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Using the helper classes

Helper classes enable you to generate standard HTML elements for the back-office as well as for module configuration pages.

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Therefore, you will most of the time only deal with HelperForm.

The Main Helpers

All the helper classes inherit from the Helper parent class:

• HelperForm: used to generate an edition form for an object of type ObjectModel. Example: editing the client's profile.
• HelperOptions: used to generate a configuration form, the values of which are stored in the configuration table. Example: the "Preferences" page.
• HelperList: used to generate a table of elements. The elements can belong to ObjectModel-type objects, but they do not have to. Example: client list, order status list, etc.

The Helper Templates

The helpers use Smarty templates which are found in the following folder: admin/themes/default/template/helpers/name_of_the_helper/

Each template can be overloaded.

Helper Overloading

An AdminController can overload any Helper template, simply by creating a .tpl file of the same name in the folder named admin/themes/default/controllers/name_of_the_controller/helpers/name_of_the_helper/

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In addition to this section, you can read how to use helpers to overload a back-office template.

Template inheritance example: adding a new type of field in a form

For the sake of this example, let's change the edition for the client's addresses. We want a field that would display the name and e-mail of the client, if these are known, or an e-mail input field otherwise.

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