[5.6] Adds ability to generate single action controller

[hivokas]

This pull request adds ability to generate single action controller by specifying --action flag like this:

php artisan make:controller ShowProfile --action

[sisve]

The --action parameter is ambiguous to me. Aren't all controllers containing actions? And a --single-action is also weird, that makes it sound like the user need to know how many actions their controllers will contain up-front.

Would it make sense to extend it to allow the user to automatically create actions? make:controller --actions=showThis,doThat,invokeSomething, which would allow them to make:controller --actions=__invoke?

Or perhaps a make:controller --only-a-invoke-method-as-single-action?

[deleugpn]

You might be better off calling it a Handler instead of a Controller.

[taylorotwell]

If we're going to add this at all I think I would prefer an option like --invokable or something instead of --action.

[hivokas]

@taylorotwell it's --invokable now

[ogunkarakus]

@hivokas @taylorotwell How to define named route for this situation? Please enlighten me.

[devcircus]

@ogunkarakus

Route::post('/comment', 'StoreCommentController')->name('comment.store');

[gofish543]

Why would you want to generate a single action controller vs a regular controller?
What is the different between the two?
What is the net gain?

[deleugpn]

Relevant: https://jenssegers.com/85/goodbye-controllers-hello-request-handlers

I have been exclusively using Handlers only for a year now and I don't think I'll ever go back to Controllers.

[gofish543]

Read the article, great read. Love the concept.

So the current command does here is not really making a controller per say, but making a handler.

If Laravel was to implement this functionality why not classify these as their own group.
Create a separate artisan command, make:handler, and place it under the folder app\Http\Handlers.

In my opinion, this would be a great item to add to a 5.7 release (if there is time as I do not know the ETA on 5.7) or 5.8.

In it's current state this PR sounds like it is trying to make a controller become something it isn't. I'd definitely use this if it was expanded upon, similar to the above mentioned idea, and placed into the framework as it's own group of responders.

[devcircus]

IMO single action controllers are very much a part of modern web development. No one is making a controller something it's not. It's simply a controller with a single action that handles one specific purpose instead of a controller with 7 actions and 7 different purposes.
I have my own package that handles this, but glad to see it baked in.

[martinbean]

@gofish543 A single-action controller is still a controller. It’s still taking a request, working with domain models, and returning a response.

[hivokas]

@taylorotwell added information about --invokable flag to docs in this PR: laravel/docs#4389

[slavarazum]

@hivokas Nice idea :)
@taylorotwell I have a question. What's wrong with my previous PR? - #17821
Looks demotivating for me...