How to setup a Refinery custom content type and view (aka "page template")

_actions.html.erb

<!-- path: app/views/refinery/admin/pages/_actions.html.erb -->
<!--
You could override this view, if you want to add links to each page type via the admin UI. If you don't you'll have to add a param the the URL.
WARNING: You most probably want to do it cleaner than that and find a way to hook to this view instead of overriding it if at all possible.
 -->
<ul>
  <li>
    <%= render '/refinery/admin/search', :url => refinery.admin_pages_path %>
  </li>

  <li>
    <%= link_to t('.create_new_page') + " (standard)", refinery.new_admin_page_path,
                :class => "add_icon" %>
  </li>
  
  <% Refinery::Pages.types.each do |type| %>
    <li>
      <%= link_to t('.create_new_page') + " (#{type.name.to_s})", refinery.new_admin_page_path + "?view_template=" + type.name.to_s, :class => "add_icon" %>
    </li>
  <% end %>
  
<% if @pages.many? and !searching? %>
  <li>
    <%= link_to t('.reorder_pages'), refinery.admin_pages_path,
                :id => "reorder_action",
                :class => "reorder_icon" %>

    <%= link_to t('.reorder_pages_done'), refinery.admin_pages_path,
                :id => "reorder_action_done",
                :style => "display: none;",
                :class => "reorder_icon" %>
  </li>
<% end %>
</ul>

gistfile1.md

1. You will need to add the config to initializer.
2. Create the view.
3. (re)start your Rails server.
4. Override (or better solution) the pages action (see "app/views/refinery/admin/pages/_actions.html.erb" in this gist for an example) or else, add ?view_template=my_content_type to the page's new URL. Ie: http://localhost:3000/refinery/pages/new?view_template=my_content_type

See some screenshots:

http://cl.ly/2W2Z1E342B3c2x1Q1I3t

http://cl.ly/0I2y263d3t3S071s2j2v

http://cl.ly/0X230z0w2D1K1p342A3r

my_new_view.html.erb

<!-- 
  path: app/views/refinery/pages/my_new_view.html.erb
  usage: this is a view_template you can choose in the advanced part of a page creation, see the initializer to enable it.
-->

<%= raw @page.content_for(:intro) %>
<%= raw @page.content_for(:body) %>
<%= raw @page.content_for(:right) %>
<%= raw @page.content_for(:footer) %>
<%= raw @page.content_for(:related) %>

pages.rb

#config/initializers/refinery/pages.rb
Refinery::Pages.configure do |config|
  
  # ...

  # this is how to define a new type of page with custom parts.
  config.types.register :my_content_type do |content_type|
    content_type.parts = %w[intro body right footer related]
  end

  # this is the list of views that you can choose from the admin UI, see the added custom view template.
  config.view_template_whitelist = ["home", "show", "my_new_view"]

  # this will enable the use of custom view templates.
  config.use_view_templates = true
  # ...


end

@Soldo: take a look at config/initializers/refinery/pages.rb. Here is the line you want to modify to add your view template:

config.view_template_whitelist = ["home", "show", "my_new_view_template_here"]

jipiboily, thanks for your reply.
You already mentioned earlier I should add this line.
I played little bit around and I found out that I actually need to add this:
"config.use_view_templates = true" inside config/initializers/refinery/pages.rb. But thanks anyway.

Also I was thinking a lot about what robyurkowski said yesterday during our conversation.
This is the part that I didn't understand:

[20:39] <+robyurkowski> if you need to make different data available
[20:39] <+robyurkowski> you have two different options
[20:39] <+robyurkowski> 1, the poorest choice, you can make it all available to pages#show and then choose what to display inside a template
[20:39] <+robyurkowski> 2, the best choice, you can add a new method, add a route to it, and add a template
[20:39] <+robyurkowski> and then just direct to /my-method

Do you maybe have an idea what he meant under 2. choice? Also, my assumption first is that this 2. choice is alternative on the procedure you explained to me in this gist. Right?
Then, under that assumption, I tried to follow his guides
-> so i overriden pages controller, and added:

def bidon
  render_with_templates?
end

then I made "bidon.html.erb" inside app/views/pages/bidon,
and added this content:

Hello World

then in the routes file I added:
match 'novi-template' => 'pages#bidon'
where 'novi-template' is the name of the page I created in backend. That means - if i click on 'novi-template' page, then use pages controller, action "bidon" and render view/template "bidon".
Under all my assumptions, this process did not work.
Do you have some guidelines or some thoughts about this "2., the best choice" robyurkowski mentioned?

@Soldo: yes, Rob's #2 (best choice) is an alternative. It all depends on your needs. If you only need different fields and layout, the current gist is probably the easiest solution. If you have too much customization, you might want to do it with the standard Rails approach: route, controller and everything.

For your override of pages controller, how did you proceed? Was it with a Refinery::Pages.class_eval block in a decorator file?

What are your exact needs vs that? Is it only a few different fields with different layouts only but with different functionnality? There is multiple solutions all depending on the exact problem to solve...

@Soldo: maybe create a gist of what you did, what you want and link it and we could continue the discussion there? That would be easier for me to help you if I could take a look at some pieces of your code. Thanks!

@jipiboily, I am always pleasantly surprised how people like you are always ready to help. Thanks!

Concerning the code, I'd have to say that I've already posted all my code. I started to work on the new project. And these things we are discussing here (defining layouts, and "yield" parts) are, as I believe, the things that should be done very late, if not first during the development of a project.
I am just trying to get this "2. option" robyurkowski suggested to work. So, as I said before, I've overridden pages_controller and added:
def bidon
render_with_templates?
end

Then I've created "bidon.html.erb" and placed just some silly text I want to be returned in my browser, just to see that its working. I wrote "Hello world" inside h1 tags.
And then I tried to add a route inside routes.rb file (config folder). I tried with "match '/novi-template' => 'pages#bidon'" line.

I'm not sure which part I didn't do right, but I've thought that route was the wrong one. I'm not 100% sure about that. The fact is that I can't get the content I placed in "bidon.html.erb" file, that is "hello world".
Thanks one more time.

Just to add this, maybe you'll think it's useful:
When I hit "rake routes" command, I got this output (it's just a part of the output):

[slasticarnica]$ rake routes
refinery / Refinery::Core::Engine
/novi-template(.:format) pages#bidon

Routes for Refinery::Core::Engine:

                  /system/resources/*dragonfly(.:format)       <Dragonfly::App name=:refinery_resources >

insert_admin_resources GET /refinery/resources/insert(.:format) refinery/admin/resources#insert
admin_resources GET /refinery/resources(.:format) refinery/admin/resources#index
POST /refinery/resources(.:format) refinery/admin/resources#create
new_admin_resource GET /refinery/resources/new(.:format) refinery/admin/resources#new
...

Looking at the route "/novi-template(.:format) pages#bidon" I notice it's not same as other routes, so maybe the problem is here. What do you think?

@jipiboily, also I noticed one other thing, and that is: even if my "bidon.html.erb" file is completely empty, I still get the same result.
What I did was I deleted bidon.html.erb (my_new_view.html.erb file you posted) with this content:

<%= raw @page.content_for(:intro) %>
<%= raw @page.content_for(:body) %>
<%= raw @page.content_for(:right) %>
<%= raw @page.content_for(:footer) %>
<%= raw @page.content_for(:related) %>

And what happened was, I got a content from "intro" section, and that was the content I defined in backend (administration).

This is becoming more and more confusing. Do you have some logical explanation? Thanks!

@Soldo: please create a gist with ALL the content of your routes.rb, PagesController override, pages.rb initializer, your new view (bidon or my_new_view, whichever is current). Currently, I don't have enough material to give you an explanation. I would need all your code concerning the problem. Can you also tell me what are the exact specs of what your are trying to do.

Thanks!