TCA Overrides

Mask has a bunch of options integrated from TCA (Table Configuration Array), but it will probably never have the complete power to provide every option. There are simply too many possibilities, which need to be considered. Therefore it is advised, to manually override the generated Mask TCA, if more options are desired.

How to override Mask TCA

Note

First make sure, you added Mask as a dependency in your sitepackage, like explained in the installation guide.

Fields in tt_content

It works exactly like overriding core TCA. You only need to know, what Mask generates. Normal fields defined in the root-level are belonging to the table tt_content and are always prefixed with tx_mask_. To override TCA from such a field, just extend the TCA in Configuration/TCA/Overrides/tt_content.php.

Example:

EXT:sitepackage/Configuration/TCA/Overrides/tt_content.php

$GLOBALS['TCA']['tt_content']['columns']['tx_mask_your_field']['config']['some_option'] = 'some_value';

Furthermore, starting from mask version 8.2, you have the option to enable field reuse, allowing you to configure and reuse fields directly in the mask UI or through the JSON configuration. For more detailed information, please refer to the :ref"Create Content Elements" section <content-elements-shared-reuse>, where you can find additional guidance and instructions on this topic. With reusing fields feature enabled, Mask will automatically generate TCA columnsOverride for almost all available options, making it easier to configure and customize your elements.

Fields in custom tables

As soon as you create a repeating field, Mask creates a new custom table. Therefore you need to change the key to the table's name. Extend the TCA in Configuration/TCA/Overrides/tx_mask_custom_table.php

Example:

EXT:sitepackage/Configuration/TCA/Overrides/tx_mask_custom_table.php

$GLOBALS['TCA']['tx_mask_custom_table']['columns']['tx_mask_your_field']['config']['some_option'] = 'some_value';

Inline content elements

With the pure might of TCA it is also possible to override configuration of inline children. The most common usage in Mask would probably be to adjust default values in type Content inline children.

In this example we override the default value of space_before_class to medium, when it is created inside of your Mask element with the field tx_mask_my_content_field.

EXT:sitepackage/Configuration/TCA/Overrides/tt_content.php

$GLOBALS['TCA']['tt_content']['columns']['tx_mask_my_content_field']['config']['overrideChildTca']['columns']['space_before_class']['config']['default'] = 'medium';

Note

It is not possible to assign different default values depending on the CType, because the first opened element will be persisted, when switching the type.

Refer to the official TCA documentation of overrideChildTca for in depth information.

This is all you need to know. You have the full capabilities of the TCA and you are not limited by Mask's features. Mask strives to add as many features of the TCA as possible, but you don't have to wait for that.