Opencart's $this->config->get('module_var_name')

Question

I'm trying to customize an Opencart payment module, I see many places where config info is being used, but I cant find anything that creates what variables are in use. I know in the admin pages if I select 'paypal standard' I can set all the 'config' info, but I cant find the 'model' underlining it, is there a model, I wish to create a new config setting, settable inside the admin page

How does the admin page know which variables to set? If I change the admin 'view' for the payment module to show a new setting, will that setting automatically be available in the catalog?

example of some of the config data in use...

admin\view\template\payment\pp_standard.tpl (paypal admin template), allows 'test mode' to be set....

<tr>
        <td><?php echo $entry_test; ?></td>
        <td><?php if ($pp_standard_test) { ?>
          <input type="radio" name="pp_standard_test" value="1" checked="checked" />
          <?php echo $text_yes; ?>
          <input type="radio" name="pp_standard_test" value="0" />
          <?php echo $text_no; ?>
          <?php } else { ?>
          <input type="radio" name="pp_standard_test" value="1" />
          <?php echo $text_yes; ?>
          <input type="radio" name="pp_standard_test" value="0" checked="checked" />
          <?php echo $text_no; ?>
          <?php } ?></td>
      </tr>

catalog\controller\poayment\pp_standard.php (paypal catalog controller), uses above 'test mode' to determine which paypal Webservice URL to hit..

if (!$this->config->get('pp_standard_test')) {
    $curl = curl_init('https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr');
} else {
    $curl = curl_init('https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr');
}

I was expecting to find a 'model' somewhere with 'pp_standard_test' defined somewhere, but I've found nothing, any help understanding this would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. There is much advice online stating that the 'paypal standard' payment module is a good place to start, but more than likely, we wont be using paypal, it's the principle I'm trying to figure out.

Solution

In OpenCart administration a admin/model/setting/setting.php model is used for such a modules/extensions where only a key group name and the posted data is provided to be stored in the setting DB table... (and optionally a store_id in multistore installation as well)

You could check any of controllers in admin/controller/payment/ dir to see how is this model used (pp_standard.php, from line 10 within OC 1.5.5.1):

$this->load->model('setting/setting');

if (($this->request->server['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') && $this->validate()) {
    $this->model_setting_setting->editSetting('pp_standard', $this->request->post);

    $this->session->data['success'] = $this->language->get('text_success');

    $this->redirect($this->url->link('extension/payment', 'token=' . $this->session->data['token'], 'SSL'));
}

This will write all the form data into the setting DB table while form field's name is used as a key to the value filled within.

Thus if You call

$this->config->get('<KEY>');

You can get the value that is set for the <KEY> key.

Comments

[Ninjanoel]

Great, i've found the 'pp_standard' group in the <prefix>_setting table in mysql, and I can see everything getting stored in there. So essentially (as my php is a bit weak, all this MVC stuff doesn't help), any setting that I create on the admin page will automatically be inserted into the DB 'setting' table with <key><value>, the <key> being what I name the html input field? does it do something like 'all posted variables starting with 'pp_standard' in the name should be stored in the database? is that group set independently anywhere? and yeah, posted vars must all start with th group name?

[shadyyx]

The group name is just because You then can use setting model to get all the settings for this group. It should tie together all the settings for one module/extension. Yes, the name of the field is the <key> and value filled in it is the <value> then. And no, You do not need to name the field names starting with the group name, it is just for better recognition if You use $this->config->get('group_property'); on frontend to be wise the property is from the concrete group of settings...

[Ninjanoel]

i see $this->model_setting_setting->editSetting('pp_standard', $this->request->post);, so ALL variables it finds in post will be inserted into the db with the group 'pp_standard' in this instance? Thanks for the help @shadyyx

[shadyyx]

Exactly as You understood it. If You then call $this->model_setting_setting->getSetting('pp_standard'); You can on the other hand retrieve all the settings for this group name.

[user3167249]

I am having a similar issue to what you are describing here. I have a setting in group um key alert_color and an setting in group um_redux key alert_color and $this->config->get('alert_color'); pulls in group um property