[RFC] Global template variable for user avatar

[A_Jelly_Doughnut]

(new template feature to access array elements?)

Yay for syntactic sugar. More interesting problem is how do you assign an array to the template engine?

[AliasM2K]

Nice idea! +1

By the way, I think avatar is not necessary while posting

[naderman]

(new template feature to access array elements?)

Yay for syntactic sugar. More interesting problem is how do you assign an array to the template engine?

Just like any other variable, just assign an array rather than a string. Just can't loop over it currently as that needs a special call.

Either way, anyone up to implementing this with or without array assignment to templates? Please create a ticket and pull request, would love to see this in 3.1

[psoTFX]

Maybe ... I have it "kinda" working but need a little more time and ofc feedback.

[psoTFX]

http://tracker.phpbb.com/browse/PHPBB3-11013

So - this all looks deceptively simple ... I'm sure I've missed something here Anyway I've modified the filter and associated elements to do as per Nils and others suggestion. You can assign an entire array to a template variable and retrieve it via the following syntax:

{<TEMPLATE VAR>:<element name>}

I used : instead of . because I felt the . syntax suggested a "block", it's much of a muchness and the regexp's easily modified for whatever. This works for block level elements:

{<block>.<TEMPLATE VAR>:<element name>}

and conditionals:

<!-- IF <TEMPLATE VAR>:<element name> <condition> -->

Back to the original OP's request - assigning of various user->data values to the template. While we could just dump $user->data to the template as a whole things like avatars, ranks and the like will need to be specifically set won't they? e.g. a call to get_user_avatar() and the like. So should these things be assigned individuality to the template, e.g. {USER_AVATAR}, {USER_RANK}, or assigned to this new array solution, e.g. {USER_DATA:avatar}, {USER_DATA:rank} or some such? Or something else entirely of course ...

[naderman]

Should we maybe use -> rather than : then to be more in line with PHP? The colon seems like entirely new syntax, which I haven't ever seen in any language.

I think that if we want to pass that info on every request anyway, we might want to just put it in $user->data? And then assign that array in whole?

[psoTFX]

Okay, made the change to -> and I agree that or perhaps [] makes more sense a colon just sprang to mind Anyway, ticket is 11013. As I say this is deceptively simple and I'm bound to have missed something obvious, just know it ...

[naderman]

Hm, -> or [] - anyone else have a preference? [] Might seem a bit more natural to someone working on styles. E.g. form elements use that syntax and it's js array syntax too.

[ecwpa]

For template variables? Those would look like this {user->avatar} or {user[avatar]} right? I'm ok with the second.

[naderman]

Well they are all uppercase so {USER->AVATAR} or {USER[AVATAR]}