Help figuring out how to create a page

Question

I am using Magento 1.9. Let's just say the documentation and community support is extremely lacking. I have spent the last week trying to figure out how to make a simple static HTML page for the admin area of Magento. Between incomplete tutorials and outdated documentation, it's a nightmare.

I BELIEVE I am at a point now where the admin page is actually loading, but it's blank so I can't tell. I guess now I am trying to figure out how to tell the system to use the layout for this page. (Again, it's going to be a static HTML page with a paragraph of text and an embedded YouTube video).

Let's get to the work here: This is my config.xml: - UPDATED

<config>
  <modules>
    <Cen_Tutorial>
      <version>0.1.0</version>
    </Cen_Tutorial>
  </modules>
  <global>
    <helpers>
      <cen_tutorial>
        <class>Cen_Tutorial_Helper</class>
      </cen_tutorial>
    </helpers>
  </global>
  <layout>
    <updates>
      <tutorial>
        <file>pdftutorial.xml</file>
      </tutorial>
    </updates>
  </layout>
  <admin>
    <routers>
      <adminhtml>
        <args>
          <modules>
            <Cen_Tutorial after="Mage_Adminhtml">Cen_Tutorial_Adminhtml</Cen_Tutorial>
          </modules>
        </args>
      </adminhtml>
    </routers>
  </admin>
</config>

And this is my adminhtml.xml: - UPDATED

<config>
  <menu>
    <cen translate="title" module="cen_tutorial">
      <title>PDF Tutorial</title>
      <sort_order>99</sort_order>
      <action>adminhtml/cen_tutorial/index</action>
    </cen>
  </menu>
</config>

This is my TutorialController.php: - UPDATED

Now in /app/code/community/Cen/Tutorial/controllers/Adminhtml/Cen/TutorialController.php:

<?php

class Cen_Tutorial_Adminhtml_Cen_TutorialController extends Mage_Adminhtml_Controller_Action
{
  public function indexAction()
  {
    $this->loadLayout();
    $this->renderLayout();
  }
}

This is the contents of my /app/design/adminhtml/default/default/layout/pdftutorial.xml:

<layout>
  <adminhtml_cen_tutorial_index>
    <update handle="adminhtml_cen_tutorial_index" />
    <reference name="content">
      <block type="adminhtml/template" name="tutorial" template="cen/index.phtml" />
    </reference>
  </adminhtml_cen_tutorial_index>
</layout>

And finally, the contents of my /app/design/adminhtml/default/default/template/cen/index.phtml:

<?php
  echo 'Hello, world!';
?>

This entire system and structure seems completely complicated, not well documented, and difficult to do anything with, even something as simple as creating one single use-page. What seems to be the problem with what I've pasted? I am on Magento 1.9.

I forgot to include my Helper class but it's in the source.

Answer 1

With few adjustments I was able to get your template to render:

Step1:

Let`s start with controller. Your definition is not up to the standards and this is how it should look:

 <admin>
    <routers>
        <adminhtml>
            <args>
                <modules>
                    <Cen_Tutorial before="Mage_Adminhtml">Cen_Tutorial_Adminhtml</Cen_Tutorial>
                </modules>
            </args>
        </adminhtml>
    </routers>
</admin>

the difference is

• since one of the patches we keep all our admin controller in folder controllers/Adminhtml thus the class path Cen_Tutorial_Adminhtml
• Additionally you may want to consider moving your controllers in subfolder, i.e. Cen so that this one would become controllers/Adminhtml/Cen/TutorialController.php
• That is because controller class/path relative to the module will set its url
• i.e if you were to create ProductController.php for some reason - it will collide with core ProductController and something entirely unrelated will be broken
• So it is better to use namespaces (folders with the name of vendor/module) for controllers

Step2:

Layout then. In global <config> there are several nodes that can be used. Some of them are:

• admin
• frontend
• adminhtml
• global (note that adminhtml will be in the same level global is)

in this case - because we want our template in admin area - we will want to use adminhtml node so the config becomes:

<config>
<modules>
    <Cen_Tutorial>
        <version>0.1.0</version>
    </Cen_Tutorial>
</modules>
<global>
    <helpers>
        <cen_tutorial>
            <class>Cen_Tutorial_Helper</class>
        </cen_tutorial>
    </helpers>
</global>
<adminhtml>
    <layout>
        <updates>
            <tutorial>
                <file>pdftutorial.xml</file>
            </tutorial>
        </updates>
    </layout>
</adminhtml>
<admin>
    <routers>
        <adminhtml>
            <args>
                <modules>
                    <Cen_Tutorial after="Mage_Adminhtml">Cen_Tutorial_Adminhtml</Cen_Tutorial>
                </modules>
            </args>
        </adminhtml>
    </routers>
</admin>
</config>

And we place our file in appropriate path, like app/design/adminhtml/default/default/layout/pdftutorial.xml

Step3:

Layout

In this particular case and naming we have - the layout is correct, but here are some things to note:

• update handle does nothing, unless there is some tutorial_tutorial_index somehwere. If that's the case - you will inherit all its contents
• layout handle adminhtml_tutorial_index is created from controller path. in this case (admin area) the first part is adminhtml, second part is full controller path (relative to the Adminhtml folder) and the 3 part is controller action
• So if you were to move your controller into Adminhtml/Cen/TutorialController - layout handle would be: <adminhtml_cen_tutorial_index> and also all paths would become the same (i.e <action>adminhtml/cen_tutorial/index</action>)

So after applying some changes:

Hope I was able to help and this made some sense.