Manual for template programmers

camindo CMS delivers content by means of templates, for example HTML on a website. CMS commands prepare the content and insert it dynamically into the template. Example of a greatly simplified page template:

<html>
<body>
<h1>(CMS:TEXT title)</h1>
<div>(CMS:TEXT text)</div>
<div>(CMS:MEDIA field=image attr[id]=image1)</div>
<div>created: (CMS:DATE created_at format="dd.MM.y")</div>
</body>
</html>

CMS commands are not merely placeholders. They represent complex encapsulated functionality that can be adapted with parameters and combined with one another. This saves a lot of development time. Moreover, they are proven and guarantee stability.

Examples of what CMS commands can do:

• determine content matching certain criteria from the database
• process content
• check, save or send user input
• registration of website visitors, sign-in and sign-out
• include further templates

Output formats: In addition to websites with HTML pages, further output media and publication channels are possible. Content can, for example, be formatted as XML files, PDF files, emails … and made available for retrieval via a URL, written as files to the file system, or pushed over a network.

Template set: Nobody needs to reinvent the wheel. Content areas (their configuration incl. input fields, optionally with content) and the associated templates can be exported in XML format. When imported into another camindo installation, the relations between areas and templates remain intact. The complete application part is immediately ready for use. This enables the easy integration of ready-made kits (forum, news feed, ...) or the export of self-developed applications for reuse in later projects.

Contents

1. Basics – how a page is created, addresses, syntax, lists, links, the concept “every record has a page”, filters, multilingualism, security headers (delivering CSS/JS/JSON, embedding in partner websites), scheduled templates, templates in the file system
2. Template sets – encapsulating functions, keeping them portable, passing them on and adapting them
3. Trigger templates – PHP methods for the events of the records of an area (saving, deleting …) and for the actions of the deletion policies
4. Command reference – one page per command (below)

How templates are organized in the back end and assigned to content areas is described in the Manual for administrators.

Command reference

(CMS:COMMAND value parameter=value parameter[key]="value" …)

Command names and parameter names are not case-sensitive. The first value without = counts as the main parameter of the command ((CMS:TEXT title) = (CMS:TEXT field=title)). Values in quotation marks may contain PHP expressions, as is customary in a PHP string ("{$set['x']}").

The output parameters are the same for most commands:
ifempty (replacement for an empty value),
instead (replacement for a non-empty value),
prefix / suffix (only for a non-empty value),
set (result is written to the variable $set[…] instead of to the page),
id (another record as the source),
replace (replace partial texts) for TEXT, DATE, DATETIME, TIME and NUMBER.

Output

Command
CMS:DATE	Output date
CMS:DATETIME	Output date and time
CMS:EMAIL	Send email, check required form fields
CMS:MEDIA	Output image or media file
CMS:MESSAGE	Output error messages
CMS:NUMBER	Output numeric content
CMS:RAW	Output content unformatted
CMS:SNIPPET	Output snippet (text module) in the language of the call
CMS:TEXT	Output text content
CMS:TIME	Output time
CMS:URL	Create the URL of a record
CMS:XML	Output the XML declaration
CMS:ZIP	Download the files of several records as a ZIP archive

Relations

Command
CMS:RELATION	Output the main field of linked records (for internal preview only!)

Queries

Command
CMS:SELECT	Query records
CMS:SELECT_LANGVERSION	Languages of the instance as a result set
CMS:RESULT_START	Start of the result loop
CMS:RESULT_END	End of the result loop

Navigation

Command
CMS:JUMP_LIST	Create page navigation
CMS:JUMP_NEXT	Create a link to the next page
CMS:JUMP_PREV	Create a link to the previous page

Control

Command
CMS:CONTINUE	Continue after a success template
CMS:CSP	Adapt the script policy (CSP) of the page
CMS:HEADER	Send HTTP headers
CMS:INCLUDE	Include a template, optionally with output cache
CMS:NONCE	Nonce for scripts generated by PHP
CMS:SAVEDATA	Store a record in a PHP variable

Frontend editing

Command
CMS:FED	Edit link for frontend editing
CMS:FED_CODE	Output HTML only with frontend editing
CMS:FED_SCRIPT	Script for the edit links (once per page)

Community

Command
CMS:USER_2FA	Manage the second factor
CMS:USER_AUTH	Check the session of the frontend user
CMS:USER_BASKET	Edit the shopping basket
CMS:USER_DELETE	Delete the user's record
CMS:USER_INPUT	Save a record from user input
CMS:USER_LOGIN	Sign in the frontend user
CMS:USER_LOGIN_CODE	Complete sign-in with the second factor
CMS:USER_LOGOUT	Sign out the frontend user
CMS:USER_PASSWORD_RULES	Password rules for display in the form
CMS:USER_REGISTER	Register a frontend user (create a profile record)
CMS:USER_REGISTER_CONFIRM	Activate registration
CMS:USER_PROTECT	Lock a template for visitors who are not signed in
CMS:USER_PW	Prepare password reset
CMS:USER_TOKEN	Security token for forms

The administrator sets up the community functions (see Manual for administrators).

PDF add-on module

The PDF add-on module (camindo/module-pdf) supplements the commands (CMS:PDF_…), with which templates create PDF documents – page by page, if desired on a PDF template such as letterhead paper, with texts, HTML, images, lines and tables:

(CMS:PDF_INIT margins=25,20,30,20)
(CMS:PDF_PAGE letterhead.pdf)
(CMS:PDF_FONT helvetica style=B size=16)
(CMS:PDF_TEXT "Invoice {$cms['number']}" y=50)
(CMS:PDF_PRINT invoice.pdf)

The complete command list is part of the documentation of the module.