Item group API methods

Adding custom select item groups

Registration of a select item group takes place in Configuration/TCA/tx_myextension_mytable.php for new TCA tables, and in Configuration/TCA/Overrides/a_random_core_table.php for modifying an existing TCA definition.

For existing select fields additional item groups can be added via the api method ExtensionManagementUtility::addTcaSelectItemGroup.

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

<?php

use TYPO3\CMS\Core\Utility\ExtensionManagementUtility;

defined('TYPO3') or die();

ExtensionManagementUtility::addTcaSelectItemGroup(
  'tt_content',
  'CType',
  'sliders',
  'LLL:EXT:my_extension/Resources/Private/Language/locallang_db.xlf:tt_content.group.sliders',
  'after:lists',
);

ExtensionManagementUtility::addTcaSelectItem(
  'tt_content',
  'CType',
  [
    'label' => 'LLL:EXT:my_extension/Resources/Private/Language/locallang_db.xlf:tt_content.CType.slickslider',
    'value' => 'slickslider',
    'icon' => 'EXT:my_extension/Resources/Public/Icons/slickslider.png',
    'group' => 'sliders',
  ],
);

When adding a new select field, itemGroups should be added directly in the original TCA definition without using the API method. Use the API within TCA/Configuration/Overrides/ files to extend an existing TCA select field with grouping.

Attaching select items to item groups

Using the API method ExtensionManagementUtility::addTcaSelectItem, the group key of the item specifies the id of the item group.

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

<?php

use TYPO3\CMS\Core\Utility\ExtensionManagementUtility;

defined('TYPO3') or die();

ExtensionManagementUtility::addTcaSelectItemGroup(
  'tt_content',
  'CType',
  'sliders',
  'LLL:EXT:my_extension/Resources/Private/Language/locallang_db.xlf:tt_content.group.sliders',
  'after:lists',
);

ExtensionManagementUtility::addTcaSelectItem(
  'tt_content',
  'CType',
  [
    'label' => 'LLL:EXT:my_extension/Resources/Private/Language/locallang_db.xlf:tt_content.CType.slickslider',
    'value' => 'slickslider',
    'icon' => 'EXT:my_extension/Resources/Public/Icons/slickslider.png',
    'group' => 'sliders',
  ],
);

History

With the introduction of the itemGroups the TCA column type select has a clean API to group items for dropdowns in FormEngine. This was previously handled via placeholder --div-- items, which then rendered as <optgroup> HTML elements in a dropdown.

In larger installations or TYPO3 instances with lots of extensions, Plugins or Content Types (tt_content.CType), or custom Page Types (pages.doktype) drop down lists could grow large and adding item groups caused tedious work for developers or integrators. Grouping can now be configured on a per-item basis. Custom groups can be added via an API or when defining TCA for a new table.