Pages table layout - fallback column content

The CMS Questions
1

Hi,
I am having a play with the new pages “table” layout in 3.7, and very much enjoying it.
I am trying to display some fallback content, if the value query comes up empty. This is what I have so far:


replies:
  type: pages
  template: community-reply
  layout: table
  image: false
  sortBy: postDate asc
  columns:
    postDate:
    label: Posted
    type: date
    display: DD.MM.YYYY - HH:MM
  author:
    label: Author
    value: "{{ page.author.toUser.school.toPage.title.or('Admin') }}"

If the author has a school associated with it, then that displays perfectly. However if they don’t the column is blank, and I would like it to read “Admin” (only admin users don’t have a school).

Is this possible?
Thanks!

2

The problem is that if school is empty, toPage() will return null, and hence you don’t even get to title without error, let alone reach the or bit.

I think you better create a custom page method (or model method), that does some valuation of values inside, then return the fallback from there.

3

Thanks for the steer @texnixe that has done the trick.

For future reference this is how I got the result I was after:


<?php

class CommunityReplyPage extends Page {
    public function authorIdent() {
        $role = $this->author()->toUser()->role();
        if($role == 'participant'):
            return $this->author()->toUser()->school()->toPage()->title();
        else:
            return 'Admin';
        endif;
      }
}