basics

[jagguy]

q1)What is the difference betweena module and template. I see a sidebox has both.
If I want to add to the sidebox eg extra html then which do i use a template or module?

q2) How can I change the CSS for a specific sidebox ? Can I use a custom overrides or can't you do this to specific parts?

[Ryk]

For the second, see this recent post - http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50926

In terms of sideboxes and pages, the template is the layout (governed by the css in the stylesheet) and the module is the content of the template...

Not to be confused with the template which governs the overall look of your site and the add-on modules found in the downloads section!

Check out the tutorials/FAQ - I'm fairly sure there are instructions on creating extra sideboxes soemwhere in there.

[jagguy]

ok so if I am going to add html/css/javascript then add it to the template , and if I am going to add content from a DB eh php/mysql then change the module.

[Ryk]

That's about it... examine (as an example)

includes/templates/template_default/sideboxes/tpl_information.php

and includes/modules/sideboxes/information.php

And don't forget to save changed files to your overrides directory.

[jagguy]

Hi,

What is confusing me is the interaction between modules and templates with php code.
In zencart modules I see php/mysql code but no echo statements. So if I am to do a new box or modify and existing box, do i need to have a deep understanding of the zencart php code to do it the same way?

How does zencart output php/mysql data?

I normally have php and html/css in seperate sections or files. If I need to use php with html code eg a table full of mysql data I just use echo staements with table elements.This makes things simple.

[barco57]

each of the sideboxes will have there own IDs, so you can address style changes in the stylesheet directly for each sidebox....

example for categories sidebox:

#categoriesContent.sideBoxContent

example for bestsellers sidebox:

#bestsellersContent.sideBoxContent

Not all selectors are in the stylesheet so you'll have to add them.

The modules do the work of preparing the info for display and the template files handle the actual display. In general the info doesn't change but how you want to present it does, so that would be the reason for separating them.