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Chapter 2
Views
The view layer is one of the areas where Magento truly sets itself apart from other
MVC applications. Unlike traditional MVC systems, Magento's view layer is divided
into the following three different components:
• Layouts: Layouts are XML files that define the block structure and properties
such as name and the template file we can use. Each Magento module has its
own set of layout files.
• Blocks: Blocks are used in Magento to reduce the burden on the controller by
moving most of the logic into blocks.
• Templates: Templates are PHTML files that contain the required HTML code
and PHP tags.
Layouts give the Magento frontend an amazing amount of flexibility. Each module
has its own layout XML files, which tell Magento what to include and render on
each page request. Through the use of the layouts, we can move, add, or remove
blocks from our store without worrying about changing anything else other than
our XML files.
Dissecting a layout file
Let's examine one of the core layout files of Magento, in this case catalog.xml:
images/media/col_left_callout.jpg
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