Putting sent private messages into a block

Question

I used this tip to put private the Drupal 7 private messages into blocks, in order to put those blocks on a quicktabs block:

<?php
/**
 * Implements hook_block_info().
 */
function MYMODULE_block_info() {
  $blocks = array();
  $blocks['messages_list'] = array(
    'info' => t('Messages List'),
    'cache' => DRUPAL_NO_CACHE,
  );
  $blocks['messages_sent'] = array(
    'info' => t('Sent Messages'),
    'cache' => DRUPAL_NO_CACHE,
  );
  $blocks['new_message'] = array(
    'info' => t('New Private Message'),
    'cache' => DRUPAL_NO_CACHE,
  );
  return $blocks;
}

/**
 * Implements hook_block_view().
 */
require_once('sites/all/modules/privatemsg/privatemsg.pages.inc');
function MYMODULE_block_view($delta = '') {
  $block = array();
  switch ($delta) {
    case 'messages_list':
      global $user;
      $block['subject'] = t('Private Messages List');
      $block['content'] = 
        drupal_get_form('privatemsg_list', 'list', $user);
      break;

    case 'messages_list':
      global $user;
      $block['subject'] = t('Private Sent Messages');
      $block['content'] = 
        drupal_get_form('privatemsg_list', 'sent', $user);
      break;
    case 'new_message':
      $block['subject'] = t('New Private Message');
      $block['content'] = drupal_get_form('privatemsg_new');
      break;
  }
  return $block;
} ?>

It works quite well, but I have the following issues:

1. Tab 1 (Inbox): Why I can't delete messages on the message list, or change their status.
2. Tab 2 (Sent messages): How do I see the sent messages list? Is there a separate form?
3. Tab 3 (New message): After sending a new message, how to I redirect the user back to the messages list?
4. How to avoid needing to include sites/all/modules/privatemsg/privatemsg.pages.inc (If I want to put this block on a non-standard URL, not starting with '/messages', I get an error that a function in that file is not found.

Notes (EDITED):

Drupal 7 Privatemsg views integration module is stuck (you can see the latest patch here). Forms integration works, somewhat.

Alternate approachers:

• Edit it with the data module (which allows to make a view on any table) + VBO. IF they work together.
• Recreate the whole solution with Views + VBO.

Please advise

Thanks

Amnon

Answer 1

No need to use quicktabs. The tabs functionality is inherent if you use the privatemsg_filter addon module - inbox, sent messages and all mail are exposed as three tabs.

It was only needed to add a 4th tab with the option to send a new private message.

The tab already existed as a page, so adding it was simple using hook_menu_alter().

So the final code is:

<?php 
function MYMODULE_menu_alter(&$items) {
  // Make the privatemsg new link a tab
  $items['messages/new']['type'] = MENU_LOCAL_TASK;
}
?>

Answer 2

You could use that sandbox project enter link description here to create the block you want