Using the atkFrontController - Revision history

Bahati at 08:54, 11 March 2011

2011-03-11T08:54:22Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:54, 11 March 2011
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	= Preface =		= Preface =
	The atkFrontController can be used to implement the MVC pattern in your web application. It's part of [[ATK]] and can be used stand-alone for ATK applications. If you use a recent version of ATK ~~or WDE~~ the atkFrontController is out-of-the-box available without any special installation or configuration needed. The atkFrontController has been heavily inspired by [http://www.rubyonrails.org Ruby on Rails].		The atkFrontController can be used to implement the MVC pattern in your web application. It's part of [[ATK]] and can be used stand-alone for ATK applications. If you use a recent version of ATK the atkFrontController is out-of-the-box available without any special installation or configuration needed. The atkFrontController has been heavily inspired by [http://www.rubyonrails.org Ruby on Rails].

	This how-to will give a short introduction on usage of the atkFrontController in stand-alone mode. It will soon be extended to add information about ~~usage in WDE,~~ usage of Ajax and some new features that will be coming soon.		This how-to will give a short introduction on usage of the atkFrontController in stand-alone mode. It will soon be extended to add information about usage of Ajax and some new features that will be coming soon.

	= Basic usage =		= Basic usage =

Bahati: /* Preface */

2011-03-10T13:42:06Z

Preface

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:42, 10 March 2011
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	= Preface =		= Preface =
	The atkFrontController can be used to implement the MVC pattern in your web application. It's part of [[ATK]] and can be used stand-alone for ATK applications ~~but can also be easily integrated in [[WDE]] using the atkFrontController plug-in~~. If you use a recent version of ATK or WDE the atkFrontController is out-of-the-box available without any special installation or configuration needed. The atkFrontController has been heavily inspired by [http://www.rubyonrails.org Ruby on Rails].		The atkFrontController can be used to implement the MVC pattern in your web application. It's part of [[ATK]] and can be used stand-alone for ATK applications. If you use a recent version of ATK or WDE the atkFrontController is out-of-the-box available without any special installation or configuration needed. The atkFrontController has been heavily inspired by [http://www.rubyonrails.org Ruby on Rails].

	This how-to will give a short introduction on usage of the atkFrontController in stand-alone mode. It will soon be extended to add information about usage in WDE, usage of Ajax and some new features that will be coming soon.		This how-to will give a short introduction on usage of the atkFrontController in stand-alone mode. It will soon be extended to add information about usage in WDE, usage of Ajax and some new features that will be coming soon.

Boy: /* Spicing things up */

2008-10-09T18:44:51Z

Spicing things up

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:44, 9 October 2008
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	<form action="{_url}" method='post' onsubmit="new Ajax.Updater('result', '{_url action="result"}', {literal}{ parameters: Form.serialize(this) }{/literal}); return false;">		<form action="{_url}" method='post' onsubmit="new Ajax.Updater('result', '{_url action="result"}', {literal}{ parameters: Form.serialize(this) }{/literal}); return false;">
	<input ~~id='helloname'~~ type="text" name="name" value="{$name\|escape}" />		<input type="text" name="name" value="{$name\|escape}" />
	<input type="submit" value="Say hello!" />		<input type="submit" value="Say hello!" />
	</form>		</form>

Boy: /* Spicing things up */

2008-10-09T18:42:27Z

Spicing things up

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:42, 9 October 2008
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	<input type="submit" value="Say hello!" />		<input type="submit" value="Say hello!" />
	</form>		</form>

	{_partial "result"}		{_partial "result"}

Boy: /* Spicing things up */

2008-10-09T18:42:12Z

Spicing things up

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:42, 9 October 2008
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	<input type="submit" value="Say hello!" />		<input type="submit" value="Say hello!" />
	</form>		</form>

	{_partial "result"}		{_partial "result"}

Boy: /* Spicing things up */

2008-10-09T18:41:54Z

Spicing things up

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:41, 9 October 2008
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	Now that we've created our controller and actions, let's create the template for the ''index'' action, named ''index.tpl'':		Now that we've created our controller and actions, let's create the template for the ''index'' action, named ''index.tpl'':

	<form action="{_url}" onsubmit="new Ajax.Updater('result', '{_url action="result"}', { parameters: Form.serialize(this~~.form~~) }); return false;">		<form action="{_url}" method='post' onsubmit="new Ajax.Updater('result', '{_url action="result"}', {literal}{ parameters: Form.serialize(this) }{/literal}); return false;">
	<input type="text" name="name" value="{$name\|escape}" />		<input id='helloname' type="text" name="name" value="{$name\|escape}" />
	<input type="submit" value="Say hello!" />		<input type="submit" value="Say hello!" />
	</form>		</form>

	{_partial "result"}		{_partial "result"}

	Inside the ''index'' action template we use some new tags. The ''{_url}'' tag renders a string containing an URL to a certain controller action. If you don't specify the ''controller'' parameter it assumes you want to use the current controller. So in the example above we render the URL to the ''result'' action of the ''hello'' controller. The ''{_partial}'' tag can be used to include partials in your template. The partial template has all template variables available of the action template but you can choose to override template variables by specifying them as parameters for the ''{_partial}'' tag.		Inside the ''index'' action template we use some new tags. The ''{_url}'' tag renders a string containing an URL to a certain controller action. If you don't specify the ''controller'' parameter it assumes you want to use the current controller. So in the example above we render the URL to the ''result'' action of the ''hello'' controller. The ''{_partial}'' tag can be used to include partials in your template. The partial template has all template variables available of the action template but you can choose to override template variables by specifying them as parameters for the ''{_partial}'' tag.

Boy: /* Basic usage */

2008-09-17T18:40:15Z

Basic usage

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:40, 17 September 2008
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	First you need to checkout ATK or download the latest ATK nightly in a directory that's browseable by your webserver. Copy ''atk.inc'' and the example ''config.inc.php'' from the ''atk/skel'' directory to the root directory of your application. Create a directory ''atktmp'' and make it writeable to your webserver. Create a file named ''index.php'' with the following contents:		First you need to checkout ATK or download the latest ATK nightly in a directory that's browseable by your webserver. Copy ''atk.inc'' and the example ''config.inc.php'' from the ''atk/skel'' directory to the root directory of your application. Create a directory ''atktmp'' and make it writeable to your webserver. Create a file named ''index.php'' with the following contents:
	<syntaxhighlight lang="php">		<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
	<?php		<?php
	$config_atkroot = "./";		$config_atkroot = "./";
	require_once($config_atkroot."atk.inc");		require_once($config_atkroot."atk.inc");

			module("example");

	atkimport('atk.front.atkfrontcontroller');		atkimport('atk.front.atkfrontcontroller');
	$~~request~~ = $_REQUEST;		$content = atkFrontController::dispatchRequest($_REQUEST);
	$output = atkinstance('atk.ui.atkoutput');
	~~$content = atkFrontController::dispatchRequest($request~~);		$output = atkinstance('atk.ui.atkoutput');
	$output->output($content);		$output->output($content);
	$output->outputFlush();		$output->outputFlush();
			?>
	</syntaxhighlight>		</syntaxhighlight>
	Create a directory ''modules'' and inside this directory create a directory called ''example'', this will be the ATK module we will be working from. Inside the module directory you need to create a directory called ''controllers''. Inside this directory you can place your controller files. A controller file should be named ''class.<name>controller.inc'' where ''<name>'' can be replaced by your custom name. Inside the controller file you should create a class which follows the same naming scheme and extends the atkFrontController class. E.g.		Create a directory ''modules'' and inside this directory create a directory called ''example'', this will be the ATK module we will be working from. Inside the module directory you need to create a directory called ''controllers''. Inside this directory you can place your controller files. A controller file should be named ''class.<name>controller.inc'' where ''<name>'' can be replaced by your custom name. Inside the controller file you should create a class which follows the same naming scheme and extends the atkFrontController class. E.g.

Peter at 08:01, 1 August 2007

2007-08-01T08:01:24Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:01, 1 August 2007
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	= Basic usage =		= Basic usage =
	First you need to checkout ATK or download the latest ATK nightly in a directory that's browseable by your webserver. Copy ''atk.inc'' and the example ''config.inc.php'' from the ''atk/skel'' directory to the root directory of your application. Create a directory ''atktmp'' and make it writeable to your webserver. Create a file named ''index.php'' with the following contents:		First you need to checkout ATK or download the latest ATK nightly in a directory that's browseable by your webserver. Copy ''atk.inc'' and the example ''config.inc.php'' from the ''atk/skel'' directory to the root directory of your application. Create a directory ''atktmp'' and make it writeable to your webserver. Create a file named ''index.php'' with the following contents:
			<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
	<?php		<?php
	$config_atkroot = "./";		$config_atkroot = "./";
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	$output->output($content);		$output->output($content);
	$output->outputFlush();		$output->outputFlush();
			</syntaxhighlight>
	Create a directory ''modules'' and inside this directory create a directory called ''example'', this will be the ATK module we will be working from. Inside the module directory you need to create a directory called ''controllers''. Inside this directory you can place your controller files. A controller file should be named ''class.<name>controller.inc'' where ''<name>'' can be replaced by your custom name. Inside the controller file you should create a class which follows the same naming scheme and extends the atkFrontController class. E.g.		Create a directory ''modules'' and inside this directory create a directory called ''example'', this will be the ATK module we will be working from. Inside the module directory you need to create a directory called ''controllers''. Inside this directory you can place your controller files. A controller file should be named ''class.<name>controller.inc'' where ''<name>'' can be replaced by your custom name. Inside the controller file you should create a class which follows the same naming scheme and extends the atkFrontController class. E.g.
			<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
	class HelloController extends atkFrontController		class HelloController extends atkFrontController
	{		{
	}		}
			</syntaxhighlight>
	The example controller above should be placed in a file named ''class.hellocontroller.inc''.		The example controller above should be placed in a file named ''class.hellocontroller.inc''.

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	uses the following naming scheme ''<name>Action'' and is declared public. Inside an action you can		uses the following naming scheme ''<name>Action'' and is declared public. Inside an action you can
	assign template variables as if they were instance variables of your controller you can also choose to use your controller as if it were an array and assign template variables that way. E.g.		assign template variables as if they were instance variables of your controller you can also choose to use your controller as if it were an array and assign template variables that way. E.g.
			<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
	class HelloController extends atkFrontController		class HelloController extends atkFrontController
	{		{
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	// assign another template variable (method 2)		// assign another template variable (method 2)
	$this['name] = $this->request->name;		$this['name'] = $this->request->name;
	}		}
	}		}
			</syntaxhighlight>
	In the example above you can also see that request variables can be accessed by the /$this->request/ object. In the same manner you can store/retrieve information to/from the session using the /$this->session/ object.		In the example above you can also see that request variables can be accessed by the /$this->request/ object. In the same manner you can store/retrieve information to/from the session using the /$this->session/ object.

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	= Spicing things up =		= Spicing things up =
	Until now we've only seen the tip of the iceberg. The real power of the atkFrontController relies in the way you can link actions together, use Ajax etc. So let's look at a more complex version of our ''HelloController''. Instead of having to add a ''name'' parameter to the URL we create a nice form in which the user can enter his/her name. If the user clicks on the ''"Say hello!"'' button we want to update a ''div'' on the page with a message saying hello to the user. We will use Ajax to update the ''div'' so that we don't need to refresh the complete page. But, because we are good programmers, we also respect people that have JavaScript turned off or have a browser that doesn't support JavaScript, if that's the case the form must be posted the normal way. So let's first look at our updated controller:		Until now we've only seen the tip of the iceberg. The real power of the atkFrontController relies in the way you can link actions together, use Ajax etc. So let's look at a more complex version of our ''HelloController''. Instead of having to add a ''name'' parameter to the URL we create a nice form in which the user can enter his/her name. If the user clicks on the ''"Say hello!"'' button we want to update a ''div'' on the page with a message saying hello to the user. We will use Ajax to update the ''div'' so that we don't need to refresh the complete page. But, because we are good programmers, we also respect people that have JavaScript turned off or have a browser that doesn't support JavaScript, if that's the case the form must be posted the normal way. So let's first look at our updated controller:
			<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
	class HelloController extends atkFrontController		class HelloController extends atkFrontController
	{		{
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	}		}
	}		}
			</syntaxhighlight>
	Still doesn't look that complicated, does it? The ''result'' action needs some explanation though. As you can see the last call inside this action is a call to the method ''renderPartial''. As we've seen before if you simply assign some template variables in your action method ATK automatically renders a template with the same name as your action. If you want to (re-)use another template you can call the ''render'' method inside your action method and specify a different template. However, you can also choose to call the ''renderPartial'' or ''renderContent'' method.		Still doesn't look that complicated, does it? The ''result'' action needs some explanation though. As you can see the last call inside this action is a call to the method ''renderPartial''. As we've seen before if you simply assign some template variables in your action method ATK automatically renders a template with the same name as your action. If you want to (re-)use another template you can call the ''render'' method inside your action method and specify a different template. However, you can also choose to call the ''renderPartial'' or ''renderContent'' method.

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	There is some other stuff you should look at when developing your own controllers. Inside your action method you can not only call one of the ''render'' methods but you can also call the ''redirect'' method. This method can be used to redirect to other controllers/actions after you are done in your action. You can also call the ''url'' method to build an action URL. If you want to change the content type for your action you can call the ''setContentType'' method. For more utility methods please look at the PHPdocs for the atkFrontController.		There is some other stuff you should look at when developing your own controllers. Inside your action method you can not only call one of the ''render'' methods but you can also call the ''redirect'' method. This method can be used to redirect to other controllers/actions after you are done in your action. You can also call the ''url'' method to build an action URL. If you want to change the content type for your action you can call the ''setContentType'' method. For more utility methods please look at the PHPdocs for the atkFrontController.

	= ~~Future~~ =		= More to come =
	The atkFrontController is actively being developed. At the moment we are working on adding routing and improving the caching support. This how-to will be updated with more information on this subject as soon as it will be available in ATK.		The atkFrontController is actively being developed. At the moment we are working on adding routing and improving the caching support. This how-to will be updated with more information on this subject as soon as it will be available in ATK.

Peter: /* Future */

2007-07-31T13:11:06Z

Future

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:11, 31 July 2007
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	That's it! Try it out (<nowiki>http://localhost/?uri=example/hello/index</nowiki>) and you will see that the ''result'' div is updated without a full page refresh. Also try what happens when you turn JavaScript off. The form should still work as expected, but this time a full page refresh will be needed.		That's it! Try it out (<nowiki>http://localhost/?uri=example/hello/index</nowiki>) and you will see that the ''result'' div is updated without a full page refresh. Also try what happens when you turn JavaScript off. The form should still work as expected, but this time a full page refresh will be needed.

			= Miscellaneous =
			There is some other stuff you should look at when developing your own controllers. Inside your action method you can not only call one of the ''render'' methods but you can also call the ''redirect'' method. This method can be used to redirect to other controllers/actions after you are done in your action. You can also call the ''url'' method to build an action URL. If you want to change the content type for your action you can call the ''setContentType'' method. For more utility methods please look at the PHPdocs for the atkFrontController.

	= Future =		= Future =
	The atkFrontController is actively being developed. At the moment we are working on adding routing and improving the caching support. This how-to will be updated with more information on ~~the routing and caching~~ as soon as it will be available in ATK.		The atkFrontController is actively being developed. At the moment we are working on adding routing and improving the caching support. This how-to will be updated with more information on this subject as soon as it will be available in ATK.

Peter: /* Spicing things up */

2007-07-31T13:03:10Z

Spicing things up

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:03, 31 July 2007
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	Inside the ''index'' action template we use some new tags. The ''{_url}'' tag renders a string containing an URL to a certain controller action. If you don't specify the ''controller'' parameter it assumes you want to use the current controller. So in the example above we render the URL to the ''result'' action of the ''hello'' controller. The ''{_partial}'' tag can be used to include partials in your template. The partial template has all template variables available of the action template but you can choose to override template variables by specifying them as parameters for the ''{_partial}'' tag.		Inside the ''index'' action template we use some new tags. The ''{_url}'' tag renders a string containing an URL to a certain controller action. If you don't specify the ''controller'' parameter it assumes you want to use the current controller. So in the example above we render the URL to the ''result'' action of the ''hello'' controller. The ''{_partial}'' tag can be used to include partials in your template. The partial template has all template variables available of the action template but you can choose to override template variables by specifying them as parameters for the ''{_partial}'' tag.

	We use [http://www.prototypejs.org Prototype]'s ''Ajax.Updater'' to update an element called ''result'' with the results of the ''result'' action of our controller. We supply the action with all the form parameters using the ''Form.serialize'' method. We also return false in the ''onsubmit'' so we can be sure the form will not be posted the normal way. However, for people who don't have JavaScript (turned on) the ''onsubmit'' will never be called. Instead the form is posted the normal way to the given URL in the ''action'' parameter. We used the ''{_url}'' tag with no parameters to the URL to the current controller and action. In other words, if the user doesn't have JavaScript we will post the ''name'' field to the ''index'' action.		We use [http://www.prototypejs.org Prototype's] ''Ajax.Updater'' to update an element called ''result'' with the results of the ''result'' action of our controller. We supply the action with all the form parameters using the ''Form.serialize'' method. We also return false in the ''onsubmit'' so we can be sure the form will not be posted the normal way. However, for people who don't have JavaScript (turned on) the ''onsubmit'' will never be called. Instead the form is posted the normal way to the given URL in the ''action'' parameter. We used the ''{_url}'' tag with no parameters to the URL to the current controller and action. In other words, if the user doesn't have JavaScript we will post the ''name'' field to the ''index'' action.

	The ''partial'' result template needs to be named ''_result.tpl'' and needs to have the following contents:		The ''partial'' result template needs to be named ''_result.tpl'' and needs to have the following contents:
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	</html>		</html>

	That's it! Try it out and you will see that the ''result'' div is updated without a full page refresh. Also try what happens when you turn JavaScript off~~, the~~ form should still work as expected, but this time a full page refresh will be needed.		That's it! Try it out (<nowiki>http://localhost/?uri=example/hello/index</nowiki>) and you will see that the ''result'' div is updated without a full page refresh. Also try what happens when you turn JavaScript off. The form should still work as expected, but this time a full page refresh will be needed.

	= Future =		= Future =
	The atkFrontController is actively being developed. At the moment we are working on adding routing and improving the caching support. This how-to will be updated with more information on the routing and caching as soon as it will be available in ATK.		The atkFrontController is actively being developed. At the moment we are working on adding routing and improving the caching support. This how-to will be updated with more information on the routing and caching as soon as it will be available in ATK.