HOWTO: Use Different Node Templates by Node Variables (nid, type, view)

zirafa

Posted on May 14, 2007 | Tags:

With node template files you are often limited to something like node.tpl.php and node-blog.tpl.php. Often times it’d be nice to make a different template for just one specific node or a different template for teaser/list view and full node view.

Using the PHP code below, Drupal will look for these template files, split by page or no page view. This gives more fine grained control over your node tpl.php files.

Page view:

1) node-[nid]-page.tpl.php
Node by itself on a page, specific NID
2) node-[type]-page.tpl.php
Node by itself on a page, specific type
3) node-default-page.tpl.php
Node by itself on a page, default

Listing/Teaser view:

4) node-[nid].tpl.php
   Node in list/teaser, specific NID
5) node-[type].tpl.php
   Node in list/teaser, specific type
6) node.tpl.php
   Node in list/teaser, default.

*UPDATE* Earl Miles has shown this can be done much simpler than what I had previously. Revised code below.

Place this code in your template.php file in your theme’s directory.

<?php
function _phptemplate_variables($hook, $vars = array()) {
  switch ($hook) {
    case 'node':
      // Here is the way to switch to a different node-<something> template based on node properties.
      if ($vars['page']) {
        // This is LIFO (Last In First Out) so put them in reverse order, i.e
        // most important last.
        $vars['template_files'] = array('node-default-page', 'node-'. $vars['node']->type .'-page', 'node-'. $vars['node']->nid .'-page');
      }
      else {
        $vars['template_files'] = array('node-'. $vars['node']->nid);
      }
      break;
  }

  return $vars;
}
?>

Nice explanation. Very

Nice explanation.

Very similar things can be done with blocks, regions …
See http://drupal.org/node/104319

Posted by themegarden.org (not verified) | Jun. 9th, 2007 @ 2:11am | Link to this Comment

I also changed the fallback

I also changed the fallback for the page view to node-default-page.tpl.php since node-page.tpl.php overlaps with the “page” node style.

Posted by zirafa | May. 15th, 2007 @ 1:22pm | Link to this Comment

Thanks Earl! I didn’t know

Thanks Earl! I didn’t know $vars[‘template_files’] was available for the node case. I’ve updated the main post.

Posted by zirafa (not verified) | May. 15th, 2007 @ 8:41am | Link to this Comment

You're doing too much!

Posted by merlinofchaos (not verified) | May. 14th, 2007 @ 6:45pm | Link to this Comment