When Magento Generate the Block

Question

By having this local layout xml, does magento system has already start generating the block based on core configuration, then reach to local xml it removes that block again? Or, Magento would consolidate all layout xml, then start to generating the block?

<layout>
    <default>
        <reference name="footer">
            <action method="unsetChild"><name>footer_links</name></action>
        </reference>
    </default>
</layout>

Pardon to ask this dummy question. Just having concern in system performance.

Answer 1

You usually do this in a controller:

public function indexAction()
{
    $this->loadLayout();
    $this->renderLayout();       
}

If you go in the $this->loadLayout() method, you'll see at some point this:

$this->generateLayoutXml(); // <--- xml is created

//...

$this->generateLayoutBlocks(); // <--- blocks are instantiated

So the response would be the latter: "Magento would consolidate all layout xml, then start to generating the block".

Answer 2

Hello Magento Follow Fallback Directory Structure

So suppose you use custom in app/design/frontend/default/Your Theme name

So in your theme you put your local.xml file then magento read first the theme layout files and in that read first local.xml file if it will not find xml file in it will look into the default layout folder. again he will not find then look into base layout folder and then load the blocks as per modules xml files loads.