How to overload controller in Magento?

1. Create your modulefolders and files

1. Magento/app/code/local/MyNameSpace/MyModule/etc/config.xml
2. Magento/app/code/local/MyNameSpace/MyModule/ controllers/Checkout/Cart Controller.php
3. Magento/app/etc/modules/MyNameSpace_All.xml

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2. Edit/etc/config.xml

Go to Magento/app/code/local/MyNameSpace/MyModule/etc/config.xmland paste the following xml into it (comments I’m not a 100% sureabout are ending with “(?)”):

1. <?xml version="1.0"?>
2. <config>
3.     <modules>
4.         <MyNameSpace_MyModule>
5.             <version>0.1.0 </version>
6.         </MyNameSpace_MyModule>
7.     </modules>
8.     <global>
9.         <!-- This rewrite rulecould be added to the database instead-->
10.         <rewrite>
11.             <!-- This is an identifier for yourrewrite that should be unique-->
12.             <!-- THIS IS THE CLASSNAME IN YOUR OWNCONTROLLER-->
13.             <mynamespace_mymodule_checkout_cart>
14.                 <from> <![CDATA[#^/checkout/cart/#]]> </from>
15.                 <!--
16.                  - mymodulematches the router frontname below
17.                  -checkout_cart matches the path to your controller
18.                
19.                 Considering the router below, "/mymodule/checkout_cart/" willbe
20.                 "translated" to "/MyNameSpace/MyModule/controllers/Checkout/CartController.php" (?)
21.              -->
22.                 <to>/mymodule/checkout_cart/ </to>
23.             </mynamespace_mymodule_checkout_cart>
24.         </rewrite>
25.     </global>
26.     <!--
27.    If you want to overload an admin-controller this tag should be<admin> instead,
28.     or <adminhtml> if youre overloadingsuch stuff (?)
29.     -->
30.     <frontend>
31.         <routers>
32.             <mynamespace_mymodule>
33.                 <!-- shouldbe set to "admin" when overloading admin stuff (?)-->
34.                 <use>standard </use>
35.                 <args>
36.                     <module>MyNameSpace_MyModule </module>
37.                     <!-- This is used when"catching" the rewrite above -->
38.                     <frontName>mymodule </frontName>
39.                 </args>
40.             </mynamespace_mymodule>
41.         </routers>
42.     </frontend>
43. </config>

[by Hendy: The above didn’t work for me when I override catalog/product controller. I had to use:

1.                 <from> <![CDATA[#^catalog/product/#]]> </from>
2.                 <to>mymodule/my controller </to>

(notice the missing leading slash)]

by AxelH: Since Magento 1.3 youcan simply add your module to the frontend router. Rewrites are notneccessary any more:

1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
2. <config>
3.     <modules>
4.         <MyNameSpace_MyModule>
5.             <version>0.1.0 </version>
6.         </MyNameSpace_MyModule>
7.     </modules>
8.  
9.     <frontend>
10.         <routers>
11.             <checkout>
12.                 <args>
13.                     <modules>
14.                         <MyNameSpace_MyModule before="Mage_Checkout">MyNameSpace_MyModule </MyNameSpace_MyModule>
15.                     </modules>
16.                 </args>
17.             </checkout>
18.         </routers>
19.     </frontend>
20. </config>

Please note that before=”Mage_Checkout” will load yourcontroller first if available andfallback to Magento’s if not.

[Edit by lichal: For me this code doesn’t work, because thecontroller is in the folder (notethe bold folder): ‘Magento/app/code/local/MyNameSpace/MyModule/controllers/Checkout/CartController.php’.In order to fix it the line 14:

1.     <MyNameSpace_MyModulebefore="Mage_Checkout">MyNameSpace_MyModule </MyNameSpace_MyModule>

Has to be:

1.     <MyNameSpace_MyModulebefore="Mage_Checkout">MyNameSpace_MyModule_Checkout </MyNameSpace_MyModule>

end Edit by lichal]

3. Edit /controllers/Checkout/CartController.php

Paste the following php code into Magento/app/code/local/MyNameSpace/MyModule/controllers/Checkout/CartController.php(the only change we’re doing to the indexAction() is adding anerror_log() message):

1. <?php
2. # Controllers are not autoloaded so we will haveto do it manually:
3. require_once 'Mage/Checkout/controllers/CartController.php';
4. classMyNameSpace_MyModule_Checkout_Cart Controller extendsMage_Checkout_Cart Controller
5. {
6.     # Overloaded indexAction
7.     public functionindexAction ( )
8.     {
9.         # Just tomake sure
10.         error_log ( 'Yes, I did it!' );
11.         parent:: indexAction ( );
12.     }
13. }

4. Edit Magento/app/etc/modules/MyNameSpace_All.xml

(This is to activate your module)

1. <?xml version="1.0"?>
2. <config>
3.     <modules>
4.         <MyNameSpace_MyModule>
5.             <active>true </active>
6.             <codePool>local </codePool>
7.         </MyNameSpace_MyModule>
8.     </modules>
9. </config>

[Edit 2009-07-26 by PhilFreo: Steps 1-4 alone were sufficientfor me to overload methods from CartController. I’d like to see some clarificationon exactly what steps 5+ are doing and when they are needed.]

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[Edit 2009-07-29 by hexdoll: used steps 1-4 to override the customer/account controller, the error_log occurs but theexpected interface templates are not shown]

5. Edit Magento/app/design/frontend/[myinterface]/[mytheme]/layout/checkout.xml

Add the following to use the same update handle as before:

1. <mynamespace_mymodule_checkout_cart_index>
2.     <update handle="checkout_cart_index"/>
3. </mynamespace_mymodule_checkout_cart_index>

(Note that these tags seem to be case sensitive. Try using alllowercase if this isn’t working for you)

[by Hendy: When I overridecatalog/product/view using the method described in this Wikior here, I didn’t have to do the above. However,when using the 'cms way', I had to update the handlemanually.]

6. The above item do not worked for me (updated: 2009-02-19 by:Jonathan M Carvalho)

After loose so many hours I discovery that the file to change is“Magento/app/design/frontend/[myinterface]/[mytheme]/layout/mymodule.xml”

Update 2009-06-17 by Gabriiiel : added the good syntax(mynamespace_mymodule_checkout_cart_index)

Add the following lines:

1. <mynamespace_mymodule_checkout_cart_index>
2.     <update handle="checkout_cart_index"/>           
3. </mynamespace_mymodule_checkout_cart_index>

Using version 1.2.1

7. Point your browser to/checkout/cart/

Take a look in your php error log and you should find ‘Yes, Idid it!’.

8. You need to get extra precise with the rewrite regularexpression cause this causes a very hard time. In thispart.

 <from><![CDATA[#^/checkout/cart/#]]></from>