Create menu item type with filter options

Question

I am building a component managing a set of job offers. Jobs have attributes including "employer". (I am extending a component created with Component Creator.)

There is a front-end list view with filtering that allows users to restrict the listed jobs to a particular employer (among other filtering options). Selecting an employer filter causes the following GET request to be generated:

http://localhost/joomla/index.php/job-boerse/set-of-jobs?filter[employer]=Google&<some more stuff>

This works nicely. However, now I wish to create a menu item type with an option, the employer, so I can create menu items, such as, Google Jobs, Apple Jobs, etc.. Essentially, I wish the menu items to preset the filter with a particular value that can be specified during menu item definition.

Ok. So I added the following options to the menu item type definition (joomla/components/com_jobs/views/jobs/templ/default.xml):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<metadata>
    <layout title="COM_JOBS_TITLE_LIST_VIEW_JOBSFULL" option="View">
        <message>
                        <![CDATA[COM_JOBS_TITLE_LIST_VIEW_JOBSFULL_DESC]]>
        </message>
    </layout>
    <!-- Add fields to the request variables for the layout. -->
    <fields name="request">
        <fieldset name="request">
            <field name="employer"
              type="text" 
              hint="COM_JOBS_FILTER_EMPLOYER_HINT"
              label="COM_JOBS_JOBS_EMPLOYER"
              class="js-stools-search-string" />
        </fieldset>
    </fields>
</metadata>

This works except, the Menu Item Link the system constructs is this:

index.php?option=com_jobs&view=jobs&employer=Google

instead of

index.php?option=com_jobs&view=jobs&filter[employer]=Google

Ok. So I changed the employer field name in default.xml as follows:

<field name="filter[employer]" ...

However, now, the system is unable to construct the Link for the menu item. I was hoping it would make the following Link but it didn't:

index.php?option=com_jobs&view=jobs&filter[employer]=Google

Moreover, when I save the menu item, the value of the employer field disappears from the form.

I guess, what I am missing is an understanding of how Joomla builds the Links for menu items with options. Maybe I need to change the option name from "employer" to "filter[employer]" in some other place as well?

Answer 1

It seems that Joomla doesn't like field names with brackets. My workaround was to replace the brackets with their hex codes like so:

<field name="filter%5Bemployer%5D" ...

However, this solution is not perfect. When you edit the menu item, the employer field is empty while the filter%5Bemployer%5D link option is still there.

Answer 2

Add filter field group inside the request field group:

<fields name="request">
    <fieldset name="request">
        <fields name="filter">
            <field
                name="employer"
                type="text"
                label="COM_JOBS_JOBS_EMPLOYER"
                class="js-stools-search-string"
                hint="COM_JOBS_FILTER_EMPLOYER_HINT"
            />
        </fields>
    </fieldset>
</fields>

Answer 3

Sharky's answer doesn't seem to work for me. I believe, I found the code where the Link is composed: joomla/administrator/components/com_menus/controllers/item.php in the save function at about Line 360++

There is special handling for "request" fields, but I don't see any special handling for a "filter" field group.

The problem is likely related to the fact that form field names use brackets and don't seem to support nested brackets. When I name my field "filter[employer]" then the following input element is created:

<input type="text" name="jform[request][filter[employer]]"
id="jform_request_filter_employer_" value=""
class="js-stools-search-string" placeholder=" - Search Employer - ">

When I save the menu item, the value for jform[request][filter[employer]] is properly submitted (as HTTP parameter). The problem must occur when the Joomla server parses the parameter. Haven't yet been able to figure out where that is done.

Answer 4

There seems to be a Joomla bug: The filter field group must not be the first item in the request fieldset. As a workaround, I added a hidden field before the filter group like so:

<fields name="request">
    <fieldset name="request">

        <!-- Needed because of Joomla bug: filter fields group cannot be first in the fieldset -->
        <field name="xxx" type="hidden" />

        <fields name="filter">
            <field name="employer"
              type="text" 
              hint="COM_JOBS_FILTER_EMPLOYER_HINT"
              label="COM_JOBS_JOBS_EMPLOYER"
              class="js-stools-search-string" />
        </fields>
    </fieldset>
</fields>

I will report this as a bug.