How to render custom phtml in Magento admin tabs block?

How to render custom phtml in Magento admin tabs block?

It’s possible to add custom tabs on any page of Magento administration panel. Normally tabs are generated by Form Blocks, this is fine if you want to create standard forms but what if you need to render something totally different. Life can get very easy if we can render our custom phtml file. Embrace the high flexibility of Magento because its possible to render custom phtml in Magento admin tabs block in two simple steps.

2 steps to render custom phtml:

1. Remove _prepareForm() function from your Tab block
2. Set custom phtml template in constructor by using “setTemplate” method

class NameSpace_ModuleName_Block_Adminhtml_CustomSettings_Edit_Tab_Settings extends Mage_Adminhtml_Block_Widget_Form
{

    public function __construct()
    {
        $this->setTemplate('PATH_TO_CUSTOM_PHTML/view.phtml');
    }

}