Including template files in an app

ellimondo · Jul 23rd 2019

Hi

I have a template page that generates a pdf using mpdf library and several Perch collections.

I now have made a little app that imports a csv to populate those collections. This works great.

I have set up a schedule task with a function that fetches the page every 12 hours and therefore generates the pdf. This works fine as well.

I now want to also fetch the page when the import is finished – so that a new pdf is regenerated from the new data.

When I try to include the page in the app's form page I get the error: Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function perch_collection().

I guess I can't access runtime functions from an app. So how can I do that? Or am I approaching this from the wrong direction ? Answers on a postcard much appreciated…

hus_hmd · Jul 24th 2019

Runtime functions are not available in this context.

To fetch Collection items, you can use the importer API:

PHP

$items = $Importer->find_items([
'filter' => 'slug',
'value' => 'hello-world',
]);

And if you need to render a template in this context, you would use the template API.

ellimondo · Jul 24th 2019

Yeah, thanks hus_hmd, that's what I thought. I build the front-facing page first as the pdf generator was user-facing. However the query and pdf build is so slow I want to move it into the back end. I don't have the time / budget / will to live / left to work on this any longer so I will have to just rely on the scheduled task!

drewm · Jul 24th 2019

Make an HTTP request for the page. You can use PerchUtil::http_get_request() to do that pretty easily.

ellimondo · Jul 24th 2019

Thanks Drew. Works perfick!