Using Pseudo-Pages for Resource Subviews in Evolution CMS

Sometimes one resource needs more than one public view. A typical example is a product page that should show a short review block on the main URL but expose a full reviews view on a cleaner address such as /page/reviews.

The requirement is usually the same:

• keep the main resource as the source of truth
• reuse its TVs, identifiers, and data
• render a different template for the subview
• avoid creating a physical child resource for every single page

What this pattern is really about

This is a routing problem. You want multiple front-end representations of one resource without duplicating content records.

Two workable approaches

1. Custom routing or pseudo-pages: map an extra path segment such as /reviews to a controller or snippet that loads the same base resource and renders an alternative template.
2. Real child resources: create an explicit child page for every extra view and connect it back to the parent. This is simpler, but adds content overhead.

Why pseudo-pages are attractive

• the main resource remains canonical
• you can reuse the same TVs and metadata
• you avoid editor overhead for supporting pages
• URLs stay clean and readable

Practical implementation idea

Detect the trailing path segment, load the base resource, and switch rendering logic when the segment equals reviews.

$resourceId = $modx->documentIdentifier;
$mode = $_GET['view'] ?? null;

if ($mode === 'reviews') {
    // render full review template for the same resource
}

In projects with custom front controllers or modern view layers, this becomes even cleaner because the alternative path can map directly to a dedicated controller action.

If you need the same pattern for reviews, specs, downloads, or gallery-only pages, pseudo-pages are often the most maintainable option.