How to tell which .extra.tpl files CiviCRM is trying (and failing) to load?

Question

I was writing an extension which injects a template snippet, and was working fine. While working on the PHP, without any change to the snippet, it's no longer loading (the rest of the extension IS working). The template is at <extensionname>/templates/Contact/Form/Contact.extra.tpl (NOT in a "custom templates" folder - though if I move it there, it works). I realize I have absolutely no idea how to check which file locations CiviCRM is checking for its template files, is there a way to see?

Answer 1

This code might help shed some light:

  $template = CRM_Core_Smarty::singleton();
  print_r($template->template_dir);

Answer 2

I think the real answer to this situation is: "don't use tpl.extra files in an extension". The reason is that there can be only one of them, and potentially many extensions. That little trick is really only suitable for in-house customizations, in which case you can stick it in the custom templates folder.

Here's some solutions to the same problem that do scale:

• Use a hook to inject your content into a region.
• If your tweak is simple, use hook_civicrm_pageRun to modify the page markup directly.
• If your tpl only contains javascript or css, put it in a css/js file and use CRM_Core_Resources to add it via a hook.

Answer 3

When I'm working with custom code in CiviCRM particularly with extensions, I'll turn on System Settings -> Debugging.

You can find it at the following URL: /civicrm/admin/setting/debug?reset=1