CI4TableMaker

CI4TableMaker is a helper library for the CodeIgniter 4 framework designed to extend the capabilities of the native CodeIgniter\View\Table class.

It simplifies the task of dynamically injecting action columns (such as "Edit", "Delete", or custom buttons) into HTML tables. It features support for conditional action links per row (e.g., showing a button only if the user is an Admin) and dynamic placeholder substitution for database columns in URLs.

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🚀 Installation

Add the package to your CodeIgniter 4 project using Composer:

composer require rafaelwendel/ci4tablemaker

Note

If you are using the class directly in your project's app/Libraries/ folder without Composer, you can import it using the local namespace use App\Libraries\TableMaker;. If you installed the package via Composer, import it using the package namespace: use CI4TableMaker\TableMaker;.

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🛠️ How to Use

1. Basic Usage

In your Controller, fetch your users' dataset (with columns id, name, and profile), define the action links, and send the helper instance to your View.

<?php

namespace App\Controllers;

use CI4TableMaker\TableMaker; // If installed via Composer, or use App\Libraries\TableMaker; if local

class Users extends BaseController
{
    public function index(): string
    {
        // 1. Fetch user data (e.g., from a Model)
        $userModel = new \App\Models\UserModel();
        $users = $userModel->findAll(); // Array of records containing: id, name, profile

        // 2. Instantiate TableMaker passing CodeIgniter 4's Table library
        $tableMaker = new TableMaker(new \CodeIgniter\View\Table());

        // 3. Set table template and headers. The same as \CodeIgniter4\View\Table::setTemplate() method.
        $template = [
            'table_open' => '<table class="table table-bordered table-striped">'
        ];
        $tableMaker->setTemplate($template);
        $tableMaker->setHeading(['ID', 'Name', 'Profile', 'Actions']);

        // 4. Set the data and the URL base for your action links
        $tableMaker->setData($users);
        $tableMaker->setUrlBase(base_url('users'));

        // 5. Add action links
        // It automatically replaces `{id}` with the "id" value from each row
        $tableMaker->addLink('edit/{id}', 'id', 'Edit', 'class="btn btn-primary btn-sm"');
        $tableMaker->addLink('delete/{id}', 'id', 'Delete', 'class="btn btn-danger btn-sm"');

        // 6. Send the instance to your View
        return view('users/index', ['table' => $tableMaker]);
    }
}

In your View (app/Views/users/index.php), simply print the object:

<div class="container">
    <h1>Users List</h1>
    <?= $table ?>
</div>

The code produces the following result:

ID	Name	Profile	Actions
1	Roger Federer	Admin	Edit Delete
2	Rafael Nadal	Author	Edit Delete
3	Novak Djokovic	Editor	Edit Delete
4	Andy Murray	Admin	Edit Delete

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2. Conditional Action Links

You can set conditions so an action link is only displayed if specific criteria are met. The library supports the following operators: ==, ===, !=, >, <, >=, <=.

For example, to display an "Advanced Settings" link only for users whose profile is 'Admin':

$condition = [
    'field'    => 'profile',
    'operator' => '==',
    'value'    => 'Admin'
];

$tableMaker->addLink(
    'settings/{id}', 
    'id', 
    'Advanced Settings', 
    'class="btn btn-warning btn-sm"', 
    $condition
);

Result:

ID	Name	Profile	Actions
1	Roger Federer	Admin	Edit Delete Advanced Settings
2	Rafael Nadal	Author	Edit Delete
3	Novak Djokovic	Editor	Edit Delete
4	Andy Murray	Admin	Edit Delete Advanced Settings

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3. Dynamic URL Placeholders

The library replaces wildcards inside your URL paths using any column key available in your dataset.

// Supports replacing multiple properties found in the row data
$tableMaker->addLink(
    'departments/{profile}/users/{id}/details', 
    null, 
    'View Details', 
    'class="btn btn-info btn-sm"'
);

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4. Selecting and Ordering Columns

Using the setColumns() method, you can specify exactly which columns of your dataset should be displayed in the final HTML table and define their exact order.

// Your data may contain: id, name, profile, and password_hash.
// To only display Name and Profile in this exact order:
$tableMaker->setColumns(['name', 'profile']);

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📖 Methods Reference

setHeading(...$heading): void

Sets the table headers. Accepts an array or discrete arguments.

setFooting(...$footing): void

Sets the table footer. Accepts an array or discrete arguments.

setTemplate(array $template): void

Sets the HTML table template using CodeIgniter 4's Table library array layout.

setData(iterable $data): void

Injects the dataset (array of arrays, array of objects, or database query results) that will populate the table.

setUrlBase(string $urlBase): void

Sets the prefix URL base for all action link paths.

setColumns(array $columns): void

Specifies which columns should be displayed in the HTML table and sets their render order.

setSeparator(string $separator): void

Defines the separator string inserted between action links. Default:  .

addLink(string $path, ?string $param, string $title, array|string $attr = '', ?array $condition = null): void

Adds an action link.

• $path: The link path (e.g., 'edit/{id}').
• $param: Maintained for legacy compatibility. Key whose value replaces {param} in the URL.
• $title: The link label or button HTML.
• $attr: Extra link attributes like class, id, or target (accepts string or array).
• $condition: Conditional array configuration (['field' => ..., 'operator' => ..., 'value' => ...]).

display(bool $returnData = false, string $indexTitle = 'actions'): array|string

Generates and returns the table as an HTML string by default, or returns the processed dataset as an array if $returnData is true.

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.