What happened?

com_contact: Layout override selected for a single contact is ignored

Summary

When editing a single contact in com_contact, selecting a custom layout override has no effect. Although the selected layout is saved correctly in the backend, the default layout is always displayed in the frontend.
I make extensive use of layout overrides when developing contact forms with customizations. Can anyone else confirm my observation?

Environment

• Joomla version: 5.4.7
• PHP version: 8.4

Joomla 6 not tested yet

Preconditions

• A valid template override exists for com_contact, for example:

  templates/<template>/html/com_contact/contact/custom.php
  

• At least one published contact exists.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a layout override for com_contact, for example:

   templates/<template>/html/com_contact/contact/custom.php
   

2. In the Joomla administrator, go to Components → Contacts → Contacts.
3. Open an existing contact for editing.
4. Switch to the Display tab.
5. Select the custom layout in the Layout field.
6. Save the contact.
7. Open the contact in the frontend.

Actual Result

The selected layout override is ignored. The contact is rendered using the default layout (default.php).

Expected Result

The selected layout (custom) should be applied, rendering:

templates/<template>/html/com_contact/contact/custom.php

Additional Information

• The custom layout appears correctly in the layout selection list.
• The selected value is saved and persists after reopening the contact.
• The issue only affects the layout selection of an individual contact.

-.

It appears that com_contact no longer considers the layout parameter stored in the contact's parameters when rendering a single contact. Instead, the layout may be overridden by the menu item's parameters or fall back to the default layout.

Version

5.4