5

I wish to reuse a certain frontend UI element on the backend (under "design/adminhtml"). This would mostly consist of reusing the template (phtml). However, referencing the frontend layout handle from the backend would seem even better. Does magento provide a location for shared UI components, a way to declare them as shared, or a mechanism for referencing them across the frontend/adminhtml divide? Thanks

coriscus
  • 53
  • 2
  • 3

1 Answers1

9

@coriscus Yes that is possible. I found the trick you use frontend template from admin.

public function __construct()
{
    parent::__construct();
    $this->setData('area','frontend');
    $this->setTemplate('customer/online.phtml');
}

just set needed area in block constructor.

Sergey
  • 1,494
  • 10
  • 14
  • Thanks! This was valuable help: a lot of prior googling turned up nothing. – coriscus Mar 19 '12 at 17:24
  • 3
    For what it's worth, for completeness, and for those, like myself, who are new to magento, this can be accomplished in layout-xml as ` area frontend ` or, more briefly, as ` frontend ` where *setArea('frontend')* does the same as *setData('area', 'frontend')*. – coriscus Mar 20 '12 at 17:56
  • Be aware, that this method will use the same design package, as current admin package. In most of the cases it will be "default". – Roman Snitko May 27 '14 at 09:07