included only if the module adds a tab to the publish page. This function should return an multidimensional associative array, the top array key consisting of the tab name, followed by any field names, with each field having a variety of default settings. Note that when the fields are added to the publish page, they are namespaced to prevent variable collisions:
function tabs() { $tabs['tab_name'] = array( 'field_name_one'=> array( 'visible' => 'true', 'collapse' => 'false', 'htmlbuttons' => 'true', 'width' => '100%' ), 'field_name_two'=> array( 'visible' => 'true', 'collapse' => 'false', 'htmlbuttons' => 'true', 'width' => '100%' ), ); return $tabs; }
Returns: Associative array of the tab name and tab fields Return type: Array
The Language File (module_name_lang.php)¶
The Language file contains an array named $lang
, which is used along
with the Language class to display text on a page in whatever language
is selected in the user’s account settings. There are two required lines
in the language file for each module, which allows the name and
description of the module to be viewable on the MODULES page:
$lang = array(
// Required for MODULES page
'my_module_module_name' => 'Module Name',
'my_module_module_description' => 'Brief description of the module- displayed on the Modules page',
//----------------------------------------
// Additional Key => Value pairs go here
// END
''=>''
);
module tab label¶
In addition to the two required fields you can have a custom tab label for your publish fields. Just assign the desired label to a key which shares the name of your module name:
// Additional Key => Value pairs go here
/**
* Tab Label for publish fields
*
* Assign the label you wish to use to the module_name array key
* Remember only alphanumeric characters, underscores, dashes and spaces are allowed.
*/
'module_name' => 'Tab label'
The Tab File (tab.module_name.php)¶
-
class
Module_name_tab
¶ This is an optional file, required only if your module needs to include a tab on the publish page. It must have a class with a name that is a combination of the package’s name with a
_tab
suffix. There are no required class variables. Because multiple modules may be adding fields to the publish page, all third party tab fields are namespaced using the package name when displayed on the publish page. This namespacing will be stripped prior to any data being returned to the tab functions.Note
if your module includes a tab, do not forget to indicate this in the update file when installing the module. Further, be sure to include the
tabs()
function in the update file, and use it when updating custom layouts on installation and uninstallation.
Tab File Function Reference¶
publish_tabs($channel_id, $entry_id = ‘’) *¶
-
Module_name_tab::
publish_tabs
($channel_id[, $entry_id = ''])¶ This function creates the fields that will be displayed on the publish page. It must return
$settings
, a multidimensional associative array specifying the display settings and values associated with each of your fields.Parameters: - $channel_id (int) – Channel ID where the entry is being created or edited
- $entry_id (int) – Entry ID if this is an edit, empty otherwise
Returns: Settings (see below)
Return type: Array
The settings array elements:
Array( 'field_id' => '...', // name of the field 'field_label' => '...', // field label, typically a language variable is used here 'field_required' => '...', // whether to include the 'required' class next to the field label: y/n 'field_data' => '...', // current data, if applicable 'field_list_items' => '...', // array of options, otherwise empty string 'options' => '...', // array of options, otherwise empty string 'selected' => '...', // selected value if applicable to the field_type 'field_fmt' => '...', // allowed field format options, if applicable 'field_instructions' => '...', // instructions to be displayed for this field on the publish page 'field_show_fmt' => '...', // whether the field format dropdown shows: y/n. Note: if 'y', you must specify the options available in field_fmt 'field_pre_populate' => '...', // can pre-populate a field when it's a new entry 'field_text_direction' => '...', // direction of the text: ltr/rtl 'field_type' => '...' // may be any existing field type )
validate_publish($params) *¶
-
Module_name_tab::
validate_publish
($params)¶ Allows you to validate the data after the publish form has been submitted but before any additions to the database:
function validate_publish($params) { $errors = FALSE; if ( ! isset($params[0]['revision_post']['field_name_one'])) { $errors = array(lang('required') => 'field__name_one'); } return $errors; }
Parameters: - $params (array) – all of the data available on the current submission
Returns: FALSE
if no errors, otherwise an array of errorsReturn type: Boolean/Array
publish_data_db($params) *¶
-
Module_name_tab::
publish_data_db
($params)¶ Allows the insertion of data after the core insert/update has been done, thus making available the current
$entry_id
:function publish_data_db($params) { if (! isset($params['mod_data']['field_name_one']) OR $params['mod_data']['field_name_one'] == '') { return; } $data = array( 'entry_id' => $params['entry_id'], 'file_id' => $params['mod_data']['field_name_one'] ); ee()->db->insert('table_name', $data); }
Parameters: - $params (array) – top level array consists of
meta
,data
,mod_data
, andentry_id
Return type: Void
- $params (array) – top level array consists of
The Control Panel File (mcp.module_name.php)¶
-
class
Module_name_mcp
¶ Used to create the backend control panel, it includes a class with a name that is a combination of the package’s name with a
_mcp
suffix. The first letter and only the first letter of the class name should be capitalized. There are no required class variables. The control panel file for a module without a backend control panel would look like:<?php if ( ! defined('BASEPATH')) exit('No direct script access allowed'); class Module_name_mcp { } // END CLASS /* End of file mcp.module_name.php */ /* Location: ./system/expressionengine/third_party/modules/module_name/mcp.module_name.php */
Control Panel URLS¶
If your module does have a backend, the url logic is very easy for a human to parse. For example:
C=addons_modules&M=show_module_cp&module=module_name&method=add_record.
C=addons_modules
C
represents thecontroller
, all of which are located inexpressionengine/controllers/
. In this example, the controller isaddons_modules
. Controller names map directly to the urls.M=show_module_cp
M
specifies the controllermethod
. In this case theshow_module_cp()
method in the addons_modules controller.module=module_name
- The module control panel—this is the name of your class, all lower case.
method=add_record
- The
method
being called in the url maps directly to the method name in your control panel file. There is no need to route them manually.
Thus the above url would output whatever is returned by the
add_record()
method in your Module_name_mcp
class. If no method
is specified, it will output the index()
method by default.
Useful Control Panel Functions¶
While all of the libraries and helpers from CodeIgniter and ExpressionEngine (as well as your own libraries) are available, there are a few CP library functions that will typically be used in any control panel file:
Set the page title, which is also displayed in the breadcrumb. Any displayed control panel page should include a title:
ee()->view->cp_page_title = lang('mymodule_module_name');
For interior pages, you will want to add to the breadcrumb, allowing easy navigation back to your main page:
ee()->cp->set_breadcrumb( BASE.AMP.'C=addons_modules'.AMP.'M=show_module_cp'.AMP.'module=module_name', lang('mymodule_module_name') );
If your module backend has multiple pages, you may want to create fourth level navigation. This is easily done in the constructor using the
set_right_nav()
function:ee()->cp->set_right_nav(array( 'add_record' => BASE.AMP.'C=addons_modules'.AMP.'M=show_module_cp'.AMP.'module=module_name'.AMP.'method=add_record' ));
Javascript¶
While it is preferable that your module work for users who disable javascript, you may well want to provide increased functionality for the majority of users who don’t. ExpressionEngine 2.x includes both its own JavaScript library as well as the The jQuery JavaScript library, enabling developers to easily include JavaScript enhancements. It is worth noting some ‘best practices’ when using JavaScript in your control panel:
Loading jQuery plugins:
ee()->cp->add_js_script(array('plugin' => 'dataTables'));
Outputting JavaScript to the browser:
ee()->javascript->output();
After defining any JavaScript output, you must compile in order to display it:
ee()->javascript->compile();
Working with Forms¶
While creating forms for the backend is fairly routine, there are several differences/additions worth noting:
The Form Validation library is the best means of checking submitted form data and returning in-line errors in the case of failed validation.
After form submission, you will generally want to output a success (or failure) message and redirect to a new page:
ee()->session->set_flashdata('message_success', lang('record_added')); ee()->functions->redirect(BASE.AMP.'C=addons_modules'.AMP.'M=show_module_cp'.AMP.'module=module_name');
Outputting Pages¶
There are two ways to output content to the screen. For very simple pages, you may want to simply return the desired output in a string. Any string that the method returns is placed inside the cp page’s content container. With all but the simplest of output, the use of View files will be the preferred method for handling your markup and presentation.
View Files¶
While you aren’t required to use views to create your backend pages, they are the most modular and easy to read, modify, and edit approach to building control panel pages. A view is simply an html page, or snippet of a page, with some minimal php used to output variables. The variables are passed to the view in an array when you load it. Setting the third parameter of the load call to true will return the view to you as a string:
return ee()->load->view('index', $vars, TRUE);
This would return the index.php view page, located in a views
folder. The view file is passed an array with all of the variables used
by the view, and those variables are simple ‘plugged into’ the html.
It is recommended that in view pages only, you use the PHP’s alternate syntax in your views, as it makes them easier to read and limits the amount of php. If this is not supported by your server, ExpressionEngine will automatically rewrite the tags.
The Core Module File (mod.module_name.php)¶
-
class
Module_name
¶
The Core Module file is used for outputting content via Templates and doing any processing that is required by both the Control Panel and any module tags contained in a template. It includes a class with a name that matches the package (the first letter of the class name must be capitalized). There is one required class variable, $return_data, which will contain the module’s outputted content and is retrieved by the Template parser after the module is done processing.
The tag structure of a module follows the same rules as the Plugins API:
{exp:module_name:method}