Views

Plugin views come in two distinct types with different locations, rendering mechanisms, and syntax rules.

Two View Types

Admin Views

Rendering

return view('Plugins\MyPlugin\Views\admin\index', $data);

Example Admin View

<div class="container-fluid">
    <h1 class="h3 mb-4"><?= lang('MyPlugin.items_heading') ?></h1>

    <?php if (session('success')): ?>
        <div class="alert alert-success"><?= esc(session('success')) ?></div>
    <?php endif; ?>

    <table class="table table-bordered">
        <thead><tr><th>Title</th><th>Status</th><th>Actions</th></tr></thead>
        <tbody>
            <?php foreach ($items as $item): ?>
            <tr>
                <td><?= esc($item->title) ?></td>
                <td><?= esc($item->status) ?></td>
                <td><a href="/myplugin/admin/items/<?= $item->id ?>/edit"
                       class="btn btn-sm btn-primary">Edit</a></td>
            </tr>
            <?php endforeach; ?>
        </tbody>
    </table>
</div>

All admin forms must include <?= csrf_field() ?>.

Public Views

Rendering

return $this->themeService->view('PluginsMyPluginViewsstoreindex', $data);

Example Public View (.tpl)

{% extends "layout.tpl" %}

{% block content %}
<div class="{{ cls.cls_container }}">
    <h1>{{ page_title }}</h1>

    {% for item in items %}
        <div class="{{ cls.cls_card }}">
            <h2>{{ item.title }}</h2>
            <a href="/myplugin/{{ item.slug }}" class="{{ cls.cls_btn_primary }}">
                {! lang "MyPlugin.read_more" !}
            </a>
        </div>
    {% endfor %}

    {! pager !}
</div>
{% endblock %}

What NOT to Do

• Do not use <?php in .tpl files
• Do not call CI4's view() for public pages — use themeService->view()
• Do not hardcode CSS class names — use {{ cls.* }} keys
• Do not include Bootstrap CSS in your plugin — the active theme provides the CSS framework