Using Dojo BorderContainer in a Zend Framework layout script

Question

I have just started playing around with using Dojo in Zend Framework and things have been fine up until recently. For now, I would like to be able to make a simple GUI using BorderContainer and ContentPanes, however I have been finding this is a bit awkward.

Basically to get the container Dojo elements to work, I have found that I need to place them in a view script for Dojo to work. However to me, it would make sense that I can place some elements in my master layout file (layouts/scripts/default.phtml) as the individual view scripts should populate the panes rather than the whole page.

As an example this works, if I paste it into a view rendering a Dojo_Form as well:

<?php
$this->borderContainer()->captureStart('main-container',
    array('design' => 'headline'),
    array(
        'style'=>'height:100%;width:100%',
        'align' => 'left'
    ));

echo $this->contentPane(
'menuPane',
'This is the menu pane',
array('region' => 'top'),
array('style' => 'background-color: gray; color:white')
);

echo  $this->contentPane(
'navPane',
'This is the navigation pane',
array('region' => 'left', 'splitter' => 'true'),
array('style' => 'width: 200px; background-color: lightgray;')
);

echo $this->contentPane(
'mainPane',
$this->form,
array('region' => 'center'),
array('style' => 'background-color: white;')
);

echo $this->contentPane(
'statusPane',
'Status area',
array('region' => 'bottom'),
array('style' => 'background-color: lightgray;')
);

echo $this->borderContainer()->captureEnd('main-container');
?>

But if I try to place any elements into the layout it stops working.

So, I'm pretty sure I know why this happens. I am presuming it's because by placing the dojo view helpers in the view scripts, the dojo elements are parsed before the layout script hits $this->dojo(). But, if I put the dojo elements into the layout script, then the elements are parsed after echoing $this->dojo().

I am interested to see what everyone else does to get around this problem?

Answer 1

Simply place the layout code at the beginning of the master layout file, which will enforce a working execution order. So start with defining the borderContainer and ContentPanes, then put the rest below like so:

$this->borderContainer()->captureStart('main-container', array('design' => 'headline'), array( 'style'=>'height:700px;width:1170px', 'align' => 'center' ));

echo $this->contentPane( 'contentPaneId', $this->render('_header.phtml'), array('region' => 'top'), array('style' => 'background-color: darkblue;color:white') );

// create some more contentPanes and finish with..

echo $this->borderContainer()->captureEnd('main-container');

// then the rest of the view script including dojo().