Magento 2 - Adding Template Block To Footer
Introduction
When creating a custom theme for a Magento 2 store, it's often necessary to add custom functionality to the footer section. One common requirement is to include inline JavaScript code that needs to be executed after the page has loaded. In this article, we'll explore how to add a template block to the Magento 2 footer, allowing you to include custom JavaScript code and other content.
Understanding Magento 2 Theme Structure
Before we dive into the process of adding a template block to the footer, it's essential to understand the basic structure of a Magento 2 theme. A Magento 2 theme is composed of several directories and files, including:
app/design/frontend/
- This directory contains the theme files.app/design/frontend/[Vendor]/[Theme]/
- This directory contains the theme-specific files.Magento_Theme
- This directory contains the Magento theme files.
Extending the Magento Blank Theme
In this example, we'll be extending the Magento blank theme. To do this, we need to create a new theme directory and copy the necessary files from the Magento blank theme.
mkdir -p app/design/frontend/[Vendor]/[Theme]
cp -r vendor/magento/theme-frontend-blank/* app/design/frontend/[Vendor]/[Theme]
Creating a Template Block
To add a template block to the footer, we need to create a new PHP file in the app/design/frontend/[Vendor]/[Theme]/Magento_Theme/layout
directory. This file will contain the XML code that defines the template block.
touch app/design/frontend/[Vendor]/[Theme]/Magento_Theme/layout/footer_block.xml
footer_block.xml
In this file, we'll define the template block using the following XML code:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<page xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:framework:View/Layout/etc/page_configuration.xsd">
<body>
<referenceBlock name="footer">
<block class="Magento\Framework\View\Element\Template"
name="footer_block"
template="Magento_Theme::footer.phtml"
after="footer_links"/>
</referenceBlock>
</body>
</page>
In this code, we're referencing the footer
block and adding a new block called footer_block
after the footer_links
block.
footer.phtml
Next, we need to create the footer.phtml
file in the app/design/frontend/[Vendor]/[Theme]/Magento_Theme/templates
directory. This file will contain the HTML code for the template block.
touch app/design/frontend/[Vendor]/[Theme]/Magento_Theme/templates/footer.phtml
footer.phtml
In this file, we'll add the following HTML code:
<?php
/**
* Footer template block
*
* @var \Magento\Framework\View\Element\Template $this
*/
?>
<div class="footer-block">
<!-- Add custom JavaScript code here -->
<script>
// Add custom JavaScript code here
</script>
</div>
this code, we're adding a div
element with a class of footer-block
and a script tag that will contain the custom JavaScript code.
Adding Custom JavaScript Code
To add custom JavaScript code to the footer, we can use the footer_block
block's getJsLayout
method to add a new script tag.
<?php
/**
* Footer template block
*
* @var \Magento\Framework\View\Element\Template $this
*/
?>
<div class="footer-block">
<?php
$this->getJsLayout()->addScript('footer_block_script', 'footer_block_script.js');
?>
<script>
// Add custom JavaScript code here
</script>
</div>
In this code, we're adding a new script tag with the name footer_block_script
and the file footer_block_script.js
.
footer_block_script.js
Finally, we need to create the footer_block_script.js
file in the app/design/frontend/[Vendor]/[Theme]/web/js
directory. This file will contain the custom JavaScript code.
touch app/design/frontend/[Vendor]/[Theme]/web/js/footer_block_script.js
footer_block_script.js
In this file, we'll add the following JavaScript code:
// Add custom JavaScript code here
console.log('Footer block script loaded');
In this code, we're logging a message to the console to verify that the script has loaded.
Conclusion
In this article, we've explored how to add a template block to the Magento 2 footer. We've created a new theme directory, copied the necessary files from the Magento blank theme, and added a new template block to the footer. We've also added custom JavaScript code to the footer block and verified that it has loaded.
By following these steps, you can add custom template blocks to the Magento 2 footer and include custom JavaScript code to enhance the functionality of your theme.
Best Practices
When adding custom template blocks to the Magento 2 footer, it's essential to follow best practices to ensure that your code is maintainable and scalable.
- Use a consistent naming convention for your template blocks and JavaScript files.
- Keep your template blocks and JavaScript files organized and separate from the core Magento code.
- Use the
getJsLayout
method to add custom JavaScript code to the footer block. - Verify that your custom JavaScript code is loaded correctly by logging messages to the console.
Introduction
In our previous article, we explored how to add a template block to the Magento 2 footer. We created a new theme directory, copied the necessary files from the Magento blank theme, and added a new template block to the footer. We also added custom JavaScript code to the footer block and verified that it has loaded.
In this article, we'll answer some frequently asked questions about adding template blocks to the Magento 2 footer.
Q: What is the purpose of the footer_block.xml
file?
A: The footer_block.xml
file is used to define the template block in the Magento 2 layout. It contains the XML code that references the footer
block and adds a new block called footer_block
after the footer_links
block.
Q: What is the purpose of the footer.phtml
file?
A: The footer.phtml
file is used to render the HTML code for the template block. It contains the HTML code that will be displayed in the footer.
Q: How do I add custom JavaScript code to the footer block?
A: To add custom JavaScript code to the footer block, you can use the getJsLayout
method to add a new script tag. You can then add the custom JavaScript code to the script tag.
Q: What is the purpose of the footer_block_script.js
file?
A: The footer_block_script.js
file is used to contain the custom JavaScript code for the footer block. It contains the JavaScript code that will be executed when the page loads.
Q: How do I verify that my custom JavaScript code has loaded?
A: To verify that your custom JavaScript code has loaded, you can use the console.log
method to log a message to the console. You can then check the browser console to see if the message has been logged.
Q: Can I add multiple template blocks to the footer?
A: Yes, you can add multiple template blocks to the footer. You can create multiple footer_block.xml
files and add them to the app/design/frontend/[Vendor]/[Theme]/Magento_Theme/layout
directory. You can then reference each block in the footer.phtml
file.
Q: How do I make sure that my custom template blocks are loaded correctly?
A: To make sure that your custom template blocks are loaded correctly, you can use the getJsLayout
method to add custom JavaScript code to the footer block. You can then verify that the code has loaded by checking the browser console.
Q: Can I use a different layout file for my custom template blocks?
A: Yes, you can use a different layout file for your custom template blocks. You can create a new layout file and add it to the app/design/frontend/[Vendor]/[Theme]/Magento_Theme/layout
directory. You can then reference the new layout file in the footer.phtml
file.
Q: How do I make sure that my custom JavaScript code is executed after the page has loaded?
A: To make sure that your custom code is executed after the page has loaded, you can use the getJsLayout
method to add a new script tag. You can then add the custom JavaScript code to the script tag and set the defer
attribute to true
.
Conclusion
In this article, we've answered some frequently asked questions about adding template blocks to the Magento 2 footer. We've covered topics such as the purpose of the footer_block.xml
file, how to add custom JavaScript code to the footer block, and how to verify that the code has loaded.
By following these best practices and using the techniques outlined in this article, you can create custom template blocks that are easy to maintain and scale.
Best Practices
When adding custom template blocks to the Magento 2 footer, it's essential to follow best practices to ensure that your code is maintainable and scalable.
- Use a consistent naming convention for your template blocks and JavaScript files.
- Keep your template blocks and JavaScript files organized and separate from the core Magento code.
- Use the
getJsLayout
method to add custom JavaScript code to the footer block. - Verify that your custom JavaScript code is loaded correctly by checking the browser console.
- Use a different layout file for your custom template blocks if necessary.
By following these best practices, you can create custom template blocks that are easy to maintain and scale.