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I have a header template with PHP parsing on Input an the following code:
<?php
$this->EE->config->_global_vars['user_language'] = "nl";
?>
When I use {user_language} in my header template it works as expected and outputs "nl".
However, my header template is being embedded in my main template, and when I use {user_language} over there, it doesn't output anything.
I know it has something to do with the parsing order, but how do I fix it ?
I agree that this is a parse order issue.
It would probably be better for you to set your global variable in the config.php. Not only will this ensure it's set before the templates are parsed, but it'll also prevent you from needing to use PHP in your template, which makes things a bit more secure and efficient.
If you're using the Focus Lab Master Config, there's already a section in config.master.php for global variables that you can just add this to.
Otherwise, it's as simple as adding $assign_to_config['global_vars']['user_language'] = 'nl'; to your config.php.
You can then use the variable directly in your templates as {user_language}
You should do this in an Extension instead - an extension on the sessions_end hook (which is called near the beginning of every request to the site, just after the Session library has finished loading). You could then create new Global Variables before any template parsing begins, and which would then be available to all of your templates.
Extensions are very simple to write - just a single PHP file. You can use the awesome pkg.io tool to generate a skeleton for you, just select the sessions_end hook, and it will generate a class that you can fill in with your custom logic.
If it is static for all users, I like the idea of setting it in the config.php file.
If you are setting it differently depending on the user, I highly recommend just creating your own plugin or extension to accomplish the task. It is more efficient, and avoids many (not all) parsing order issues. Once you've done one or two, it's almost as easy as what you are already doing, and you can leave PHP processing off in your templates.
