In previous WHMCS versions, Smarty 3’s SmartyBC provided backwards compatibility for Smarty’s {php}, {include_php}, and {insert} tags. To promote better security, we plan to move to Smarty 4, which is not compatible with SmartyBC, in the near future.

In most cases, the best way to remove legacy Smarty tags from your customizations is to replace them with hooks.

In Email Templates #

For email templates, you can replace PHP logic that uses {php}, {include_php}, or {insert} tags with a hook using the add_hook function:

add_hook('EmailPreSend', 1, function($vars) {
    // Perform PHP logic here and store the output in an associative array.
    // The array key and value will be the merge field key and value.
    $mergeFieldsArray = [
        'customMergeField' => true,
    ];

    // Return the associative array.
    return $mergeFieldsArray;
});

When you do this, email templates can access items in the returned associative array as though they were standard merge fields. You can use them as part of conditional statements with {if}{else}{/if} statements and iterate through them with {foreach}{/foreach} statements.

Only Execute for a Specific Template #

When you can replace PHP logic that uses {php}, {include_php}, or {insert} tags with a hook, you can choose to only execute it when the system sends a specific email template.

To do this, add a conditional statement that specifies the name of the desired email template:

add_hook('EmailPreSend', 1, function($vars) {
    $mergeFieldsArray = [];

    // Use the messagename array item from the $vars array to find the template being sent.
    // Perform PHP logic here and store the output in an associative array.
    // The array key and value will be the merge field key and value.
    if ($vars['messagename'] == 'Order Confirmation') {
        $mergeFieldsArray = [
            'customMergeField' => true,
        ];
    }

    // Return the associative array.
    return $mergeFieldsArray;
});

The example above executes when the system sends the Order Confirmation email template. You can specify any template using the name that displays at Configuration () > System Settings > Email Templates.

In Template .tpl Files #

For .tpl template files, you can replace PHP logic that uses {php}, {include_php}, or {insert} tags with a hook using the add_hook function:

add_hook('ClientAreaPage', 1, function($vars) {
    // Perform PHP logic here and store the output in an associative array.
    // The array key and value will be the Smarty variable key and value.
    $smartyVariablesArray = [
        'customSmartyVariable' => true,
    ];

    // Return the associative array.
    return $smartyVariablesArray;
});

When you do this, template files can access items in the returned associative array as though they were standard Smarty variables. You can use them as part of conditional statements with {if}{else}{/if} and iterate through them with {foreach}{/foreach}.

Only Execute on a Specific Page #

When you can replace PHP logic that uses {php}, {include_php}, or {insert} tags with a hook, you can choose to only execute it for a specific page. You can do this using two different methods: a specific ClientAreaPage hook point or variables in the $vars array.

Using ClientAreaPage Hooks #

For this method, specify the ClientAreaPage hook point for the desired area within WHMCS:

add_hook('ClientAreaPageEmails', 1, function($vars) {
    // Perform PHP logic here and store the output in an associative array.
    // The array key and value will be the Smarty variable key and value.
    $smartyVariablesArray = [
        'customSmartyVariable' => true,
    ];
    // Return the associative array.
    return $smartyVariablesArray;
});

The example above executes using the ClientAreaPageEmails hook point. For a list of ClientAreaPage hook points, see our Client Area Page Hooks Reference.

Using $vars Variables #

For this method, use one or more of the variables in the $vars array to determine the page that the system is rendering:

add_hook('ClientAreaPage', 1, function($vars) {
    // Use a variable to find the .tpl file being loaded.
    $smartyVariablesArray = [];

    if ($vars['templatefile'] == 'viewcart') {
        $smartyVariablesArray = [
            'customSmartyVariable' => true,
        ];
    }

    // Use combinations of variables for more granular control.
    // Perform PHP logic here and store the output in an associative array.
    // The array key and value will be the Smarty variable key and value.
    $scriptName = str_replace("{$vars['webroot']}/", '', $vars['SCRIPT_NAME']);

    if ($scriptName && $vars['action'] == 'view') {
        $smartyVariablesArray = [
            'customSmartyVariable' => false,
        ];
    }

    // Return the associative array.
    return $smartyVariablesArray;
});

// Items within the returned associative array can be accessed from the template file as if they were
// standard Smarty variables. They can be used with Smarty's built-in functions like {if}{else}{/if} and
// {foreach}{/foreach}.
// More information can be found at the following resources:
//
// https://developers.whmcs.com/themes/php/
// https://developers.whmcs.com/themes/smarty/

• This example uses the templatefile, webroot, SCRIPT_NAME, and view variables in the $vars array to find the template that the system is loading. In many cases, the templatefile variable can suffice to find this.
• This example only executes when the system is loading the viewcart.tpl template file.

Last modified: June 14, 2024