Create custom variables for a template file inside a menu callback function

Question

here is a good one that has always stumped me.

I would love to see a solution in both D6 and D7.

I create custom modules and usually work with the menu api to create menu type -> MENU_CALLBACK.

Here is an example:

function example_menu() {
  $items['example/page1'] = array(
    'page callback'     => 'example_page1_callback',
    'access callback'   => TRUE,
    'type'              => MENU_CALLBACK,
  );
  return $items;
}

I would like to see the exact code solution to provide three different variables to be printed in a custom theme template based on the following code. To add to that challenge, I would like the code to be written in the menu callback function only. I know there are many possible ways to do it but could never figure out how to do it in a menu callback function which would be the most useful way.

//****************************************
// This code block goes in a custom module called example_menu_variables.module

// hook_menu example
function example_menu() {
  $items['example/page1'] = array(
    'page callback'     => 'example_page1_callback',
    'access callback'   => TRUE,
    'type'              => MENU_CALLBACK,
  );
  return $items;
}

// hook_meny callback function
function example_page1_callback() {
  // please provide code within this function to turn these next three
  // variables into separate output variables for the template.
  $variable_to_print1 = 'Foo';
  $variable_to_print2 = 'Bar';
  $variable_to_print3 = array('bing', 'bang', 'bong');
  return;
}
//****************************************



//****************************************
// This block of code represents the part of the custom theme template related to the menu location from the hook_menu call
// D6 template name would be page-example-page1.tpl.php
// D7 template name would be page--example--page1.tpl.php

<div><?php print  $variable_to_print1?></div>
<div><?php print  $variable_to_print2?></div>
<div><?php print  $variable_to_print3[0] . ' ' . $variable_to_print3[1] . ' ' . $variable_to_print3[2]?></div>

/*
output should look like:
Foo
Bar
bing bang bong
*/

//****************************************

Hope this is the kind of problem that someone wouldn't mind solving. Thanks for your time. :)

Ray James

Answer 1

I got this working in Drupal 7, simply by setting the variable in the render array returned from the page callback.

In .module file

function example_page1_callback() {
$render_array['variable_to_print1'] = 'Foo';
$render_array['variable_to_print2'] = 'Bar';

// set other render array items for the page

return $render_array;
}

In page.tpl.php file

<div class="someDiv">
  1st variable = <?php print render($page['content']['system_main']['variable_to_print1']); ?><br />
  2nd variable = <?php print render($page['content']['system_main']['variable_to_print2']); ?><br />
</div>

Answer 2

I don't believe you can do this without using hook_theme, but this is exactly what it's for and it's quite simple. (This code is for Drupal 6.)

/**
 * Implements hook_menu().
 */
function example_menu() {
  $items['example/page1'] = array(
    'page callback'     => 'example_page1_callback',
    'access callback'   => TRUE,
    'type'              => MENU_CALLBACK,
  );
  return $items;
}

/**
 * Page callback function
 */
function example_page1_callback() {
  $variable_to_print1 = 'Foo';
  $variable_to_print2 = 'Bar';
  return theme('example_contents', $variable_to_print1, $variable_to_print2);
}

/**
 * Implements hook_theme().
 */
function example_theme() {
  return array(
    'example_contents' => array(
      'arguments' => array('variable_to_print1' => null, 'variable_to_print2' => null),
      'template' => 'example-contents',
    ),
  );
}

$variable_to_print1 and $variable_to_print2 are now available in example-contents.tpl.php.

Answer 3

The code written by Adam is correct (my +1) Your variables are available in example-contents.tpl.php file - it is a template file of your module output.

However, if you need these variables in page.tpl file, then you can just create them:

in your module file:

/**
 * Page variables
 *
 * @return
 *  custom page variables
 */ 
function custom_variables(){

  $variable_to_print1 = 'Foo';
  $variable_to_print2 = 'Bar';
  $variable_to_print3 = array('bing', 'bang', 'bong');

  return array( 'variable_to_print1'    => $variable_to_print1,
                'variable_to_print2'    => $variable_to_print2,
                'variable_to_print3'    => $variable_to_print3
  );
}

in your template.php file:

/**
 * Override or insert variables into the page templates.
 *
 * @param $variables
 *   An array of variables to pass to the theme template.
 * @param $hook
 *   The name of the template being rendered ("page" in this case.)
 */
function YOURTHEME_preprocess_page(&$variables, $hook) {

  // pass your module variables to page--example1.tpl.php file
  if (in_array('page__example1', $variables['theme_hook_suggestions'])){
    if (module_exists('your_module')){
        $your_module_variables = custom_variables();
        $variables['variable_to_print1'] = $your_module_variables['variable_to_print1'];
        $variables['variable_to_print2'] = $your_module_variables['variable_to_print2'];
        $variables['variable_to_print3'] = $your_module_variables['variable_to_print3'];
    }
  }
}

Answer 4

Had same problem, this is what worked for me on Drupal 7.x

function example_menu() {
  $items['example/page1'] = array(
  'page callback'     => 'example_page1_callback',
  'access callback'   => TRUE,
  'type'              => MENU_CALLBACK,
  );
return $items;
}


function example_page1_callback() {
  $variable_to_print1 = 'Foo';
  $variable_to_print2 = 'Bar';
  $variable_to_print3 = array('bing', 'bang', 'bong');

  //use below given statement when you only want to pass one variable
  // to your template
  //return theme('example',array('output'=>$variable_to_print1));

  //use this statement when you want to pass array
  return theme('example',array('output' => $variable_to_print3)); 
}

In addition to all this you need a example_theme() hook

function example_theme(){
    //lets say your template file is called example.tpl.php and it resides
    //within your module directory.
    $custom_example_template = array();

    $custom_example_template['example'] = array(
        'template' => 'example',
        'variables' => array('output' => NULL)
    );
}

Now what about your example.tpl.php

<div id='someotherid'>
    <?php
             //use this code when you have passed only one variable
             print $variables['output'];
    ?>
</div>

You can name your variables whatever you want, you don't need to stick with 'output' as I did. For some reason you can't see my foreach loop to loop through the array we have passed.

Answer 5

I got Jack's method to work, although I must say the render_array idea is simpler. Here's what worked for me:

In Module:

//page callback to create the page and include some CSS & Javascript
function my_callback() {
   drupal_add_css(...); 
   drupal_add_js(...); 
   return '';   
}

function _my_module_vars(){
   $var1 = 'foo'
   $var2 = 'bar'
}

In theme's Template.php

function MYTHEME_preprocess_page(&$vars) {
   //add some custom variables to the module page
    if(in_array('page__my_content_type', $vars['theme_hook_suggestions'])) { 
       if(module_exists('my_module')) { 
          $my_vars = _my_module_vars();  
          $vars['var1'] = $my_vars['var1'];
          $vars['var2'] = $my_vars['var2'];
    }
  }
}

In page.tpl.php (or you could use page--my_content_type.tpl.php):

print $var1; 
print $var2;