Alternative to global ee() function for v2.1.3

Question

I'm trying to implement this password protected content method on a v2.1.3 build.

This code...

<?php
global $IN;

if ( ! $the_password = $IN->GBL('the_password', 'POST') ) :

?>

...returns an error

Fatal error: Call to undefined method EE_Input::GBL() in  /homepages/42/d186459053/htdocs/dri/expressionengine/libraries/Functions.php(650) : eval()'d code on line 17

After some research, it looks like part of this has been deprecated.

Instead I should be using...

ee()->input->post('the_password');

However, after reading this, it looks like the

global ee() function is only available since EE 2.6.0

Upgrading EE at this time isn't an option. What could I do to to retrieve the POST variable in this instance so this method works?

Answer 1

The ee() function in 2.6+ is just a shortcut to another function, get_instance(), which appears in ALL versions of EE.

<?php
$EE =& get_instance();
if ( ! $the_password = $EE->input->post('the_password') ) :
?>

Answer 2

So the correct answer to your question is the correct global ee() function for the version of EE you named is...

$this->EE =& get_instance();

$this->EE // is the 2.6+ ee() equivalent.

Answer 3

Managed to get it working with the following code

<?php if (! $the_password = $this->EE->input->post('the_password')) : ?>

<form action="" method="post">
 <p>
  Enter your password:<br/>
  <input type="password" name="the_password" value="" id="the_password" />
  <input type="submit" name="submit" value="Access Content &rarr;" id="submit" />
 </p>
</form>
<?php else : ?>
{exp:channel:entries channel="private_content" 
 url_title="<?php echo $the_password;?>" 
 dynamic="off" limit="1"}

 {if no_results}<p>Your password is incorrect. Would you like to
    <a href="{path='private'}">try again</a>?</p>{/if}

 {private_content}

{/exp:channel:entries}
<?php endif; ?>