Missing Feature: Add initController() by default in php spark make:controller

[rcorsari]

PHP Version

8.2

CodeIgniter4 Version

4.6.0

CodeIgniter4 Installation Method

Composer (using codeigniter4/appstarter)

Which operating systems have you tested for this bug?

Linux

Which server did you use?

apache

Database

MariaDB 10.8

What happened?

Hello,

I would like to propose an improvement to php spark make:controller.
Currently, when generating a controller using this command, the initController() method is not included by default.

A similar approach is already taken with php spark make:model, where generated models come pre-populated with useful default settings. I believe applying the same logic to controllers would be beneficial.

Reasons for this change:

• Most controllers end up needing at least one model.
• The implementation of initController() follows a fairly standard pattern.
• It is easier to remove unnecessary code than to remember to add important code.

Adding this by default would encourage best practices and improve the developer experience.

Let me know your thoughts!

Best regards,
R.

Steps to Reproduce

php spark make:controller

Expected Output

<?php

namespace App\Controllers;

use CodeIgniter\HTTP\RequestInterface;
use CodeIgniter\HTTP\ResponseInterface;
use Psr\Log\LoggerInterface;

class NomeController extends BaseController
{
// Uncomment and modify as needed
// protected $modelName;
// protected $helpers = ['form', 'url'];

/**
 * Constructor.
 * 
 * NOTE: Use this method only for:
 * - Injecting manually created dependencies
 * - Setting up services that don't depend on framework objects
 * - Configuring third-party libraries
 * 
 * Do NOT use return statements here!
 */
public function __construct()
{
    // Your constructor code here
    // Example: $this->customService = new CustomService();
}

/**
 * Controller initializer.
 * 
 * Use this method for all framework-dependent initialization:
 * - Loading models
 * - Accessing request/response objects
 * - Session handling
 * - Authentication checks
 */
public function initController(
    RequestInterface $request,
    ResponseInterface $response,
    LoggerInterface $logger
) {
    parent::initController($request, $response, $logger);
    
    // Initialize models, libraries, etc. here
    // $this->modelName = new \App\Models\ModelName();
}

public function index()
{
    // Your code here
}

'}`

Anything else?

No response

[samsonasik]

No, you don't rewrite initController() as new generated controller already extends BaseController, use constructor via __construct() instead if you want to do special on object creation initialization.

[neznaika0]

@samsonasik Is there any reason? I'm also extending initController().

[samsonasik]

initController() is always executed by default, if user want to do special initialization, use __construct instead, make re-init initController is bad dx, for whatever reason.

[rcorsari]

Hello
In that case , in my opinion, the documentation on the guide is confusing

have a look https://codeigniter.com/user_guide/incoming/controllers.html#constructor

In the constructor it doesn't even mention anymore __construct()

It says to use initController()

[samsonasik]

It mention the __construct, that initController called after it. You can add it, but set it by default is not good, as it it is not required.

[neznaika0]

@samsonasik I decided to move the initialization from initController() to the constructor. But there is a problem - the properties request, response, logger are not initialized. Example set $this->locale = $this->request->getLocale().

[samsonasik]

It depends of what the usage, yes, initController may be needed to be overridden, but that's not always, so make override initController by default is invalid.