X-Cart forums - Truncating text with an Output Filter

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Truncating text with an Output Filter

There's a guide here for making your own output filter.. http://kb.x-cart.com/display/XDD/Flexy+Guide

I found this method easier...

create a file called ShortenText.php in your View folder of your theme classes like this...

Code:

<?php



namespace XLite\Module\Customer\CustomerTheme\View; 



/**

 * Abstract widget

 */

abstract class ShortenText extends \XLite\View\AView implements \XLite\Base\IDecorator

{

    protected function flexyModifierShortenText($string)

    {

 

                $string = substr($string, 0, strrpos(substr($string, 0, 200), ' '));

                return $string."...";

    }

}

Then create a copy of the template you want to add the filter to and put it in your template theme folder ie skins/Customer/CustomerTheme/en/modules/XC/News/top_news_messages/list/parts/

I'm adding the filter to the news summary to show the same number of characters. My template looks like this...

Code:



{**

 * @ListChild (list="itemsList.newsMessages.customer.top.row", weight="250")

 *}



<span class='brief'>{model.brief_description:ShortenText}</span> <a href="{buildURL(#news_message#,##,_ARRAY_(#id#^model.id))}">Read more</a>

to give something like this on the page...

<snip>
they buy and... Read more

It all works well but... how do I make so I can choose the number of characters to show from the template? IE something like {model.brief_description:ShortenText(100)} to show 100 characters.

Re: Truncating text with an Output Filter

First of all it is extremely cool that you created your own modifier!

I don't know of any examples where a modifier is passed a value. I'm sure it could be done, but you might have to modify:

Code:

    /**

     * Call for Flexy modifier from AView class

     *

     * @param string $callMethod Name of method to call

     * @param string $expr       Exression to modify

     *

     * @return string

     */

    protected function flexyModifierCall($callMethod, $expr)

    {

        $callMethod = 'flexyModifier' . ucfirst($callMethod);



        return method_exists($this, $callMethod) ? $this->$callMethod($expr) : '';

    }

Reading through the method above, I think it would have to have another argument added, like:
protected function flexyModifierCall($callMethod, $expr, $params = NULL)

Then you could pass it some parameters and use those in your call. But I am just not sure that it is wired that way. Probably I would just create a method that shortened the text with 2 arguments, value and length.

Re: Truncating text with an Output Filter

Quote:

Originally Posted by xgarb

how do I make so I can choose the number of characters to show from the template? IE something like {model.brief_description:ShortenText(100)} to show 100 characters.

I would just create a plain method with two arguments and used it in the template:

PHP Code:


		
			
protected function shortenText($string, $length)
    {
        return substr($string, 0, strrpos(substr($string, 0, $length), ' ')) . '...';
    }

Code:

{**

 * @ListChild (list="itemsList.newsMessages.customer.top.row", weight="250")

 *}



<span class='brief'>{shortenText(model.brief_description,200)}</span> <a href="{buildURL(#news_message#,##,_ARRAY_(#id#^model.id))}">Read more</a>

However, I believe you don't need this method in _every_ widget on the page. So, it makes sense to put it into the widget class where you need it instead of decorating the base \XLite\View\AView class.