miniMVC/README.md

miniMVC

miniMVC is a minimalistic Modular MVC framework, with built-in minifier, and pure-PHP templating system.

Requirements

• PHP 5.4+
• PDO extensions for databases you wish to use
• Webserver that correctly handles REQUEST_URI, such as:
  • Apache
  • IIS
  • Lighttpd
• SimpleTest library for running unit tests

Unique features

Extensive use of PHP's magic methods on the base class

• __toString() method allows a view of the current class object when the current class object is used as a string. If you prefer var_dump() or var_export(), you can pass the name of that function if you call the __toString method directly.

  Eg. $this . "string", $this->__toString(), echo $this;

• __call() method allows the dynamic addition of callable closure objects

  Eg. $this->foo = function($baz){} is callable as $this->foo(), with the current object as the last argument

• MM class extends ArrayObject, and all the main classes extend this class. Functions begining with array_ are callable on object from this class. E.g. $this->array_keys() will return a list of the class properties.

Database class is an extension of PHP's PDO class.

Database class uses Query as a database abstraction layer and query builder.

Database connections are set in /app/config/db.php

File Structure

• index.php - framework bootstrap

• app - configuration and app-wide files

  • classes - helper classes
  • config - configuration files
  • modules - MVC triads
    • controllers - controller classes
    • models - model classes
    • views - module-specific views
  • views - global page templates
    • errors - error page templates

• assets - frontend files

  • js - javascript files
  • css - css files
  • config - minifier configuration files

• sys - core framework classes

Common Tasks

• Creating a controller

    <?php 
    class Foo extends miniMVC\Controller {
  
    	function __construct()
    	{
    		parent::__construct();
    	}
    }
  

• Creating a model

    <?php
    class Bar extends miniMVC\Model {
  
    	function __construct()
    	{
    		parent::__construct();
    	}
    }
  

• Loading a database

  $this->db = miniMVC\db::get_instance($db_name);

  Note that multiple databases can be used in the same class by specifying a different database name.

• Loading a model (From a controller)

  $this->load_model($model) - creates an instance of that model as a member of the current class. After loading the model, you can call its methods like so

  $this->[model name]->method()

• Loading a class

  Librarys / classes found in app/classes or sys/libraries are autoloaded. To call a library, simply instantiate that class.

  Classes with a get_instance static methods should be called like so:

  $obj =& miniMVC\class::get_instance()

  Other classes should be called using the new operator

  $obj = new miniMVC\class()