A PHP Micro Framework

An adaptation of a small framework which I originally created for projects in 2007. Designed to provide a foundation that was simplified web projects by making them easy to learn, deploy, and update. Was used at a prior employer to enable junior staff with little to no training in web development the ability to quickly produce working web-based applications. I would not recommend the usage of this beyond "quick and dirty" prototypes or learning. This does not support many of the features required in a modern enterprise application. This is more an exercise in how frameworks work and how structured structured could be used to create a MVC web framework. It is also a used to test newer features in php 8.x (original framework was written in php 4/5).

Project Conventions

• PSR-12: Extended Coding Style (https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-12/)

File Extensions

• .php = php executable or include file.
• .phtml = php template file - contains both html and php content.

General Rules

• lowercase throughout.
• snake case for functions, variables, and namespaces.
• kebab case for path components, array labels, and form input labels (example: site-users/user-assignment.json).

Functions

• pirogue\_library_init() = library initialize function.
• pirogue\_library_dispose() = internal function, library destructor function registered when library is initialized.
• pirogue\library_function() = public function within a library (example: dispatcher_redirect()).
• pirogue\_library_function() = internal function, used within dispatcher and library only(example: _dispatcher_send()).

Variables

Global Variables

Variables registered with a global array ($GLOBALS or $_SESSION) are prefixed with the '.' character to prevent them from being exported to the current symbol table (via register_globals or extract()).

• $GLOBALS['._pirogue.library.var-name'] = internal variable (prefixed with '._').
• $GLOBALS['.pirogue.library.var-name'] = public variable (prefixed with '.').

Local Variables

• $_varaible_name = interal variable that is scoped to current scope only.
• $varaible_name = public variable - can be used outside of scope.

Path

Any parts of a path that are prefixed with a '_' character are considered "protected" and are not directly accessabile to the client (can not be routed by HTTP requests). The dispatcher is repsonsible for removing these special character prefixes.

• public/public.phtml = public file, inaccessible by client directly.
• _private/end-point.phtml = internal file, inaccessible by client directly.
• public/_private.phtml = internal file, inaccessible by client directly.

Controllers

Controllers are stored in a controller directory and are loaded when needed. Each controller should implement the following functions:

• "{$controller namespace}\_{controller}_init():void"
• "{$controller namespace}\_{controller}_dispose():void"
• "{$controller namespace}\{controller}_has_access():bool"
• "{$controller namespace}\{controller}_error_404():array" - optional, intercepts and handles HTTP 404 errors from default controller.
• "{$controller namespace}\{controller}{$action}{$request method}():array" - action invoked in controller. For example, if the user requests account/index.html then this request would mapp to the account\index_get() function.

Views

Views are stored in a view directory and are loaded by the controller's action function.

Example project layout

The following defines the directory structure for a trival example site that allows users to log in, view account information and update their information.

/include
  -- pirogue/
  -- website/
/config
  -- mysqli-website.ini
/controller
  -- _default.php
  -- account.php
  -- session.php
/htdocs
  -- css/
  -- script/
  -- fonts/
  -- _dispatcher.php
/view
  -- _page.phtml
  -- account-index.phtml
  -- account-update-password.phtml
  -- account-update-info.phtml
  -- index.phtml
  -- login-form.phtml