PHP Argument code documentation

In the argument settings, under the 'default action' there is a radio button to set a default value if it doesn't get one. From there you can get to a PHP code box. In Views 2, remember to return just the argument that PHP code is working on, not an array.

return node_load(arg(1))->uid; is not valid syntax in PHP.

  $node = node_load(arg(1)); if ($node) return $node->uid;

Note that the -dev version of Views 2 has some newer 'default' selector to extract node and user from the path so you don't need code for it.

That code only runs if no argument was received.

If it got an argument, you'll want to use the PHP Code in validation, which lets you transform the argument that came in.

That would be great; submit a .html file as and I can patch it in. It's really easy to add help files, you just have to add an entry in the .ini file and the .html file that matches it, and you can easily test it within Views itself. More documentation == a good thing, and I'll happily accept it!

I've been trying to get some of this default argument and argument validation working to create a current date default argument and have been going around in circles a bit understanding how the default argument and argument validation code works, and I was using the php argument as my example and getting very confused. After digging into this, I think there is something here that his just not going to work as you intend. Here's my understanding of what the code is doing:

1) If no argument is available, whatever is in 'default argument' will get triggered to return a substitute for that argument. So php code entered in that box will work fine to create a non-existent argument.

2) If an argument is found, validation is run on it. But the result of that is used to set $this->argument->validated, so it expects a TRUE/FALSE result. That's what I see in the validate_argument() function of the views_handler_argument class. This is what the numeric validator does -- returns true or false. The php validator evaluates the code and returns the result, but it is still going to be used to set TRUE/FALSE. So it looks like the purpose of that bit of code should be to check whether an argument should be accepted, not to transform it into something else, and the description on that validator needs to be altered a bit to make that more clear.

So it looks like if an argument is found, but you want to transform it into something else, or override it, there is no way to do that yet.

It's possible I'm mis-understanding something, but that's how it looks to me.

No, the taxonomy validator does indeed have the power to transform the argument. It just doesn't do it by returning the argument. It has to set $argument->argument if it wants to change it.

It appears I told you the wrong thing; I should have said $handler->argument, not $argument->argument. The current -dev version of Views has this information in the description of the PHP Code field.

It appears I told you the wrong thing; I should have said $handler->argument, not $argument->argument. The current -dev version of Views has this information in the description of the PHP Code field.

If you're able to make a patch, make a help file in the advanced help stuff.

If not, just provide the text and the images and I can reformat it/have it reformatted.

subscribing

I played with this text a little, but it's kind of hard to fit in; what you're explaining is actually fairly specific but the approach you use is going to lead to more confusion than it solves, I think.

Hello, rapsli,

I read your Using Views Arguments.txt, but I don't understand how can I get argument from url in PHP validate code.

I need Block view for the urls like 'taxonomy/term/23',
how can I get 3d argument from url in PHP validate code of Taxonomy: Term ID argumen?

thank

Is there a way to set default argument to $node->nid. I am not (and can't) passing it via URL but rather need to extract it internally (e.g. the view should get $node->nid for each node being considered to display) - so I could do my own argument validation on the node IDs

"Each node being considered to display".

By what? You can't get node IDs through osmosis, and there isn't a generic $node variable to get that from.

Hello merlinofchaos,
I disagree a bit with comment #21.

it is about 1 month I struggle with views 2 and arguments, and finally I understood the basic logic thanks to rapsli.
I think the task to set custom arguments is quite essential, and rapsli's help file contains just the right starting point.

Unless you write a help file ;-) .... I would say this is helpful for many new users starting with views 2.0.

By the way merlinofchaos, thanks for your outstanding contributions!

I am having a similar problem with trying to use the php argument validator for a calendar view so that I can pass the argument 'this-year' or 'this-day' from a menu system and use the php validator to turn it into the current year or current day. I don't know whether it's a views issue or a calendar issue but if I set the argument to a new value with

$handler->argument = "2008";
 return TRUE;

(the simplest sort of test case) then the title and date navigation of the view use this but the rest of the view will only appear if there is a valid original argument passed in (and it then uses that original argument). I've tried also writing the argument to$arguments and $view->args[0] but that's no different. Further details at http://drupal.org/node/307740
Views 6.x-2.0-rc3, calendar 6.x-2.0-dev(sept 20 2008), date 6.x-2.0-rc3

I can't understand how arguments work.
I've been following the examples for Context Related Blocks using Taxonomy and some kind of args() php mischief.

$args[0] = arg(1);

http://drupal.org/node/221919
http://drupal.org/node/226036
http://drupal.org/node/140588

However none of it seems to work.
So I plunged into the .api tried php coding things but to no avail.

Then someone also wrote that they can't get those examples to work in Drupal 6.

Then in this thread Merlin of Chaos said the new -dev Views 2 has newer default ways to extract node and user.

And then I became really confused by args() not working now and it being $argument? I'm not sure.

Basically I think Views is great and it looks like making contextual blocks has already been done.

So how can I do this for Views 2, because I'm thinking something has changed and there is a new way to do it in Views 2.

Thanks for any help you can give...

original:
http://drupal.org/node/313143

How about overriding the view title from the "PHP validate code"? It used to be pretty easy in views 1 with something like:

$view->page_title = "My new view title";

However, the $view object in views 2 seems much less straightforward. Could someone give an example of how to do this?

Jeff

is it possible to extract the term of the current node ad argument with views2??

thanks

Hey Jeff,

If you are wanting to change the title of the page title when switching views this seemed to work

http://drupal.org/node/383018

If it's not relevant then sorry.
Hope it helps though.

Unfortunately, I'm still highly confused on this subject.

I've tried reading the html document rapsli wrote, but I'm still not any wiser.

This is my default argument: "return arg(1);"
and I pass "3/1" to the preview.
I expect this to yield 1, but I get 3.

What am I not understanding?

subscribing....

Wow, if the whole $node = node_load(arg(1)); thing is wrong, I've wasted a ton of time... is this documented somewhere that I haven't found in the last week of googling? I've been trying to follow examples such as http://drupal.org/node/370227 and http://drupaleasy.com/blogs/ryanprice/2008/06/using-views-2-drupal-6-cre...

I'm trying to get at CCK fields that are not in the URL or any of the other argument options (eg node id, user id, etc).
For example, I've tried plugging in the following to the Arguments -> Default options -> PHP field:

$node = node_load(arg(1));
if ($node) return $node->field_related_user;

Am I right in understanding from the above that if I have a url like "mysite.com/foo/bar" Views will assume "foo" and "bar" are arguments and so never get to the default argument section?

Help and/or pointers towards more info would be greatly appreciated...

Subscribing, interested in Instead of $arg(1) use $argument. Still not completely clear to me.
How to get the first argument, or is this the wrong approach with views2. Should per argument been thought?
But then how to use information in say the header of the view-display?

greetings, Martijn

Just to help anyone facing the same issues: I ended up using "Relationships" for the CCK related node field...
Would love to see an explanation of when to use Arguments with PHP validation vs PHP default argument vs relationships...

Thanks

@letharion: I have the same issue. It's weird because it seems that the order of the arguments actually makes a difference. I've read nothing about this and have no idea why..

Try this:
Argument 1:
- PHP Code: return arg(0);

Argument 2:
- PHP Code: return arg(1);

It should return return "3" and "1" for your URL with "3/1"

Here's the weird thing, swap the order of the two arguments and it won't work..

Given the age of this issue, I have hope that it's resolved or no longer relevant.