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Home > Web Development > Server Side Web Development > Learning Phalcon PHP
Learning Phalcon PHP
Learning Phalcon PHP

Learning Phalcon PHP: Learn Phalcon interactively and build high-performance web applications

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Learning Phalcon PHP

Chapter 2. Setting Up the MVC Structure and the Environment for Our Project

In the previous chapter, we summarized the most common parts of Phalcon. Next, we will try to set up the "Hello world" page for our project. In this chapter, we will cover these topics:

  • An introduction to MVC—what is MVC?
  • The MVC structure
  • Creating a configuration file and the Bootstrap
  • Preparing the initial DI interface and the router
  • Using the router component in a module
  • Creating the base layout

What is MVC?

I am pretty sure that if you are reading this book, you are already familiar with the MVC pattern, but for beginners, we will try to explain this in a few words.

MVC is defined as an architectural pattern, and it stands for Model-View-Controller; it is used mostly in web development, but it is widely applied in software that needs a Graphical User Interface (GUI). To make this introduction quick, let's explain these components:

  • Model: This is usually used as an abstraction layer, and validation for the tables of a database, but it can be used to handle any kind of logic within the application.
  • View: A view, usually, represents a template (can be an HTML file) that the controller will render.
  • Controller: In a web application, the controller handles all the HTTP requests and sends an appropriate response. This response can mean rendering a template, outputting JSON data, and so on.

Note

For the exact definition, I suggest you check out the Wikipedia page of the MVC pattern at...

The MVC structure

This subject (like many other subjects) is quite sensitive. It depends on how much experience you have and how you are used to structure your projects. In a web application, most of the time we have models, views (templates), controllers, and assets (images, JavaScript files, and style sheets). Based on this, I like the following structure, because it's easy to understand where a file resides and what its purpose is.

For a single module application, we can have the following structure:

The MVC structure

For a multi-module application, we can have the following structure:

The MVC structure

As you can see, it is quite easy to know exactly what a file is used for and where we can find it. In the end, you should choose the structure that fits your needs but keep in mind that if you are going to work in a team, it should be intuitive enough for any new member.

Creating the structure for our project

Now, we are going to create the structure for our project. In the first chapter, we created the /var/www/learning-phalcon.localhost folder. If you have another location, go there and create the following directory structure:

Creating the structure for our project

Next, let's create the index.php file that will handle our application. This file will be the default file in our web server:

<?php

header('Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8');
mb_internal_encoding("UTF-8");

require_once __DIR__.'/../modules/Bootstrap.php';

$app = new Bootstrap('frontend');
$app->init();
?>

In the first two lines, we set the header and internal encoding to UTF-8. This is a good practice if you are going to use special characters / diacritics. In the fourth line, we include a file named Bootstrap.php. This file is the Bootstrap of our project, and we will create its content in a few moments. On the next lines, we create a new instance of Bootstrap with a...

Creating the configuration file and the Bootstrap

Almost any application has some constants that will be reused (database credentials, SMTP credentials, and so on). For our application, we will create a global configuration file. This file will be an instance of the \Phalcon\Config component. Switch to the config directory and create it with the following content:

<?php

return new \Phalcon\Config(array(
    'application' => array(
        'name' => 'Learning Phalcon'
    ),
    'root_dir' => __DIR__.'/../',
    'redis' => array(
        'host' => '127.0.0.1',
        'port' => 6379,
    ),
    'session' => array(
        'unique_id' => 'learning_phalcon',
        'name' => 'learning_phalcon',
        'path' => 'tcp://127.0.0.1:6379?weight=1'
    ),
    'view' => array(
        'cache...

Preparing the initial DI interface and the router

In the Bootstrap, we don't have two files: services.php and routing.php. The services.php file will hold the information about global services that our application will use, and the routing.php file will hold information about our routes. Let's start by creating the services.php file in our config folder with the following content:

<?php
use \Phalcon\Logger\Adapter\File as Logger;

$di['session'] = function () use ($config) {

    $session = new \Phalcon\Session\Adapter\Redis(array(
        'uniqueId' => $config->session->unique_id,
        'path' => $config->session->path,
        'name' => $config->session->name
    ));

    $session->start();

    return $session;
};

$di['security'] = function () {
    $security = new \Phalcon\Security();
    $security->setWorkFactor(10);

    return $security;
};

$di['redis'] = function () use ...

What is MVC?

I am pretty sure that if you are reading this book, you are already familiar with the MVC pattern, but for beginners, we will try to explain this in a few words.

MVC is defined as an architectural pattern, and it stands for Model-View-Controller; it is used mostly in web development, but it is widely applied in software that needs a Graphical User Interface (GUI). To make this introduction quick, let's explain these components:

  • Model: This is usually used as an abstraction layer, and validation for the tables of a database, but it can be used to handle any kind of logic within the application.

  • View: A view, usually, represents a template (can be an HTML file) that the controller will render.

  • Controller: In a web application, the controller handles all the HTTP requests and sends an appropriate response. This response can mean rendering a template, outputting JSON data, and so on.

Note

For the exact definition, I suggest you check out the Wikipedia page of the MVC pattern at http...

The MVC structure

This subject (like many other subjects) is quite sensitive. It depends on how much experience you have and how you are used to structure your projects. In a web application, most of the time we have models, views (templates), controllers, and assets (images, JavaScript files, and style sheets). Based on this, I like the following structure, because it's easy to understand where a file resides and what its purpose is.

For a single module application, we can have the following structure:

For a multi-module application, we can have the following structure:

As you can see, it is quite easy to know exactly what a file is used for and where we can find it. In the end, you should choose the structure that fits your needs but keep in mind that if you are going to work in a team, it should be intuitive enough for any new member.

Creating the structure for our project

Now, we are going to create the structure for our project. In the first chapter, we created the /var/www/learning-phalcon.localhost folder. If you have another location, go there and create the following directory structure:

Next, let's create the index.php file that will handle our application. This file will be the default file in our web server:

<?php

header('Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8');
mb_internal_encoding("UTF-8");

require_once __DIR__.'/../modules/Bootstrap.php';

$app = new Bootstrap('frontend');
$app->init();
?>

In the first two lines, we set the header and internal encoding to UTF-8. This is a good practice if you are going to use special characters / diacritics. In the fourth line, we include a file named Bootstrap.php. This file is the Bootstrap of our project, and we will create its content in a few moments. On the next lines, we create a new instance of Bootstrap with a default module (frontend), and we initialize...

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Description

Phalcon is a full-stack PHP framework implemented as a C extension. Building applications with Phalcon will offer you lower resource consumption and high performance whether your application runs on a Linux machine or a Windows one. Phalcon is loosely coupled, allowing you to use its objects as glue components based on the needs of your application. Phalcon PHP's mission is to give you an advanced tool to develop faster websites and applications. This book covers the most common and useful parts of PhalconPHP, which will guide you to make the right decisions while developing a Phalcon-driven application. You will begin the journey by installing and setting up Phalcon for your environment followed by the development of each module. You will be introduced to Phalcon's ORM and ODM. Furthermore, you will also be able to create the first models and database architecture for your project. You will then cover command-line applications, API module, volt syntax, and hierarchical views. Installing and working with Node and Bower for assets management will also be covered. Finally, you will gain insights into creating the backoffice and frontend module along with best practices and resources for development with Phalcon PHP. By the end of this book, you will be able to confidently develop any kind of application using the Phalcon PHP framework in a short time.

Who is this book for?

If you are a web developer and want to build effective web applications with Phalcon PHP, then this book is ideal for you. The book does not assume detailed knowledge of PHP frameworks.

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Aug 26, 2015
Length: 328 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783555109
Category :
Web Development
Languages :
PHP
Concepts :
Server Side Web Development
Tools :
Phalcon PHP

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Product Details

Publication date : Aug 26, 2015
Length: 328 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783555109
Category :
Web Development
Languages :
PHP
Concepts :
Server Side Web Development
Tools :
Phalcon PHP

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Frequently bought together

Phalcon Cookbook
Phalcon Cookbook
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Learning Phalcon PHP
Learning Phalcon PHP
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Aug 2015 328 pages
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Table of Contents

11 Chapters
1. Getting Started with Phalcon Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
1. Getting Started with Phalcon
Installing the required software
Installing Phalcon
The Apache and Nginx configuration files
Understanding the framework's internals
Summary
2. Setting Up the MVC Structure and the Environment for Our Project Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Setting Up the MVC Structure and the Environment for Our Project
What is MVC?
The MVC structure
Creating the structure for our project
Creating the configuration file and the Bootstrap
Preparing the initial DI interface and the router
Using the router component in a module
Create the base layout
Summary
3. Learning Phalcon's ORM and ODM Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Learning Phalcon's ORM and ODM
The main differences between SQL and NoSQL databases
Connecting to the database
ORM/ODM operations (create, update, delete, transactions, and validations)
CRUD operations using ORM
Using PHQL
Using raw SQL
Database transactions
ODM/MongoDB
ORM – drawbacks and caching
Summary
4. Database Architecture, Models, and CLI Applications Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Database Architecture, Models, and CLI Applications
The database architecture
Models
Summary
5. The API Module Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. The API Module
Using APIs – recommended practices
Enabling SSL on our local machine
Creating the module structure
Writing a fully functional REST module with Phalcon PHP
Securing an API
Documenting the API
Summary
6. Assets, Authentication, and ACL Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Assets, Authentication, and ACL
Assets management
Developing an authentication system
Securing the application using the ACL component
Summary
7. The Backoffice Module (Part 1) Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. The Backoffice Module (Part 1)
Editing the main layout
Cleaning the Core module
Hashtag CRUD
Category CRUD
Summary
8. The Backoffice Module (Part 2) Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. The Backoffice Module (Part 2)
User CRUD
User templates
Article CRUD
Summary
9. The Frontend Module Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. The Frontend Module
The Frontend layout and basic functionality
Modifying BaseController.php
Implementing ElasticSearch
Implementing MongoDB
Summary
10. Going Further Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Going Further
Uploading files with Phalcon
Using the Annotation router
Summary
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index

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About the author

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Rada
Calin Rada is a full-stack developer with over 10 years of experience in web development; system architecture; database modeling; the setup, configuration, and administration of servers and hosting systems; and understanding customer and business needs. He is always interested in learning new things and working with new technologies.
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