Conditions¶

Where conditions can be used¶

The detection of conditions is a part of the TypoScript syntax but the validation of the condition content always relies on the context where TypoScript is used. Therefore in plain syntax highlighting (no context) conditions are just highlighted and nothing more. In the context of TypoScript Templates there is a whole section of TSref which defines the syntax of the condition contents for TypoScript Templates. For "Page TSconfig" and "user TSconfig" conditions are implemented as well. Basically they work the same way as conditions in TypoScript templates do, but there are some small differences. For details see the chapter on conditions in TSconfig.

The syntax of conditions¶

A condition is written on its own line and is detected by [ (square bracket) being the first character on that line:

# ... some TypoScript, always parsed

[condition]

   # .... some more TypoScript (only parsed if the condition is met.)

[GLOBAL]

# ... some TypoScript, always parsed

As you can see from this example, the line [GLOBAL] also is a condition. It is built into TypoScript and always returns TRUE. The line [ condition ] is another condition. If [ condition ] is TRUE, then the TypoScript in the middle would be parsed until [GLOBAL] (or [END]) resets the condition. After that point the TypoScript is parsed for any case again.

Here is an example of some TypoScript (from the context of TypoScript Templates) where another text is output if you are logged in or working locally:

page = PAGE
page.10 = TEXT
page.10.value = HELLO WORLD!

[loginUser('*') or ip('127.0.0.1')]
   page.20 = TEXT
   page.20 {
      value = Only for logged in users or local setup
      stdWrap.case = upper
   }
[GLOBAL]

You can now use the Object Browser to actually see the difference in the parsed object tree depending on whether the condition evaluates to TRUE or FALSE (which can be simulated with that module as you can see):

Combining conditions¶

As we saw above two or more tests can be combined using logical operators. The following operators are available:

or

Also available as ||.

and

Also available as &&.

not

Also available as !.

TypoScript conditions are using the Symfony Expression Language. For more information on writing such expressions, you can look up the symfony documentation on the expression language.

The Special [ELSE], [END] and [GLOBAL] Conditions¶

The special condition [ELSE] which will return TRUE if the previous condition returned FALSE. To end an [ELSE] condition you can use either [END] or [GLOBAL]. For all three conditions you can also use them in lower case.

Here's an example of using the [ELSE] condition (also in the context of TypoScript Templates):

page = PAGE
page.10 = TEXT

[loginUser('*')]
   page.10.value = Logged in
[ELSE]
   page.10.value = Not logged in
[END]

page.10.stdWrap.wrap = <strong>|</strong>

Here we have one output text if a user is logged in and another if not. No matter what the text is wrapped in a <strong> tag, because, as we can see, this wrap is added outside of the condition block (e.g. after the [END] condition).

The fact that you can "enable" the condition in the TypoScript Object Browser is a facility provided to simulate the outcome of any conditions you insert in a TypoScript Template. Whether or not the conditions validate correctly is only verified by actually getting (in this example) a logged in user and hitting the site.

Another example could be if you wanted to do something special in case a bunch of conditions is NOT true. There's no negate-character, but you could do this:

[!loginUser('*')]
   page.10.value = No user is logged in!
[END]

Where to insert conditions in TypoScript?¶

Conditions can be used outside of confinements (curly braces) only!

So, this is valid:

someObject {
   1property = 234
}
[loginUser('*')]
   someObject {
      2property = 567
   }
[GLOBAL]

But this is not valid:

# Invalid: This example is not valid on purpose
# Conditions must not be used within value blocks
someObject {
   1property = 234
   [loginUser('*')]
   2property = 567
   [GLOBAL]
}

When parsed with syntax highlighting you will see this error:

This means that the line was perceived as a regular definition of TypoScript and not as a condition.

The [GLOBAL] condition¶

The [GLOBAL] special condition (which resets any previous condition scope) is yet different, in that will be detected at any line except within multiline value definitions.

# Invalid: This example is not valid on purpose
# Conditions must not be used within value blocks
someObject {
   1property = 234
   [GLOBAL]
   2property = 567
}

But you will still get some errors if you syntax highlight it:

The reason for this is that the [GLOBAL] condition aborts the confinement started in the first line resulting in the first error ("... short of 1 end brace(s)"). The second error appears because the end brace is now in excess since the "brace level" was reset by [GLOBAL].

So, in summary; the special [global] (or [GLOBAL]) condition will break TypoScript parsing within braces at any time and return to the global scope (unless entered in a multiline value). This is true for any TypoScript implementation whether other condition types are possible or not. Therefore you can use [GLOBAL] (put on a single line for itself) to make sure that following TypoScript is correctly parsed from the top level. This is normally done when TypoScript code from various records is combined.

Custom conditions with the Symfony expression language¶

Further information about how to extend TypoScript with your own custom conditions can be found at Symfony within TypoScript conditions.

Syntax examples¶

[page["backend_layout"] == 1]
   page.42.value = Backend layout 1 choosen
[END]

[loginUser('*')]
   page.42.value = Frontend user logged in
[END]
[getTSFE().isBackendUserLoggedIn()]
   page.42.value = Backend user logged in
[END]

[request.getNormalizedParams().getHttpHost() == 'example.org']
   page.42.value = Http Host is example.org
[END]

[page["pid"] in [17,24]]
   page.42.value = This page is a child of page 17 or page 24
[END]

[applicationContext == "Development"]
   page.42.value = The application context is exactly "Development"
[END]

[like(applicationContext, "Development*")]
   page.42.value = The application context starts with "Development"
[END]

[applicationContext matches "/^Development/"]
   page.42.value = The application context starts with "Development"
[END]

[17 in tree.rootLineIds || 24 in tree.rootLineIds]
   page.42.value = Pid with id 17 or 24 is in the rootline.
[END]

[condition1() and condition2()]
   page.42.value = Condition 1 and condition 2 met
[END]

[condition1() or condition2()]
   temp.value = Condition 1 or condition 2 met
[END]

Summary¶

• Conditions are detected by [ as the first line character (whitespace ignored).
• Conditions are evaluated in relation to the context where TypoScript is used. They are widely used in TypoScript Templates and can also be used in page TSconfig or user TSconfig.
• Special conditions [ELSE], [END] and [GLOBAL] exist.
• Conditions can be used outside of confinements (curly braces) only. However the [GLOBAL] condition will always break a confinement if entered inside of one.