Restructure The Package

[mbabker]

Summary of Changes

The package currently ships abstract classes that aren't largely useful on their own and forces a structure where all models are stateful. I propose to restructure things a bit.

First, I introduce two new interfaces, DatabaseModelInterface and StatefulModelInterface which define models which are aware of our database driver or hold a state. These interfaces only define getters for their data sources.

Second, I have deprecated the existing ModelInterface, models should implement the interfaces they need if desired. The setter for the state remains in this deprecated interface.

Third, I have deprecated the abstract classes. They don't provide anything useful on their own.

Fourth, I have created traits for the new interfaces which defines an implementation for the getters, a class property for the data, and setters for optional dependency injection not using a constructor.

The end result is the 2.0 package will only contain the two new interfaces and the traits.

[eddieajau]

For what it's worth, and with the benefit of 5 years of hindsight, I've come to find very little need for any sort of Model Interface at all. The only place I use something akin to a concrete instance are for defining data structures for my ORM (in Joomla terms, the Database\Table is your model). So I would say you could likely completely drop the package altogether.

DatabaseModelTrait is probably better living in the Database package.

These days I use service layers to access data, for example like what you'd find in Angular.

[mbabker]

I don't see something like JTable ever becoming a Framework package personally. So between this and joomla-framework/view#10 it in effect makes this package 100% optional and borderline obsolete.

[eddieajau]

Yeah, I agree. I only mentioned Database\Table to say that it's the closest equivalent to a structured model I use these days.