How to display module in component area

Question

I often need to create a menu item that displays a module in the component area, without any other content.

The way I solve this is to create a new article, and add only {loadposition mymodule} in the article content. Then I create a Single Article menu item for the article. This is fine for a single module, but what if I have 20 different modules that I want to display this way? I would have to create 20 modules, 20 (almost empty) articles and 20 menu items.

Are there other ways to display a module (and nothing else) in the component area of a template? Tricks? Hacks? Ideas?

Answer 1

I have done this by creating a module position at the same location with the component and checking if a module is present at this position then display it, otherwise go for the component:

Code sample:

<main id="content" role="main" class="main">
 <?php 
 if ($this->countModules('myposition')) 
   { ?>
     <jdoc:include type="modules" name="myposition" style="xhtml" />
 <?php } 
  else 
  { ?>
     <jdoc:include type="component" /> 
  <?php } ?>
</main>

Then when I want to display a module instead of component in a page, I create the module assign it to that menu item and I am done.

A small side note:

For convenience and better clarity, I suggest to name this module position something like "content-module", "main-module" or "compomodule". Anything that will remind that any module positioned there, will replace the component output.

Answer 2

To enhance the given answers here:

To include a modul position in your component view and to load modules there, you just have to add

echo JHtml::_('content.prepare', '{loadposition yourmodulposition}');

to the view file.

The second string with the load position short tag can be replaced with a var which contains more html if you need that. You don't have to write that line for every new modul position:

$outputModules = '<strong>Some Html</strong>'
                 .'{loadposition yourmodulposition1}'
                 .'{loadposition yourmodulposition2}';


echo JHtml::_('content.prepare', $outputModules);

(I know this is not a direct answer to the authors question.)

Answer 3

Here is a simple and working solution. I have tried with jdoc:include but it didn't work.

    $document = JFactory::getDocument();
    $renderer = $document->loadRenderer('modules');
    $position = 'custompositionname';
    $options  = array('style' => 'raw');
    echo $renderer->render($position, $options, null); 

Answer 4

Try this

jimport('joomla.application.module.helper');
    // this is where you want to load your module position
    $modules = JModuleHelper::getModules('header'); 
    foreach($modules as $module)
    {
    echo JModuleHelper::renderModule($module);
    }

ref: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/12225538/how-we-include-a-joomla-module-in-a-component-view-in-joomla

Answer 5

I've had to do the same on my site for extension demos and download buttons, however out of all honesty, I think keeping things separate is in some ways better as it's easier to manage. Not only that I'm pretty sure there's no way to achieve what you're looking for via the actual CMS, only hardcode (say no more).

Answer 6

First off, according to your question you are already creating 20 modules and 20 menu items, so really the only extra thing you're having to do is create a one-line content item for each module. If that's really so onerous, then go ahead with @FFrewin's idea. It's a bit hacky, but it'll work.

Personally, I'd go with the content items. In fact I've done that when I was building a system with popup dialog boxes that I also wanted to have work without js enabled. I put the dialog content in a custom_html module, rigged the module to be revealed and positioned when a link was clicked. And then I also pointed the link at a content item, including the module like you described. If js was enabled, the link wasn't followed and the dialog box was revealed. If js was disabled, the link was followed, and the dialog's content was displayed as content. And the content was in one place, so I wasn't maintaining two separate copies of the content.

Answer 7

The cleanest way to do this is using: http://extensions.joomla.org/extension/m2c-module-to-component

Answer 8

Create blank article.

Create menu item selecting the article you created.

Create module in unused position, set menu assignment only on pages selected, select only menu item from above.

Since this was at the top figured i would provide my answer, this is what i do.