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Tutorials: Enable Download list widget custom templates editable through the UI

By default custom templates for widgets are not visible and cannot be edited in Design -> Widget templates. If you customized the Download list widget templates, as described in Customize Download list widget templates, the following article will guide you how to make your templates editable through the UI.

customdownloadlisttemplate


Follow the steps below:

  1. Open your SitefinityWebApp and create new folder CustomControls.
  2. Right-click on the folder and select Add -> Code file.
  3. Name the new file CustomDownloadListWidget.ascx.
  4. Right-click on the new file and select Properties -> Build Action -> Embedded Resource.
  5. Copy the content of the default MasterListView.ascx template by the SitefinityResources github repository and paste it to the new control.
  6. Add some custom text to differ the template from the original one and save the file.
  7. Open the Global Application class Global.asax file and add the following code in the Application_Start event:

    protected void Application_Start(object sender, EventArgs e)
           {
              SystemManager.ApplicationStart += SystemManager_ApplicationStart;
           }
     
           void SystemManager_ApplicationStart(object sender, EventArgs e)
           {
               ControlTemplates.RegisterTemplatableControl(typeof(CustomDownloadListWidget), typeof(object));
               RegisterTemplate();
           }
     
           public void RegisterTemplate()
           {
               var initializer = SiteInitializer.GetInitializer();
     
               var manager = initializer.PageManager;
               var existingTemplate = manager.GetPresentationItems<ControlPresentation>().Where(p =>
                   p.EmbeddedTemplateName == "SitefinityWebApp.CustomControls.CustomDownloadListWidget.ascx" &&
                   p.ControlType == typeof(CustomDownloadListWidget).FullName &&
                   p.Name == "CustomWidgetTemplate"
                   )
                   .SingleOrDefault();
     
               if (existingTemplate == null)
               {
                   initializer.RegisterControlTemplate(
                       "SitefinityWebApp.CustomControls.CustomDownloadListWidget.ascx",
                       typeof(CustomDownloadListWidget).FullName,
                       "CustomWidgetTemplate",
                       null,
                       "Documents & Files",
                       "ASP_NET_TEMPLATE",
                       typeof(CustomDownloadListWidget).Assembly.FullName,
                       "Documents - list"
                   );
     
                   initializer.SaveChanges();
               }
           }
  8. In order to load the template in your control that inherits the Download List widget, use the following code:

    public class CustomDownloadListWidget : DownloadListView
       {
           protected override void LoadView(string viewName)
           {
               if (viewName == DocumentsDefinitions.FrontendMasterListViewName)
               {
                   this.LayoutTemplatePath = "~/CustomPrefix/" + this.GetTemplate();
               }
               else if (viewName == DocumentsDefinitions.FrontendMasterTableViewName)
               {
                   this.LayoutTemplatePath = "your template path goes here ...";
               }
     
               base.LoadView(viewName);
           }
     
           private string GetTemplate()
           {
               PageManager pageManager = PageManager.GetManager();
     
               var widgetTemplate = pageManager.GetPresentationItems<ControlPresentation>()
                                                   .FirstOrDefault(p => p.DataType == Presentation.AspNetTemplate &&
                                                                        p.ControlType == typeof(CustomDownloadListWidget).FullName &&
                                                                        p.AreaName == "Documents & Files" &&
                                                                        p.Name == "CustomWidgetTemplate");
     
               if (widgetTemplate != null)
               {
                   return widgetTemplate.EmbeddedTemplateName;
               }
               return null;
           }
       }

    9. In order to get all widget templates that are stored in the database, you must use the PageManager instance and GetPresentationItems method. Filtering the collection by name, area name, data type and control type will give you the customized Download list template.

  9. Build the solution and from now on you will be able to edit the template through the UI.

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