Calling a Function From Private Plugin

Question

Writing my first plugin. Scaffolded with Generator and is active (appearing in admin). This is where most tutorials leave you on your own so hoping to get some help calling a simple function in my templates.

In pluginname/src/Plugin.php I have the following function:

class Plugin extends BasePlugin
{
    public function hello() {
       return "Hello World";
    }
}

Template:

{{ pluginname.hello }}

Craft is not recognizing 'pluginname' as a variable so the function will not run. I'm obviously missing a critical concept here and hoping someone can point me in the right direction. Thanks.

Answer 1

Plugins don't provide any variables or functions to Twig by default, you need to do that explicitly. Check out the Extending Twig guide. You can find two good options there.

I would recommend using a Twig extension instead of extending the global craft variable. This is better in terms of separation of concerns, and easier to understand for new developers working on a project.