Templates FAQ: How Do Module Positions Work and How to See Them

[kwak]

What modules show up where?

How can I determine what modules are loaded by my template and where do they get put?

1) In the admin website, choose the menu item Site > Preview > Inline with Positions.  This will display your home page inside of the admin window and will draw boxes for module positions and show the "position" name for those boxes.

2) Display your home page in a browser and add &tp=1 to the url like so:  .../index.php?tp=1
This is a much cleaner way to view the page.  (Thanks to Klementz for pointing this one out.)

What do those position names mean?

In the admin website modules are assigned to a "position".  Look at the admin menu item Modules > Site Modules.  Note the "Position" column.  Every module gets assigned to a "position".  Then in the template there is a PHP section of the form:

 

In this example, 'left' is the "position" name.  All modules assigned to that "position" will be displayed there.

What are the available position names and can I add more?

The predefined position names are listed on the admin website under Site > Template Manager > Module Positions.  There are 27 predefined names.  There is also room to add more names for a total of up to 50 names.