action method setTemplate does not work

Question

my phtml file does not display after applying action method="setTemplate"

<?xml version="1.0"?>
  <layout version="0.1.0">
    <default>
      <reference name="content">
        <action method="setTemplate">
           <template>sidesupport/sidesupport.phtml</template>
        </action>
      </reference>
    </default>
  </layout>

Answer 1

i got solution

<layout version="0.1.0">
  <default>
    <reference name="content">
        <block type="core/template" name="sidesupport">
            <action method="setTemplate">
               <template>sidesupport/sidesupport.phtml</template>
            </action>
        </block>
    </reference>
  </default>
</layout>

Answer 2

You can't call setTemplate on content block. It should be called on root block.

<layout_update_handle>
    <reference name="root">
        <action method="setTemplate"><template>some/template.phtml</template></action>
    </reference>
</layout_update_handle>

Answer 3

you can not use setTemplate directly in content block.

if you want to add sidebar for all pages must have to add in your main template file like page.xml and then set it to your theme.

for example if you want to set one custom block in header

<default translate="label" module="page">
        <label>All Pages</label>
        <block type="page/html" name="root" output="toHtml" template="page/3columns.phtml">
<block type="page/html_header" name="header" as="header">
         <block type="core/template" name="addthis_sharetool" after="-" >
                    <action method="setTemplate"><template>addthis/sharingtool/social_share.phtml</template></action>
        </block>
   </block>
  </block>
 </default>

and in your main phtml file just grab it like

   <?php  echo $this->getChildHtml('addthis_sharetool') ?>

hope this will sure help you.

Answer 4

Content block is of type core/text_list .since text_list block doesn't have a setTemplate method, you cant call that method.