CodeIgniter, including code from one view into another? - php

Question

I have an interesting problem. I currently have a basic template library that renders out a bunch of modules for header and footer templates, then sandwiches a view I specify in between them.
Example:
$this->load->view('header.php', $headerstuff);
$this->load->view($contentView);
$this->load->view('footer.php', $footerstuff);
The problem is that I need to put some javascript (that is specific to each content view) into the header. I have been doing this with a switch statement containing the js inside the template library. But that makes no sense in the mvc model.
Example (of what I've been doing), (in template library, above previous code):
$headerstuff['js'] = '';
switch ($contentView)
{
case 'main':
$headerstuff['js'] = 'JAVASCRIPT INCLUDE CODE 1';
break;
case 'product':
$headerstuff['js'] = 'JAVASCRIPT INCLUDE CODE 2';
break;
}
I can't think of another way to do this though. I would like to (ideally) store the js in a variable inside the content view file, and (somehow) load that into the header view. To be honest though, I don't even think that is possible.
Does anybody have a better way of doing this then my current solution?
Thanks,
Max

Answer 1

I created a helper file to do this for my sites and I think we have a similar MVC template layout:
Asset Helper:
<?php if ( ! defined('BASEPATH')) exit('No direct script access allowed');
if ( ! function_exists('css'))
{
function css($array) {
// If the object passed is a string, convert it into an array
if ( is_string($array) ) {
$array = explode(" ", $array);
}
// Add additional CSS Files
if ( isset($array) ) {
foreach ( $array as $i => $file ) {
// If it's not the first one add a tab character.
if ( $i > 0 ) echo "\t";
echo "<link rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text/css\" href=\"". $file ."\">\n";
}
}
}
}
if ( ! function_exists('js'))
{
function js($array) {
// If the object passed is a string, convert it into an array
if ( is_string($array) ) {
$array = explode(" ", $array);
}
// Add additional JavaScript Files
if ( isset($array) ) {
foreach ( $array as $i => $file ) {
// If it's not the first one add a tab character.
if ( $i > 0 ) echo "\t";
echo "<script src=\"". $file ."\"></script>\n";
}
}
}
}
This does one of two things. I will allow you to add files in the controller file which is nice. I do this by creating a data object:
$data['css'] = array('/path/to/styles.css', '/path/to/otherstuff.css');
$data['js'] = array('/path/to/javascript.js');
Then in your header include do the following:
<?
$defaultCSS = array("/assets/css/global.css");
$css = (isset($css)) ? array_merge($defaultCSS, $css) : $defaultCSS;
css($css);
$defaultJS = array("/assets/js/global.js");
$js = (isset($js)) ? array_merge($defaultJS, $js) : $defaultJS;
js($js);
?>
I'm settings some defaults that will load on each page and then I can add in different files based on which controller I'm loading.
Hope this helps.

Answer 2

How about having a scripts controller which acts as a small proxy:
/**
* A basic controller which allows for the display of basic views.
*/
class Scripts extends CI_Controller
{
public function _remap( $meth, array $params )
{
// ensure that parent directory contents can't be revealed.
if( !$meth || strpos( $meth, '.' ) !== FALSE ) show_404();
foreach( $params as $arg )
// I put all css in a folder called css all js goes into
// a folder called js. It can be overly simple, but it works
// (if you need these files to be php files, just add '.php'
// to the end of the FILE's name. No need to worry about that
// here, CodeIgniter's got your back...)
$this->load->view( "$meth/${params}.$meth" );
}
}
How to use:
For each controller (or, you could easily modify this to be for every method), have an appropriate js file in your views/js folder. Name each after the respective controller. Then, point to each of them from the view:
Then, in the header view:
<script type="text/javascript" src="
<?php
// honestly, I normally use a helper function here, but this is the
// short... short version.
echo base_url() . '/scripts/js/' . load_class('Router')->fetch_class();
// You can also replace the controller name with the view name by using the
// variable $_ci_view, you can get the full path with $_ci_path
?>" ></script>
Best part? Your controller is agnostic about the contents of the view. The view is more or less agnostic of the controller (it is a variable populated ahead of time from an external source and just... there). In fact, the only things which "need to know" are the JS/CSS files and they were on a case by case configuration anyway.