joomla: use API inside an article

I am using the Sourcerer plugin to use PHP code inside my articles. I would like to use the Joomla API/framework inside my article to dynamically set the HTML meta tags and other stuff. I found the setHeadData method that shoul开发者_如何学运维d allow me do that but I have simply no idea as to how calling it.

[Q] Can someone give me 1 example or point me to a tutorial that would help me get started on using that joomla API/framework please?

Answer

Based on the numerous feedbacks all pointing in the same direction, using a content plugin to modify the head data is properly better than doing this via an article. If like me you want to do this in an article here is what I did:

(1) I used the snippet provided by ezpresso to set the head data inside my article.

(2) I modified the libraries/joomla/document/html/renderer/head.php file to change the way the head data was set there.

For instance you can set the title meta tag at step (1) and then at step (2) replace the following line:

$strHtml .= $tab.'<title>'.htmlspecialchars($document->getTitle()).'</title>'.$lnEnd;

with this one:

$strHtml .= $tab.'<title>'.htmlspecialchars($document['metaTags']['standard']['title']).'</title>'.$lnEnd;

You might also want to look into libraries/joomla/document/html/renderer/head.php to do some more cleanup in the head, like getting rid of the generator meta tag that Joomla inserts.

Here is the source code of the method you are referring to:

/**
 * Set the html document head data
 *
 * @access  public
 * @param   array   $data   The document head data in array form
 */
function setHeadData($data)
{
    $this->title        = (isset($data['title'])) ? $data['title'] : $this->title;
    $this->description  = (isset($data['description'])) ? $data['description'] : $this->description;
    $this->link         = (isset($data['link'])) ? $data['link'] : $this->link;
    $this->_metaTags    = (isset($data['metaTags'])) ? $data['metaTags'] : $this->_metaTags;
    $this->_links       = (isset($data['links'])) ? $data['links'] : $this->_links;
    $this->_styleSheets = (isset($data['styleSheets'])) ? $data['styleSheets'] : $this->_styleSheets;
    $this->_style       = (isset($data['style'])) ? $data['style'] : $this->_style;
    $this->_scripts     = (isset($data['scripts'])) ? $data['scripts'] : $this->_scripts;
    $this->_script      = (isset($data['script'])) ? $data['script'] : $this->_script;
    $this->_custom      = (isset($data['custom'])) ? $data['custom'] : $this->_custom;
}

It is implemented in a JDocumentHtml class, which is located in a libraries/joomla/document/html/html.php directory.

Below is the links to some of the examples of how to use it:

• setHeadData difference between j1.5 and j1.6
• Remove Mootools From Joomla Header

I guess you may call the setHeadData method like this:

$doc =& JFactory::getDocument();
$options = $doc->getHeadData();
$options['metaTags'] = array("tag1", "tag2", "tag3"); // you may change the meta tags here
$doc->setHeadData($options); 

Putting PHP in the article is not a very good way to accomplish what you are trying to do. Joomla frameworks has an order of operation that determines when various functions and plugins run. Due to the order of operation, there are numerous functions that will happen after an article is rendered, probably negating any changes you make from within the article. You would be better off either using an extension to handle titles and meta tags rather than trying to do it inside the article.