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Category descriptions in sidebar

I'd like to put by category descriptions in the sidebar. It looks like I can't use PHP in the messages - so what would be the best/recommended way to do this? I don't see any way to manage the sidebar or anything there other than messages.

Comments

  • R_JR_J Ex-Fanboy Munich Admin

    The blocks in the sidebar are called "Module" in Vanilla-Speak. Here's something I've written down few weeks ago: http://vanillaforums.org/discussion/comment/210188#Comment_210188

  • Geesh. Even as a non-programmer I can usually pick up a web software's template and figure out what needs to edited to add custom elements to a theme. Vanilla has just about the most non-friendly code I've ever seen. I'm just trying to figure out how to add text to a sidebar and it's so confusing.

    I managed to manipulate the ForumDonate module, using some bits and pieces of code elsewhere on the forum to get the description in the sidebar, but good lord I can't just get the title of the category in there now.

      return $this->_Sender->Category->Description;
    

    Gets me the description.

      return $this->_Sender->Category->Name;
    

    Gets me the Category name.

    But I can't seem to get them to both show at the same time. :/

  • hgtonighthgtonight ∞ · New Moderator

    Hiya!

    Modules in Vanilla override the ToString() method. This method must return a string.

    The key is that you are trying to return twice. In PHP (and every other language I am familiar with), execution of a block of code will stop after the first executed return statement. You are looking to concatenate two strings and return the result.

    Try something like this in your ToString() method:

    public function ToString() {
      $CatName = $this->_Sender->Category->Name;
      $CatDesc = $this->_Sender->Category->Description;
    
      return $CatName . ' ' . $CatDesc;
    }
    

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