The BranchLabs applicant project involves implementing a basic ORM in PHP and then integrating it with a framework. Yes, you may be duplicating functionality already provided by your framework of choice, but that's okay.
The project generally takes folks around 4 hours.
If you run into any questions while reviewing the documentation or implementing the project, feel free to send your interviewer an email.
Subjects tested:
- OO Concepts
- MySQL
- CRUD
- Object-relational mapping
In this folder you will find
Contact.php
- File with code to be used for testingcontacts.sql
- Test datacontact_test.php
- Unit tests
There is a class in Contact.php
that extends a parent class called AbstractModel
. You will need to build this abstract class.
To develop AbstractModel
, you will need to:
-
Import
contacts.sql
into a MySQL database -
Write
AbstractModel.php
-
Confirm
contacts_test.php
runs correctly. -
REQUIRED METHODS
public function save()
public function load($id)
public function delete($id=false)
public function getData($key=false)
public function setData($arr, $value=false)
You will need to make database calls in these methods. Please use the PHP MySQL adapter of your choice.
NOTE: You do not need to make AbstractModel
work with composite keys. Assume all models extending from this table use a single primary key.
Subjects tested:
- MVC
- Framework Exposure
Using a framework of your choice, incorporate the abstract model into a simple application. Like mentioned above, even if your framework already has an ORM, try integrating this simple one with it and using it instead. Feel free to rename the classes to make them work better within your Framework.
Application guidelines:
- Must have a URL where a contact's information is visible—something like example.com/contact/view/id/[some_id]
- Must use the Contact model shown above to load the record.
If you have extra time, feel free to add extra bits of polish.
Once you've completed the project, submit a pull request on this project with your implementation and shoot us an email back. Let your interview what you thought about the project, and any issues or questions you had while working on it. Context and communication is important on a remote team!