Magento CMS : 2 methods for static blocks

Magento’s backoffice comes with a fairly simple CMS that can do a lot : single pages can be modified (content and layout) via the CMS / Manage Pages menu, and page parts can be shared and modified via the CMS / Static Block menu. Web developers who get a first sight inside templates might find it difficult to integrate a newly created block : we describe here two methods to integrate a block in your magento website.

How to create a CMS block : Go to Magento admin uder CMS -> Static Blocks and Add New Block. Insert Block Title, Identifier (for example: mycompany-newsblock), set Status to Enabled, insert block Content and Save Block.

How to add the CMS block to pages (exemple on the right column). You can choose one of these 2 methods

1. LAYOUT block  modification: in layout/page.xml , find the default / right column block
   <block type=”core/text_list” name=”right” as=”right” />
   and transform it by incorporating the newly created CMS block  :
   <block type=”core/text_list” name=”right” as=”right”>
   <block type=”cms/block” name=”ruedesiam.marge” as=”ruedesiam.marge” after=”-”>
   <action method=”setBlockId”><block_id>mycompany-newsblock</block_id></action>
   </block>
   </block>
2. Template block addition : add the following code to
   app/design/frontend/YOURTEMPLATE/default/template/callouts/right_col.phtml
   <?= $this->getLayout()->createBlock(‘cms/block’)->setBlockId(‘mycompany-newsblock’)->toHtml() ?>

The solutionbelow explains how to add a template block : everything here is done via HTML files. (example for theleft column)

1. in layout/page.xml or in your page custom design, add the following code

<reference name=”left”>
<block type=”core/template” name=”productbrand” alias=”productbrand” as=”productbrand” template=”catalog/product/brand.phtml”  />
</reference>

2. in template/callouts/ left_col.phtml, add the following :

<? $this->getChildHtml(‘productbrand’) ?>

Note : you can avoid xml configuration by creating the core template directly within the phtml :

 <?php  echo $this->getLayout()->createBlock('core/template')->setTemplate('callouts/rassure.phtml')->toHtml() ?>