.. include:: Images.txt

.. ==================================================
.. FOR YOUR INFORMATION
.. --------------------------------------------------
.. -*- coding: utf-8 -*- with BOM.

.. ==================================================
.. DEFINE SOME TEXTROLES
.. --------------------------------------------------
.. role::   underline
.. role::   typoscript(code)
.. role::   ts(typoscript)
   :class:  typoscript
.. role::   php(code)


Selecting the alternative Template Object
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Plugin Options - a FlexForm
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The way you select an alternative template is by selecting the
template object in the plugin options which are rendered by the
standard flexform element for plugins:

|img-12|

For those interested this form is generated by the “flexform\_ds.xml”
configuration in the “mininews” extension:

::

   <T3DataStructure>
          <meta>
             <langDisable>1</langDisable>
          </meta>
          <ROOT>
                  <type>array</type>
                  <el>
                          <field_templateObject>
                                  <TCEforms>
                                          <label>LLL:EXT:mininews/locallang_db.php:tt_content.pi_flexform.select_template</label>
                                          <config>
                                                  <type>select</type>
                                                  <items>
                                                          <n0>
                                                                  <n0></n0>
                                                                  <n1>0</n1>
                                                          </n0>
                                                  </items>
                                                  <foreign_table>tx_templavoilaplus_tmplobj</foreign_table>
                                                  <foreign_table_where>
                                                           AND tx_templavoilaplus_tmplobj.pid=###STORAGE_PID### 
                                                           AND tx_templavoilaplus_tmplobj.datastructure="EXT:mininews/template_datastructure.xml" 
                                                           AND tx_templavoilaplus_tmplobj.parent=0 
                                                           ORDER BY tx_templavoilaplus_tmplobj.title
                                                  </foreign_table_where>
                                                  <size>1</size>
                                                  <minitems>0</minitems>
                                                  <maxitems>1</maxitems>
                                          </config>
                                  </TCEforms>
                          </field_templateObject>
                  </el>
          </ROOT>
   </T3DataStructure>

Further “mininews” enables the configuration by setting these lines in
the “ext\_tables.php”

::

   $TCA['tt_content']['types']['list']['subtypes_addlist'][$_EXTKEY.'_pi1']='tx_mininews_frontpage_list;;;;1-1-1,pi_flexform';
   t3lib_extMgm::addPiFlexFormValue($_EXTKEY.'_pi1', 'FILE:EXT:mininews/flexform_ds.xml');

This is in fact all you have to do to select an alternative template.
Of course the question is - what is a Template Object and how to we
create one? This is answered next.