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[Steven <stevens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

*Environment tested:* Master
*Browser tested:* Chrome

*Preconditions:*  
1. Mahara site exists with content 
2. 2nd site exist with exact database 
3. Apply patch to first site


*Test Steps:*  
1. view all site pages side by side using and ensure pages do not differ in any way regarding the side blocks 

*Expected result:*  Existing site pages with side blocks should still
display the same, pages without side blocks should not display
additional side blocks

*Actual result:*  As expected

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1791544

Title:
  Make an easier way to decide which sideblocks are shown on which pages

Status in Mahara:
  In Progress

Bug description:
  Currently we have only a couple of ways to show side blocks on a page.

  1) If we want a sideblock to appear on only one page we can add the
  code to the $smarty call from the page as the 4th array or parameters,
  for example:

  $smarty = new smarty(array(), array(), array(), array('sideblocks' =>
  array(array('name' => 'customblock', 'weight' => 20, 'data' => 'test
  data'))));

  But we also need to create the corresponding 'customblock' theme
  template in the sideblocks to display the block.

  2) If we want the sideblock to appear on multiple pages we tend to add
  the block to the smarty() function directly below the "sideblock
  stuff" do a bunch of checks to see which blocks can be added to what
  pages - this section is quite confusing / all hardcoded / difficult to
  change. Some sideblocks are shown based on the menu section they are
  in, which makes sense for some of the menu options but not others.

  ----------

  I feel this needs to be tidied up and simplified so that we end up
  with a system that can do an easier version of option (1) - where we
  can just create the array for $smarty and it will use a generic
  sideblock template if you one doesn't need to define a custom one. So
  the array for some static content could look like:

  array('name' => 'customblock',
        'weight' => 20,
        'title' => 'Custom block',
        'content' => 'My custom content',
        'template' => false,
  )

  where we pass in a content string
  versus one that requires dynamic content

  array('name' => 'customblock',
        'weight' => 20,
        'title' => 'Custom block',
        'content' => custom_block_data(),
        'template' => 'sideblocks/customblock.tpl',
  )

  where we pass in a content array/object to our custom template

  And for option (2) we need a easier way for defining the array of
  sideblocks. We also need an easy way for the page being displayed to
  be able to convey information to the sideblocks array (like what we do
  for the menu array).

  We also need a way for modules/plugins to be able to add to the
  sideblock array if the plugin needs to have the block on multiple
  pages

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