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How to override templates?

By default, all templates are located in the

design/defaulttheme

folder. You can override the default templates by creating an identical template path in the design/customtheme folder.

For example, if a template is located in

defaulttheme/tpl/lhchat/getstatus/container.tpl.php - this is the user status template used to show whether a user is online or not.

To override this template, create a template in

customtheme/tpl/lhchat/getstatus/container.tpl.php

As in settings/settings.ini.php, themes are ordered as follows:

0 => 'customtheme',
1 => 'defaulttheme',

customtheme has priority over defaulttheme, so you can override any template without changing the default templates. You can also override images/css/js files in the same way. Remember to disable the cache while developing. After you enable the cache again, clear it from the back office by clicking "Clear cache."

Main templates to override​

To include custom CSS:

  • design/defaulttheme/tpl/pagelayouts/parts/page_head_css_extension_multiinclude.tpl.php - for back-office pages
  • design/defaulttheme/tpl/pagelayouts/parts/page_head_css_user_extension_multiinclude.tpl.php - for front-end pages

Sample code:

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="<?php echo erLhcoreClassDesign::designCSS('css/myextension.css');?>" />

To include custom JS:

  • design/defaulttheme/tpl/pagelayouts/parts/page_head_js_extension_multiinclude.tpl.php - for back-office pages
  • design/defaulttheme/tpl/pagelayouts/parts/page_head_js_user_extension_multiinclude.tpl.php - for front-end pages

Sample code:

<script type="text/javascript" src="<?php echo erLhcoreClassDesign::designJS('js/extension.lhc.js');?>"></script>

The multiinclude keyword at the end indicates that the template is included each time it is found (e.g., in another extension).

Read here how to override only CSS/JS files.

How to determine the module in which a template is executed (useful for executing JS in specific modules without overriding the module itself)​

To check if it is a specific module:

// To get the site access (site_admin/eng/fre, etc.)
erLhcoreClassSystem::instance()->SiteAccess;

// To get the module
if (erLhcoreClassModule::getModuleName() == 'chat') {
    // Do your thing
};

// To get the function/view
if (erLhcoreClassModule::getCurrentView() == 'start') {
    // Do your thing
};

// To check if it is the dashboard
if (erLhcoreClassModule::getModuleName() == 'front' && erLhcoreClassModule::getCurrentView() == 'default') {
    // Do your thing
};

Overriding the old widget​

To override the native placement template, you have to override defaulttheme/tpl/lhchat/getstatus/native_placement.tpl.php. The easiest way to override the widget interface rendered on the site is to override it using CSS with the !important flag.