I'm confused while creating a block or call a block. in phtml file suppose in footer.phtml file if I want to call a static block then I write
<?php echo $this->getLayout()->createBlock('cms/block')->setBlockId('static_block_name')->toHtml(); ?>
and for newsletter(which is in template folder in my theme folder)
<?php echo $this->getLayout()->createBlock('newsletter/subscribe')->setTemplate('newsletter/subscribe.phtml')->toHtml(); ?>
so what should I write in footer.phtml to call a built in block(which is in base folder) like calendar,captcha etc ? please tell me how can I call those in phtml file and xml file.
please tell me
1. <?php echo $this->getLayout()->createBlock('**?**')->setTemplate('**?**')->toHtml(); ?>
2. xml block code and where to put the code
3. rules to write block type and name.
-Thanks.
The only difference between the two blocks that you are mentioning is the type. The cms/block type is a built in way for you to create arbitrary text blocks with optional references to additional content (additional information native to Magento via widgets such as links or calls to other blocks).
The second block that you list is that of a block that represents a specific block which is used to output a specific model with a specific template. If you dive into the structure of Magento, you will find that the code that is core to Magento exists in the app/code/core/Mage folder. Inside of that, you will find items such as catalog/category, catalog/product, newsletter/subscribe etc. Additionally, according to MVC, you will need a way to present that model to the user via a view, or template by Magento's terms. Views into models will exist in the app/design/frontend/{package}/{theme}/template/ folder. You should find some continuity between the two sets of folders and will arrive to a set of views that you can use to output a block. In this case of a product, you will find app/code/core/Mage/catalog/product/ and app/design/frontend/base/default/template/catalog/product/view.phtml.
Hopefully this will set you on your way to better understanding the beast that is Magento. Magento, as described by Alan Storm, is not your father's PHP.