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• 3. Use existing blocks

Step 3 — Use existing blocks

Tip

You can find all files used and modified in this step on GitHub.

In this step you'll add a Content List block and a Content Scheduler block and customize them.

Add a Content List block

First, create an override template for the Content List block: app/Resources/views/blocks/contentlist/default.html.twig:

<div>
    <h3 class="heading">{{ parentName }}</h3>
    {% if contentArray|length > 0 %}
        <div class="content-list">
            {% for content in contentArray %}
                <div class="content-list-item">
                    <div class="content-list-item-image">
                        {{ ez_render_field(content.content, 'photo', {
                            'parameters': {
                                'alias': 'content_list'
                             }
                        }) }}
                    </div>
                    <h4><a href="{{ path(content.location) }}">{{ ez_content_name(content.content) }}</a></h4>
                    {% if not ez_is_field_empty(content.content, 'short_description') %}
                        <div class="attribute-short-description">
                            {{ ez_render_field(content.content, 'short_description') }}
                        </div>
                    {% endif %}
                </div>
            {% endfor %}
        </div>
    {% endif %}
</div>

Then add a configuration that will tell the app to use this template instead of the default one. In app/config/layouts.yml add the following code at the end of the file, under the ezplatform_page_fieldtype key on the same level as layouts:

blocks:
    contentlist:
        views:
            contentList:
                template: blocks/contentlist/default.html.twig
                name: Content List

The template makes use of an image variation (line 10). It is the thumbnail of the Dog Breed image that will be displayed in the block. To configure this variation, open the app/config/image_variations.yml file and add the following code under the image_variations key:

content_list:
    reference: null
    filters:
        - {name: geometry/scaleheightdownonly, params: [81]}
        - {name: geometry/crop, params: [80, 80, 0, 0]}

Finally, add some styling to the block. Add the following CSS to the end of the web/assets/css/style.css file:

/* Landing Page */
@media only screen and (min-width: 992px) {
    aside > div {
        padding-left: 45px;
    }
}

/* Content list block */
.content-list-item {
    clear: left;
    min-height: 90px;
    padding-bottom: 5px;
    border-bottom: 1px solid black;
}

.content-list h5 {
    font-size: 1.3em;
}

.content-list-item-image {
    float: left;
    margin-right: 10px;
}

At this point you can start adding blocks to the Page. You do it in the Page tab in Edit mode by dragging a block from the menu on the right to the correct zone on the page.

Drag a Content List block from the menu to the left zone on the page. Click the block and fill in the form. Here you name the block and decide what it will display. Choose the "Dog Breed Catalog" folder as the Parent, select Dog Breed as the Content Type to be displayed, and choose a limit (3). You'll display the first three Dog Breeds from the database.

Click Submit and you should see a preview of what the block will look like with the dog breed information displayed.

The block is displayed using the new template. Built-in blocks have default templates included in a clean installation, but you can override them. Publish the page now and move on to creating another type of block.

Create a Content Scheduler block for featured articles

The next block is the Content Scheduler block that will air articles at predetermined times.

First, add a configuration that points to the layout. Go to app/config/layouts.yml again and add the following code under blocks on the same level as the contentlist key:

schedule:
    views:
        featured:
            template: blocks/schedule/featured.html.twig
            name: Featured Schedule Block

The configuration defines one view for the Schedule block called featured and points to a featured.html.twig template. Create the new file app/Resources/views/blocks/schedule/featured.html.twig:

{% apply spaceless %}
    <div class="schedule-layout schedule-layout--grid">
        <div class="featured-articles-block">
            <h2 class="heading">{{ 'Featured Articles'|trans }}</h2>
            <div>
                {% for idx in 0..2 %}
                    <div class="col-md-4 featured-article-container">
                        {% if items[idx] is defined %}
                        {{ render(controller('ez_content:viewLocation', {
                            'locationId': items[idx].id,
                            'viewType': 'featured'
                            })) }}
                        {% endif %}
                    </div>
                {% endfor %}
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
{% endapply %}

When you look at the template, you can see three blocks, each of which will render the Content items using the featured view (line 11). So far you only have templates for full view for Articles. This means you need to create a featured view template, otherwise you will get an error when trying to add Content to the block.

You need to modify the app/config/views.yml file to indicate when to use the template. Add the following code to this file, on the same level as the full key:

featured:
    article:
        template: featured/article.html.twig
        match:
            Identifier\ContentType: article

Now create an app/Resources/views/featured/article.html.twig file:

{% set imageAlias = ez_image_alias(content.getField('image'), content.versionInfo, 'featured_article') %}
<div class="featured-article" style="background-image: url('{{ imageAlias.uri }}');">
    <h4><a class="featured-article-link" href="{{ path('ez_urlalias', {'contentId': content.id}) }}">{{ ez_content_name(content) }}</a></h4>
</div>

Like in the case of the Content List block, the template specifies an image variation. Add it in app/config/image_variations.yml under the image_variations key:

featured_article:
    reference: null
    filters:
        - {name: geometry/scaleheightdownonly, params: [200]}

The Block is already operational, but first update the stylesheet. Add the following CSS at the end of the web/assets/css/style.css file:

/* Featured articles Content Scheduler block */
.featured-article-container {
    background-size: cover;
    padding: 0;
    margin-bottom: 20px;
}

.featured-article {
    height: 200px;
    padding: 0;
    background-repeat: no-repeat;
}

.featured-article-link:link,
.featured-article-link:visited {
    position: absolute;
    bottom: 0;
    margin-bottom: 0;
    background-color: rgba(255,255,255,.8);
    color: #000;
    font-size: 1.1em;
    padding: 7px;
}

.featured-article-link:hover,
.featured-article-link:focus {
    color: #654d31;
    text-decoration: none;
    border-bottom: none;
}

At this point you can add a new Content Scheduler block to your Page and fill it with content to see how it works.

Tip

If you do not see the featured block template, you may need to clear the cache (using php bin/console cache:clear) and/or reload the app.

Go back to editing the Home Page and drag a Content Scheduler block from the pane on the right to the main zone in the layout, above the Content List block. Select the block and click the Block Settings icon.

Set the Limit to three and click Select Content. Navigate to the "All Articles" folder and select the articles you had created and confirm.

Accept the suggested airtime and click Submit.

Now click the Airtime button next to one of the Articles and choose a time in the future. This article will be listed in the queue.

Publish the Page.

Now open the Timeline at the top of the screen. You can move the slider to different times and preview what the Content Scheduler block will look like at different hours. Content will be shown when you move the slider to the point when it airs.

Tip

At this point you have configured the Content Scheduler block to work with Articles only. If you try to add Content of any other type, you will see an error. This is because there is no featured view for content other than Articles defined at the moment.