Prestashop 1.7 custom module front controller doesn't work

Trying to create a front controller module that has a strange behaviour
Using the `$link->getModuleLink('vpages', 'dpage', $params)` in the tpl page, the URL will be correctly presented as `mysite.com/en/40-flower-delivery-Andorra.html`. When trying to access the page, I will be provided with a 404 page and the url will become `mysite.com/en/index.php?controller=dpage&id_country=40&country=Andorra&module=vpages`

if I manually alter the url by adding the `&fc=module`, I will get a 500 Internal error page

The module has the following script:

<?php

class vPages extends Module
{
private $html = '';
private $postErrors = array();

public function __construct()
{
$this->name = 'vpages';
$this->tab = 'others';
$this->version = '1.0';
$this->author = 'Rosu Andrei Mihai';
$this->is_eu_compatible = 1;
$this->need_instance = 1;
$this->bootstrap = true;
$this->controllers = array('dpage');

$this->displayName = $this->l('vPages');
$this->description = $this->l('Virtual dynamic pages');
$this->ps_versions_compliancy = array('min' => '1.6', 'max' => _PS_VERSION_);
$this->confirmUninstall = $this->l('Are you sure you want to delete all saved details?');
$this->secure_key = Tools::encrypt($this->name);

parent::__construct();
}

public function install()
{
return parent::install() && $this->registerHook('moduleRoutes');
}

public function hookModuleRoutes($params){
$my_link = array(
'module-vpages-dpage' => array(
'controller' => 'dpage',
'rule' => '{id_country:-}flower-delivery{-:country}{-:city}.html',
'keywords' => array(
'id_country' => array('regexp' => '[0-9]+', 'param' => 'id_country'),
'setCountry' => array('regexp' => '[0-9]+', 'param' => 'setCountry'),
'country' => array('regexp' => '[_a-zA-Z0-9\pL\pS]+', 'param' => 'country'),
'city' => array('regexp' => '[_a-zA-Z0-9\w\pL\pS-]*', 'param' => 'city'),
'module_action' => array('regexp' => '[\w]+', 'param' => 'module_action')
),
'params' => array(
'fc' => 'module',
'module' => 'vpages'
)
)
);
return $my_link;
}


public function uninstall()
{
if (!parent::uninstall()) {
return false;
}
return true;
}
}

The front controller has the following script:

<?php

class vpagesdpageModuleFrontController extends ModuleFrontController
{
public $errors = array();
public $display_column_left = false;
public $display_column_right = false;
public $ssl = true;
public $php_self = 'dpage';


public function __construct()
{
parent::__construct();
$this->page_name = 'dpage';
$this->context = Context::getContext();
}

public function initContent()
{
parent::initContent();

$this->context->cookie->__set('productbycountry_id',Tools::getValue('id_country'));
$sql = "SELECT DISTINCT ps_country_lang.id_country, ps_country_lang.name as country, city FROM ps_cms_target_world
LEFT JOIN ps_country_lang ON ps_cms_target_world.id_country = ps_country_lang.id_country
WHERE ps_country_lang.id_country=" . Tools::getValue('id_country') . "
ORDER BY country ASC";
//die($sql);
$cPages = Db::getInstance()->ExecuteS($sql);

$get_url = Db::getInstance()->ExecuteS('SELECT domain,physical_uri FROM '._DB_PREFIX_.'shop_url ');
$protocol = (isset($_SERVER['HTTPS']) ? "https" : "http") ;
$site_url = "$protocol://".$get_url[0]['domain'].$get_url[0]['physical_uri']."modules";

$controller_url = $this->context->link->getModuleLink('vpages', 'vPagesController', array(), true);
$this->context->smarty->assign(array(
'link' => $this->context->link,
'controller_url' => $controller_url,
'cPages' => $cPages,
'SITEURL' => $site_url
));

$country = urldecode(Tools::getValue('country'));
$city = urldecode(Tools::getValue('city'));
if(isset($city) && !empty($city)) $title = " - " . $city;

$this->context->smarty->assign('meta_title', 'Flower delivery to ' . $country . $title);

$this->setTemplate('module:vpages/views/templates/front/dPage.tpl');
}


}


In the tpl file, I generate the friendly url using the following script:

{foreach $vPages as $page}
<div class="country_content col-xs-4 col-sm-3 col-md-2 center-block text-center">
<p>
{assign var=params value=[
'module_action' => 'list',
'id_country'=> $page.id_country,
'setCountry'=> $page.id_country,
'country'=> urlencode($page.country),
'city' => null
]}
{assign var="meta_title" value="Flowers to {$page.country}"}

<a style="color:normal" href="{$link->getModuleLink('vpages', 'dpage', $params)|escape:'html':'UTF-8'}" title="{$meta_title|escape:'html':'UTF-8'}">
<img width="98" height="70" src="{$SITEURL}/vpages/flags/{$page.country}.png" style="padding-right: 3px; margin=bottom: 5px;" />
<br />
<p>{$page.country|escape:'html':'UTF-8'}</p>
</a>
</p>
</div>
{/foreach}

I don't get what is wrong in the code, in PS 1.6 the code works perfect in PS 1.7 it doesn't
Could someone point me to the mistake?

Thanks!

The link should be created in your module's class not in the tpl, a tpl is just for layout.
Use this in your class `$this->context->link->getModuleLink('your_module_name', 'ajax', [], null, null, null, true)`
Then assign it with smarty to your tpl.