I set up a template file to display my view with some custom layout. Upon removing a field from views my field alias names changed and broke my template file.

The problem can be reproduced in Drupal 6.9 with CCK and Views installed on MAMP. I have also had the same issue with a LAMP stack.

To produce the problem:

1. Perform a clean install of Drupal 6.9

2. Install CCK-6.x-2.1 and Views-6.x-2.2

3. Other than the core modules, enable CCK Content, CCK Text, Views, and Views UI.

4. Create a CCK content type with 2 text fields called "test_1" and "test_2".

5. Create a few nodes with this content type.

6. Create a new View and add a Page display with the fields "test_1", "test_2" and save view.

7. Copy "views-view.tpl.php" from the views module folder and add to the Garland theme.

8. Add print_r($view); to the template file to get all data exposed by the $view object.

9. print($view->result[0]->node_data_field_test_1_field_test_2_value); displays the value of the first node and the field "test_2".

10. Remove "test_1" field from the view.

11. print($view->result[0]->node_data_field_test_2_field_test_2_value); now displays the same value as 9. above.

Every time I add or remove fields from Views my template file beaks because the fields have a new alias.

Is there a way to keep the field alias the same while editing my view?

Comments

merlinofchaos’s picture

merlinofchaos commented
Status: Active » Closed (works as designed)

This is the expected behavior; you should never refer to the alias names used in the $result directly. If you do, you run the risk of exactly this happening.

This:
print($view->result[0]->node_data_field_test_2_field_test_2_value);

is a bug in your code.

merlinofchaos’s picture

merlinofchaos commented

Not only is that a bug, that is begging for cross-site scripting attacks.

easp’s picture

easp commented

I did not see anywhere in the $view object that I could grab the value from the field other than from the field alias.

Is there another way to grab the field value?

webchick’s picture

webchick
she/they
Primary language English
Location Vancouver 🇨🇦
commented

Use the $rows variable in your template. This contains the sanitized values, ready for printing, and are named nice, sane things like $rows[0]['field_test_2'].

easp’s picture

easp commented

Thanks for the tip. I will look into the $rows variable instead of the $views object.

merlinofchaos’s picture

merlinofchaos commented

It actually depends on the template (sorry about that, I am a bit inconsistent about this). Sometimes it's $rows and sometimes it's $fields -- but this should be documented at the top of every template. In addition, there's a more extensive document telling you how to find this information in the advanced help.

easp’s picture

easp commented

How would I access hidden fields?
They do not appear in the $rows or $fields variables.

merlinofchaos’s picture

merlinofchaos commented

That's slightly trickier:

  $value = $view->handler['field_id']->render($view->result[$numeric_id_of_row_starting_from_0]);
webchick’s picture

webchick
she/they
Primary language English
Location Vancouver 🇨🇦
commented

Since that seems like scary voodoo Views dark magick, ;) I spoke with merlin on IRC and he suggested #362218: Add a consistent way to render fields from a view as a consistent way to deal with printing any type of field, hidden or no.

webchick’s picture

webchick
she/they
Primary language English
Location Vancouver 🇨🇦
commented

Just a quick correction to #8 to save the next person some headaches. This ended up actually being:

$value = $view->field['field_host_value']->render($view->result[$count]);

(Where the CCK field was named 'field_host')

Thanks again, Earl!

LEternity’s picture

LEternity commented

There (still) seems to be a related problem with Views + Views Custom Field. See #701798: use of the "field id" instead of field aliases.

joetsuihk’s picture

joetsuihk commented

Re #10
or use:

<?php
//within field tpl files
$value = $view->field['field_host_value']->render($row);
?>
akobashikawa’s picture

akobashikawa commented

I hope this help you: http://drupal.org/node/997228#comment-4731518