Skip to main content

Basic Usage

Using Flare is simple: define a list, add filters, and display it on your page.

The 5-Step Setup​

  1. Create a List Configuration: Go to Layout → Lists (FLARE) in the Contao backend.
  2. Add Filter Elements: Each list is an archive of filters. Add filters as children to your list.
  3. Configure the List: Select the List Type (e.g., News, Generic Data Container) and the table to fetch data from.
  4. Display the List: Add a Flare List View content element to any page and select your list configuration.
  5. Add a Reader (Optional): If you need detail pages, add a Flare Reader content element to a separate page and select the same list configuration.

Core Concepts​

1. List Configuration (The "Specification")​

A list configuration is the static definition of your data source. It determines:

  • Which database table to use.
  • Which filter elements are available.
  • Default sorting and pagination settings.
  • The "auto_item" field used for detail page URLs.

2. Interactive Lists​

A Flare List View content element uses the InteractiveContext. This automatically:

  • Generates a Symfony filter form.
  • Handles pagination and URL parameters.
  • Processes user input to filter the list in real-time.

3. Detail Pages (Readers)​

The Flare Reader content element uses the auto_item feature to display a single record.

  • Flare automatically resolves the record based on the URL alias.
  • It provides metadata (Page Title, Description) via events.

4. What is an "Intrinsic" Filter?​

In Flare, a filter can be marked as Intrinsic:

  • Checked: The filter is applied automatically (e.g., published = 1) and is hidden from the user.
  • Unchecked: The filter is visible in the frontend form, allowing the user to interact with it.

Example: News List​

  1. Create a list of type News for the table tl_news.
  2. Add an Intrinsic filter for published = 1.
  3. Add a Visible filter (e.g., a select field) for pid (News Archives).
  4. Add the content element to a page.
  5. Flare will show a dropdown of news archives and list the news articles belonging to the selected archive.