Can I add page content to a position from within a module that sits in another position?

Question

I'm building a custom module that sits in one position (the header). I'd like this module to write content to another position on the page (the mainBody). Is this possible?

To expand a little, the mainBody holds a group of tabs, and the header contains the buttons for choosing those tabs. The mainBody sits directly below the header, so to the user they appear as one coherent element, but in the html produced by my template, the header and the mainBody are separated by a floating sideBar.

As a workaround, I'm building two modules, one for the buttons and one for the tabs, assigned to the header and the mainBody respectively. But this feels counterintuitive, since the two modules will always appear together and must both be assigned to the same pages. It's also more cumbersome from a development point of view, since the two modules are sharing variables.

Should I continue down the route of making two modules in two different positions? Or is it possible to write page content to a distinct position directly from within a module? If so, how? Thanks for your help! (Joomla 3.5.1)

Answer 1

Having a go...assuming this to be done without code.

Using two of Regular Labs tools.

1. Tabs: This allows you to activate tabs on the page in modules from elsewhere on the page. Your buttons should work. Check the instructions for this at Regular Labs.

2. Advanced Module Manager. Easy to make the stwo modules follow each other suing regular Labs Advanced Module Manager follow module feature.

3. You may need to mess with the tab's styling to get the effect you're looking for