1. Using and Reusing
PLUGINS
Across applications
CakeFest 2010 - Chicago Pierre MARTIN

2. ME
June 2008 - CakePHP 1.2 beta
CakePHP-fr
@pierremartin http://pierre-martin.fr

3. YOU
?
Used a plugin
Wrote a plugin
Reuse regularly

4. WHY

5. Spaghetti code
Libraries
OOP, Templates
MVC and Frameworks
Fat Models Skinny Controllers
+ Reusable classes (Behaviors, Components, Helpers)

6. REUSING CODE
Plugins
Or
CPSR
Copy and Paste / Search and Replace :)

7. HOW

8. /APP/PLUGINS
my_plugin/
my_plugin_app_model.php locale/
my_plugin_app_controller.php eng/
models/ LC_MESSAGES/
behaviors/ my_plugin.po (__d())
my_plugin_foo.php webroot/
my_plugin_bar.php css/
controllers/ style.css
components/ other.css
my_plugin_foos_controller.php img/
my_plugin_bars_controller.php logo.png
views/ js/
helpers/ foobar.js
layouts/ tests/
elements/ libs/
my_plugin_foos/ vendors/
index.ctp
my_plugin_bars/
add.ctp

9. MODELS
/app/plugins/users/models/user.php
ClassRegistry::init(‘Users.User’);
App::import(‘Model’, ‘Users.User’);
public $belongsTo = array(‘Users.User’);
public $belongsTo = array(
‘User’ => array(
‘className’ => ‘Users.User’));
public $belongsTo = array(
‘User’ => array(
‘className’ => ‘Users.UsersUser’));

10. PLUGIN.THING
It works for everything!
// Behaviors
public $actsAs = array(‘Comments.Commentable’);
// Components
public $components = array(‘Twitter.TwitterAuth’);
// Helpers
public $helpers = array(‘Tags.TagCloud’);
// Libraries, Vendors, Custom routes...
App::import(‘Lib’, ‘Chuck.Norris’);

11. ACTIONS / ELEMENTS
/app/plugins/users/controllers/users_controller.php
/app/plugins/users/views/elements/login.ctp
$this->redirect(‘plugin’ => ‘users’, ‘controller’ => ‘users’, ‘action’ => ‘register’);
$this->redirect(‘plugin’ => null, ‘controller’ => ‘pages’, ‘action’ => ‘display’, ‘home’);
$this->Html->link(‘plugin’ => ‘users’, ‘controller’ => ‘users’, ‘action’ => ‘index’);
// Will generate http://domain.com/users
$this->element(‘login’, array(‘plugin’ => ‘users’, ‘foo’ => ‘bar’));

12. ASSETS
/app/plugins/jquery/webroot/js/jquery.js
/app/plugins/jquery/webroot/css/jquery.ui.css
/app/plugins/jquery/webroot/img/subdir/logo.png
$this->Html->script(‘/jquery/js/jquery.js’);
$this->Html->css(‘/jquery/css/jquery.ui.css’);
$this->Html->image(‘/jquery/img/subdir/logo.png’);

13. Source: @dogmatic69

14. EXTENDING
PLUGINS

15. WHY?
Appearance customization
App specific logic
Changing features, redirections...
Adding features

16. “USERS” PLUGIN
• User model
• id, username, password
• Users Controller
• login, logout, register, reset_password
• Views

17. VIEWS
/app/plugins/users/views/users/register.ctp
/app/views/plugins/users/users/register.ctp
<h1><?php __(‘Create a new account on Awesomeness.org’); ?>
<?php
echo $this->Form->create(‘User’);
echo $this->Form->input(‘username’);
echo $this->Form->input(‘password’);
echo $this->Form->input(‘password_confirm’);
// App specific feature
echo $this->Form->input(‘Profile.newsletter’, array(
‘label’ => __(‘Suscribe to our newsletter’, true),
‘type’ => ‘checkbox’));
echo $this->Form->end(__(‘I want to be awesome!’, true));
?>

18. MODELS
<?php
App::import(‘Model’, ‘Users.User’);
class MyUser extends User {
// [...]
public $hasOne = array(‘Profile’);
// [...]
public function __construct($id = false, $table = null, $ds = null) {
parent::__construct($id, $table, $ds);
$this->validate[‘username’][‘length’] = array(
‘rule’ => array(‘minLength’, 5));
}
// [...]
public function register($data) {
$success = parent::register($data);
if ($success) {
// Your business logic here
}
return $success;
}
// [...]
public function foobar() { }
}
?>

19. CONTROLLERS
<?php
App::import(‘Controller’, ‘Users.Users’);
class MyUsersController extends UsersController {
// [...]
public function beforeFilter() {
$this->User = ClassRegistry::init('MyUser');
parent::beforeFilter();
$this->Auth->deny('index');
}
// [...]
public function register() {
if (!empty($this->data)) {
if ($this->User->register($this->data)) {
// Your app specific logic here
$this->redirect(‘controller’ => ‘pages’, ‘action’ => ‘display’, ‘welcome’);
}
}
parent::register();
}
// [...]
public function foobar() { }
}
?>

20. TO
DO
I mp
CONTROLLERS rov
em
e
Router::connect(
'/users/:action/*',
array('plugin' => ‘users’, 'controller' => 'users'));
Router::connect(
'/users/:action/*',
array('plugin' => null, 'controller' => 'my_users'));
public function render($action = null, $layout = null, $file = null) {
if (is_null($action)) {
$action = $this->action;
}
if ($action !== false) {
if (!file_exists(VIEWS . 'my_users' . DS . $action . '.ctp')) {
$file = App::pluginPath('users') . 'views' . DS . 'users' . DS . $action . '.ctp';
}
}
return parent::render($action, $layout, $file);
}

21. ... AND IT WORKS WITH
EVERYTHING
Helpers, Libraries, Components, Behaviors...
App::import(‘Behavior’, ‘Comments.Commentable’);
class MyCommentable extends Commentable {
}

22. TIPS AND
TRICKS
Serious stuff coming!

23. DON’T
TRUST ME!
Unless you’ve tried it yourself

24. REUSE EXISTING PLUGINS
CakePHP’s main feature is its community
CakePackages.com:
•548 CakePHP related projects
•284 developers

25. KISS
Refactor Extend

26. USE OBJECTS ATTRIBUTES
// Models
$this->alias
$this->name
$this->displayField
$this->primaryKey
$this->data[‘User’][‘id’]; // Before
$this->data[$this->alias][$this->primaryKey]; // After
// Controllers
$this->plugin
$this->modelClass // MyModel
$this->modelKey // my_model
$this->name
Add attributes to your classes!

27. COMPONENTS ARE THE KEY!
Add some magic in your plugins

28. HELPER AUTOLOADING
class CommentManager extends Object {
public $autoHelper = true;
public $helperName = ‘Comments.CommentWidget’;
public function beforeRender(Controller $Controller) {
if ($this->autoHelper) {
$Controller->helpers[] = $helperName;
}
}
}

29. BEHAVIOR AUTOLOADING
class CommentManager extends Object {
public $autoBehavior = true;
public $behaviorName = ‘Comments.Commentable’;
public function startup(Controller $Controller) {
$Model = $Controller->{$Controller->modelClass};
if ($autoBehavior && !$Model->Behaviors->attached($this->behaviorName)) {
$Model->Behaviors->attach($this->behaviorName);
}
}
}

30. AUTODETECTED ACTIONS
class CommentManager extends Object {
public $autoActions = true;
public function startup(Controller $Controller) {
if ($autoActions) {
if (!empty($Controller->data[‘Comment’])) {
// [...] Automatically save the comment
$Controller->redirect($Controller->referer());
}
}
}
}

31. AUTO DATA FETCHING
class FoobarManager extends Object {
public function beforeRender(Controller $Controller) {
$data = [...]; // Your logic here to get the correct data for the view
$Controller->set(‘data_for_foobar_helper’, $data);
}
}

32. HELPERS THAT HELP
• Reduce PHP code in views
• Unique entry point
• Deal with elements
• Performance optimization

33. ... BEHIND THE SCENE
class FoobarHelper extends AppHelper {
public function beforeRender() {
if (ClassRegistry::isKeySet('view')) {
$View = ClassRegistry::getObject('view');
$this->_data = $View->getVar('data_for_foobar_helper');
}
}
}

34. public function display($element = 'carts/view', $options) {
if (!ClassRegistry::isKeySet('view')) { return; }
if (empty($cartData)) {
if (is_a($this->Session, 'SessionHelper') && $this->Session->check('Cart')) {
$cartData = $this->Session->read('Cart');
} else {
$cartData = $this->requestAction($this->cartRequestUrl);
}
}
if (empty($cartData)) {
trigger_error(__d('cart', 'No cart found.', true), E_USER_NOTICE);
} else {
// [...] Format the data and add default options (caching...)
$options['cartData'] = $cartData;
return ClassRegistry::getObject('view')->element($element, $options);
}
}

35. USE THE CONFIGURE CLASS
• With default values
• Configure::load()
public function __construct($id = false, $table = null, $ds = null) {
$userClass = Configure::read('App.UserClass');
if (empty($userClass)) {
$userClass = 'User';
}
$this->belongsTo['User'] = array(
'className' => $userClass,
'foreignKey' => 'user_id');
// [...]
}

36. CALLBACKS / HOOKS
class StuffableBehavior extends ModelBehavior {
public function doStuff(Model $Model, $id) {
if ($Model->isStuffable($id)) {
// [...]
if (method_exists($Model, ‘afterStuff’)) {
$Model->afterStuff();
}
}
}
// Fallback, default logic
public function isStuffable(Model $Model, $id) {
return true;
}
}

37. HIGHLIGHT ERRORS
Trigger errors for the developer
Throw Exceptions for the User
$mandatory = Configure::read('Foo.bar');
if (empty($mandatory)) {
trigger_error(‘You must configure your Foobar’, E_USER_ERROR);
}
public function doStuff($id) {
$Model->id = $id;
if (!$Model->exists($id)) {
throw new OutOfBoundsException(__(‘Invalid object’, true));
}
}

38. MAKE MIGRATIONS EASY
• Version your code, tag versions (KISS, Extend, Refactor)
• Document API changes between versions
• Use CakeDC’s awesome Migrations plugin!
• Schema updates
• Initial data
• Configuration assistance

39. ... AND ALSO
• Write tests
• Use __d(‘myplugin’, ‘This is my text’);
• Document your code
• Provide interfaces to implement (Lib)
• Write tests... really!

40. WHAT IS
MISSING?

41. NAMESPACES
ClassRegistry downsides
MyPluginFoobarsController

42. PLUGINS DIRECTORY
Reduce plugin duplication
“Diversity is good... with moderation”
CakePackages.com

43. PLUGIN MANAGER
Shell
Generic installer
Migrations

44. METADATA
Version
Dependencies
Implemented “Interface”

45. QUESTIONS?
@pierremartin http://pierre-martin.fr