Write custom grid layouts with extbase/fluid but without any extension like gridelements

Question

I look for a tutorial, help or an example that tells me what I have to do to write a grid element like 2-colums in basic typo3 (v9) with fluid but no other extension like gridelements, DCE, Templa Voila, etc. I want the same gridelements can do but I dont want to be depended to this extention and move it in my own site extention.

I tried the same with normal content elements (CE) like here: https://docs.typo3.org/c/typo3/cms-fluid-styled-content/9.5/en-us/AddingYourOwnContentElements/Index.html

But how can I nest a CE in a CE? And how can I do this by drag&drop in the backend?

Answer 1

You can't. The page module doesn't support nesting

Answer 2

You can't nest CEs in a CE. On database level this would mean that you have to make a tt_content record a subrecord of a parent tt_content record. You run into several problems, basically the multilanguage support will be broken and the shortcut element does not function as you will expect it to. That is why the extensions "gridelements" and "mask" exist.

I integrated the gridelements configuration into my sitepackage. So I do not need to bother anymore with it.

Just for your info: There is now an initiative that works on integrating this functionality into the core (Structured Content Initiative, https://typo3.org/article/a-structured-content-initiative/). Stay tuned to it.

Answer 3

There is nothing special about providing Gridelements via external files, since it's based on TSconfig, TypoScript and Fluid. That's why there is not that much about it in the documentation, since it's the same thing you would do with any other kind of sitepackage. The TSconfig and TypoScript parameters are already explained there, while the Fluid would be up to you anyway.

To have a kind of kickstarter just take any extensions providing Gridelements layouts as an example. A very popular one would be bootstrap_grids, which can be found in the TER or here: https://github.com/laxap/bootstrap_grids

You don't necessarily need the flexform controller of that extension, but the Configuration and Resources folders, show you how to configure stuff and you can see how that is included via ext_localconf.php

There are even comments i.e. in the TSconfig files to explain what is possible there and how to handle i.e. mixed environments with record and file based setups. Although it would be recommended to go for files.

Answer 4

You would at least have to add the necessary backend rendering methods to a draw item hook, that will modify the preview of the container element.

So basically you would have to rewrite everything that DCE, Flux, Gridelements or other similar extensions already do.

Which brings us to the question, why you want to avoid those extensions, since especially those three are well known, widely spread, well supported and available for currently supported TYPO3 versions.