Sections

The start() and stop functions allow you to build sections (or blocks) of content within your template, and instead of them being rendered directly, they are saved for use elsewhere. For example, in your layout template.

Creating sections

You define the name of the section with the start() function. To end a section call the stop() function.

<?php $this->start('welcome') ?>

    <h1>Welcome!</h1>
    <p>Hello <?=$this->e($name)?></p>

<?php $this->stop() ?>

Stacking section content

By default, when you render a section its content will overwrite any existing content for that section. However, it’s possible to append/prepend (or stack) the content instead using the push() or unshift() method respectively. This can be useful for specifying any JavaScript libraries or CSS files required by your child views.

<?php $this->push('scripts') ?>
    <script src="example.js"></script>
<?php $this->end() ?>

<?php $this->unshift('styles') ?>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="example.css" />
<?php $this->end() ?>

Accessing section content

Access rendered section content using the name you assigned in the start() method. This variable can be accessed from the current template and layout templates using the section() function.

<?=$this->section('welcome')?>

Default section content

In situations where a page doesn’t implement a particular section, it’s helpful to assign default content. There are a couple ways to do this:

Defining it inline

If the default content can be defined in a single line of code, it’s best to simply pass it as the second parameter of the section() function.

<div id="sidebar">
    <?=$this->section('sidebar', $this->fetch('default-sidebar')?>
</div>

Use an if statement

If the default content requires more than a single line of code, it’s best to use a simple if statement to check if a section exists, and otherwise display the default.

<div id="sidebar">
    <?php if ($this->section('sidebar')): ?>
        <?=$this->section('sidebar')?>
    <?php else: ?>
        <ul>
            <li><a href="/link">Example Link</a></li>
            <li><a href="/link">Example Link</a></li>
            <li><a href="/link">Example Link</a></li>
            <li><a href="/link">Example Link</a></li>
            <li><a href="/link">Example Link</a></li>
        </ul>
    <?php endif ?>
</div>