Writing Your First App

What is app?

phpFox separate application structure to App, App provide a new function, giving new blocks that administrators put into template, integrate phpFox with external platforms etc Amazon S3, even modify the way phpFox platform work.

Creating a New App

The best way to get things started is to create a small app showing the most common API functions we use. Our example create a TodoList, it's a simple todolist application, allow members share to do list.

To create an app, go to AdminCP -> Apps -> New App -> put {YourAppID} on the popup -> Click submit. Then check the folder /PF.Site/Apps/{YourAppID}/, you will see some default files and folders there.

Describe App Structure

Ajax: This directory contains Ajax handler classes
assets: This directory contains raw assets such as the images, css, javascript, ...
Block: This directory contains block classes
Controller: This directory contains controller classes
Service: This directory contains service classes
hooks: This directory contains plugin scripts
views: This directory contain template scripts
phrase.json: This file declares language phrases
icon.png: This is icon of your app
Install.php: This file contains installation script of your app
start.php: This file contains bootstrap scripts.

Write Your First Controller

Add new php class IndexController under directory ./PF.Site/Apps/TodoList/Controller/ paste example code.

<?php

namespace Apps\TodoList\Controller;

// Index controller must be child of \Phpfox_Component class.
//
class IndexController extends \Phpfox_Component
{
    public function process()
    {

        // Get phpFox core template service
        $template = $this->template();

        // set view title
        $template->setTitle('To Do List');

        // set view breadcrumb
        
        // get url
        $url = $this->url()->makeUrl('to-do-list');
        
        $template->setBreadCrumb('To Do List',$url);

        // add your section menus
        $template->buildSectionMenu('to-do-list', [
            'Browse' => $this->url()->makeUrl('/to-do-list'),
            'Create' => $this->url()->makeUrl('/to-do-list/add'),
        ]);
    }
}

Add new template file index.html.php under /PF.Site/Apps/FirstApp/views/controller, paste following code

<p>Hello, to do list home page</p>

Now we define route to define configurations, edit start.php, paste following code.

<?php

namespace Apps\TodoList;

// Load phpFox module service instance, this is core of phpFox service,
// module service contains your app configuration. 
$module =\Phpfox_Module::instance();

// Instead of \Apps\FirstApp every where. Let register an alias `first_app` that map to our app.
$module->addAliasNames('todo', 'TodoList');

// Register your controller here
$module->addComponentNames('controller', [
        'todo.index' => Controller\IndexController::class,
    ]);

// Register template directory
$module->addTemplateDirs([
        'todo' => PHPFOX_DIR_SITE_APPS . 'where/views',
    ]);


route('to-do-list',function (){
    \Phpfox_Module::instance()->dispatch('todo.index');
    return 'controller';    
});

All your php classes must have namespace Apps\TodoList, This help autoloader know where to load scripts.

Open browse, in address bar append /index.php/to-do-list/, then see the result.

Add Main Menu

Main menu will be added automatically by phpFox, edit Install.php,

update function setAlias

<?php
    protected function setAlias()
    {
        $this->alias = 'todo';
    }

update function setVersion() php <?php protected function setVersion() { $this->version = '4.1.0'; }

update function setOthers

<?php
    protected function setOthers()
    {
        $this->menu = [
            "name" => "To Do List",  // Menu label
            "url"  => "/to-do-list", // Menu Url
            "icon" => "tasks"      // Menu icons, see http://fontawesome.io/icons/
        ];
    }

Then update your app to apply your modification. How to update app configurations Open browser again, see result:

Add Buttons

Buttons menu is handle by Template service, you get template service from anywhere using Phpfox::getLib('template'), within controller, service you can invoke method template() to get the Template service.

pasted code into IndexController.php

$template->menu('Add To Do', $this->url()->makeUrl('/to-do-list/add'));

Click on `ADD TO DO`, a not found page will be shown, The next chapter will guide you how to create new controller to handle `Add` process, show input form about to do list task, store item to database. [Next Chapter](add-todo.md)

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