zend 2: Trying to use Zend\Navigation in my view helper - dependency-injection

Question

I'm trying to create a menu bar from a template in my view helper with Zend\Navigation.
I'm getting a little closer and edited this thread with code I have now.
Here is the view helper:
<?php
namespace Helpdesk\View\Helper;
use Zend\View\Helper\AbstractHelper;
use Zend\ServiceManager\ServiceLocatorAwareInterface;
use Zend\ServiceManager\ServiceLocatorInterface;
class Navbar extends AbstractHelper implements ServiceLocatorAwareInterface {
public function setServiceLocator(ServiceLocatorInterface $serviceLocator) {
$this->serviceLocator = $serviceLocator;
return $this;
}
public function getServiceLocator() {
return $this->serviceLocator;
}
public function __invoke() {
$partial = array('helpdesk/helpdesk/subNavTest.phtml','default');
$navigation = $this->getServiceLocator()->get('navigation');
$navigation->menu()->setPartial($partial);
return $navigation->menu()->render();
}
}
I configured the navigation in module.config.php like so:
'view_helpers' => array(
'invokables' => array(
'navbar' => 'Helpdesk\View\Helper\Navbar',
),
),
'navigation' => array(
'default' => array(
array(
'label' => 'One',
'route' => 'link',
),
array(
'label' => 'Two',
'route' => 'link',
),
array(
'label' => 'Three',
'route' => 'link',
), ...
But when I display it in my view like this <?php echo $this->navbar(); ?> it just displays the partial template without the navigation config from module.config.php.
If I do the following right in my view it displays fine with the config that I set:
<?php $partial = array('helpdesk/helpdesk/subNavTest.phtml','default') ?>
<?php $this->navigation('navigation')->menu()->setPartial($partial) ?>
<?php echo $this->navigation('navigation')->menu()->render() ?>
Why isn't my view helper pulling in the navigation config?

Answer 1

If I do the following right in my view it displays fine with the config that I set:
Yes, that's because in your view (the code that works), you're telling the navigation helper to use a menu container called navigation at this line...
<?php $this->navigation('navigation')->menu()->setPartial($partial) ?>
^^^^^^^^^^- This is the menu container
In your navbar helper, you don't specify a menu container. If you haven't already used the navigation helper at that point it has no menu, and creates an empty one.
You have two choices, either tell the navigation helper which container to use before calling your helper
// set the menu
<$php $this->navigation('navigation'); ?>
// render helper
<?php echo $this->navbar(); ?>
or, have your helper accept a parameter in its __invoke method which it can pass to the helper
public function __invoke($container) {
$partial = array('helpdesk/helpdesk/subNavTest.phtml','default');
$navigation = $this->getServiceLocator()->get('navigation');
// tell navigation which container to use
$navigation($container)->menu()->setPartial($partial);
return $navigation->menu()->render();
}
and call it in your view as
<?php echo $this->navbar('navigation'); ?>