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Documentation Reference Core API (PHP) Rendering Logic & Pipeline

Rendering Logic & Pipeline

Pragma CMS uses a Cascading Resolution Pipeline. This allows you to override any core behavior by simply placing a file with the same name in your site's directory.

1. The Execution Lifecycle

When a URL is requested, the system follows this strict sequence:

  1. Bootstrapping: The Router identifies the route and sets the $site and $page contexts.
  2. Controller Resolution: The system looks for the logic file using resolveCascadingPath().
    • Search 1: /sites/[your-site]/pages/[controller].php
    • Search 2: /cms-versions/[version]/pages/[controller].php
  3. Data Hydration: The controller executes, fetches data via Managers, and populates the $page->viewData , page→entry, $page->main, etc..
  4. Final Assembly: The controller calls render_template("base.php", $page), which wraps everything in the master HTML skeleton.

2. Core System Templates

These files define the structural "DNA" of the CMS and are located in system/templates/.

base.php (The Skeleton)

This is the master HTML skeleton of the entire CMS. Everything rendered by the system ultimately passes through base.php.

  • Head Generation: Injects charset, viewport, SEO tags, Canonical URLs, and Hreflang links.
  • Asset Queuing: Uses include_styles() and include_scripts() to safely inject CSS/JS, automatically attaching the CSP $GLOBALS['csp_nonce'].
  • JSON-LD: Automatically injects the aggregated @graph schema.org data.
  • Header: Loaded via renderHeader($page).
  • Layout Container/ Body Structure: Includes the sidebars (if in Admin) and the Main Content that outputs $page->header, wraps the content in a <main id="main-content-wrapper"> block for WCAG compliance, and outputs $page->footer.
  • Footer: Loaded via renderFooter($page).

page.php (Static Renderer)

The default fallback controller for Static and Builder pages. If a static page does not define a custom template_path, the CMS uses this file to output the $page->viewData["title"] and the compiled HTML $page->viewData["content"].

Functional Templates

error.php

A centralized, heavily translated template for handling HTTP errors gracefully (404 Not Found, 403 Forbidden, 500 Internal Error). It outputs human-readable solutions and provides a fallback "Return to Home" button.

recap.php (Submission Feedback)

Injected automatically inside the <main> wrapper of base.php. It checks for the presence of $_SESSION['recap']. If a user successfully submits a frontend form (Contact, Quote), this template generates a clean, formatted alert box summarizing their submitted data and attached files.

Email Templates (emails/)

Transactional emails (auto-replies, password resets) use a dual HTML/TXT rendering system. The render_email_template() function searches for these files in the Theme first, then falls back to the Core.

Each email is defined by two files to ensure maximum deliverability:

  1. .html.php: The rich-text version (CSS, Logos, Tables).
  2. .txt.php: The plain-text version. (Note: If the TXT version is missing, the CMS will automatically generate it from the HTML version using the convert_html_to_text() utility).

Core Email Templates:

  • form_auto_reply: The confirmation email sent to the user after submitting a form.
  • form_notification: The alert email sent to the administrators containing the form payload.
  • reset_password: Contains the secure token link for account recovery.
  • update_available: Sent to Platform administrators when a new CMS core version is released.