Ajax content area with CodeIgniter? - php

Question

Have recently started to re-develop an application with CodeIgniter and I am trying to implement my template into the system.
I am facing an issue that I can't yet see a way around
Basically, at the minute within the controller an example of what I am doing is:
/*
* Load view for header
*/
$this->load->view('header_view');
/*
* Load view for navigation
*/
$this->load->view('navigation_view');
/*
* Load view for content
*/
$this->load->view('content_view');
/*
* Load view for footer
*/
$this->load->view('footer_view');
However the problem I am facing is that the content area has pages dynamically loaded in to it.
So the navigation area links don't open up the HREF URL but they load that page data in to the content div via ajax.
I need to be able to go to my controllers directly via the URL such as 'http://www.website.co.uk/controller/method_name/parameters' which at the minute is fine.
The navigation however will load that link in to the content area which also includes the header/navigation/footer so I end up with nested layouts in the content area...
The simple way around it is 'well don't include the header/navigation/footer views in every page' however then you can't directly go to the URL such as above, it would only work when loaded in to the content area as it would need to have the header, navigation and footer.
The solution that I ideally need is that the header/navigation/footer are ALWAYS loaded around any controller so that if I go to a controller/method via the URL I don't have to load the header/navigation/footer in the controller but it is automatically loaded around it.
Any ideas appreciated, thanks

Answer 1

Why not extend the CI controller with a MY_Controller, then all your controllers will extend MY_Controller. In my_Controller have a function like:
public function loadView($file, $data=array()){
$this->load->view('header', $data);
$this->load->view($file, $data);
$this->load->view('footer', $data);
}
Then, from your controllers actions, just call it :
public function index(){
// code code code
$this->loadView('welcome', array('message'=>'Hello!'));
}
I think you get the point.

Answer 2

in ajax you can use views like this:
<div id="header"></div>
<div> //here all your stuffs</div>
</div id="footer"></div>
then just :
<script>
$(function(){
$('#footer').load('my_footer_view_url');
$('#header').load('my_header_view_url');
});
</script>
this is a poor example, you can define both a php method which serves the views and a js method which loads them into divs, so each view then must have only a <div> where to load partials
Important
if you can use Ajax, this solution is great, cause once you move the #footer div somewhere else in your views you moves an enteire footer view for example, php will be more static anyway, but it depends, i sad, if you can or not use ajax ;)