Template not loading on checkout/cart page

Question

I've installed a module which explicitly describes that the layout should be updated in order to see the template file. I've done this, but it's still not showing and I can't figure out why.

Here is the module's config.xml

<?xml version="1.0"?>
...
<frontend>
    <layout>
        <updates>
            <locator>
                <file>van.xml</file>
            </locator>
        </updates>
    </layout>
</frontend>
...

This is what's found in design/frontend/default/default/layoutvan.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<layout version="0.1.0">
    <checkout_cart_index>
         <reference name="checkout.cart">
              <block type="core/template" name="extra_block" template="van/customcoupon.phtml" />
         </reference>
    </checkout_cart_index>
</layout>

I'm using the fortis theme by Infortis and copied the frontend/fortis/defaul/template/checkout/cart.phtml to the fortis//.../cart.phtml and added <?php echo $this->getChildHtml('extra_block'); ?> to this theme just beneath the coupon section, like so:

<div class="cart-left-column grid12-8 no-left-gutter">
    <?php if ($tmpHtml = $this->getChildHtml('checkout.cart.extra')): ?>
        <div class="grid-full no-gutter">
            <?php /* Extensions placeholder */ ?>
            <?php echo $tmpHtml; ?>
        </div>
    <?php endif; ?>

    <?php if ($tmpHtml = $this->getChildHtml('block_cart_below_table')): ?>
        <div class="block_cart_below_table grid-full no-gutter"><?php echo $tmpHtml; ?></div>
    <?php endif; ?>

    <div class="grid12-6 no-left-gutter mobile-grid-half">
        <?php if (!$this->getIsVirtual()): echo $this->getChildHtml('shipping'); endif; ?>
    </div>
    <div class="grid12-6 no-right-gutter mobile-grid-half">
        <?php echo $this->getChildHtml('coupon') ?>
        <?php echo $this->getChildHtml('extra_block'); ?> // this is the line I've added
    </div>
    <div class="grid-full no-gutter">
        <?php echo $this->getChildHtml('crosssell') ?>
    </div>
</div>

I've flushed the caches multiple times but the template is not loaded. I've also tried adding an output="toHtml" to it, as well as before="-" and after="-", I've also tried giving it an alias and using that, just to be sure, but this also doesn't work.

When I add some random text just above/below <?this->getChildHtml... ?> it comes through, but the template itself isn't loaded. Does anybody know why this might be?

Note: the coupon section is also not showing up for some reason.

Answer 1

Your files should looks like this :

app/code/local/Company/Module/etc/config.xml

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
...
<frontend>
    <layout>
        <updates>
            <company_module>
                <file>company_module.xml</file>
            </company_module>
        </updates>
    </layout>
</frontend>
...

app/design/frontend/{package}/{theme}/layout/company_module.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<layout version="0.1.0">
    <checkout_cart_index>
         <reference name="root">
              <block type="core/template" name="extra_block" template="van/customcoupon.phtml" />
         </reference>
    </checkout_cart_index>
</layout>

Then you call your block in cart.phtml like this:

<?php echo $this->getBlockHtml('extra_block'); ?>

Answer 2

Okay, so I've found the problem: everything I did so far was correct, but the module itself has placed everything in the default/default theme and since we use a custom theme, it didn't load the files at all. So what I did was just copy the files to my theme and it just worked.

It goes to show the devil is in de details.