Controllers & Routing

Controllers receive HTTP requests and coordinate responses. Combined with routing, they form the backbone of request handling.

Basic Controller Structure

<?php
// src/Controllers/UserController.php

namespace App\Controllers;

use App\Models\User;

class UserController {
    private User $userModel;
    
    public function __construct(User $userModel) {
        $this->userModel = $userModel;
    }
    
    // GET /users - List all users
    public function index(): string {
        $users = $this->userModel->all();
        return view('users/index', ['users' => $users]);
    }
    
    // GET /users/{id} - Show single user
    public function show(int $id): string {
        $user = $this->userModel->find($id);
        
        if (!$user) {
            http_response_code(404);
            return view('errors/404');
        }
        
        return view('users/show', ['user' => $user]);
    }
    
    // POST /users - Store new user
    public function store(): void {
        $data = [
            'name' => $_POST['name'] ?? '',
            'email' => $_POST['email'] ?? '',
            'password' => $_POST['password'] ?? ''
        ];
        
        $userId = $this->userModel->create($data);
        
        header("Location: /users/{$userId}");
        exit;
    }
}

RESTful Route Conventions

Route Definitions

<?php
// src/Routes/web.php

use App\Controllers\HomeController;
use App\Controllers\UserController;

// Home routes
$router->get('/', [HomeController::class, 'index']);

// User routes (RESTful)
$router->get('/users', [UserController::class, 'index']);
$router->get('/users/create', [UserController::class, 'create']);
$router->post('/users', [UserController::class, 'store']);
$router->get('/users/{id}', [UserController::class, 'show']);
$router->put('/users/{id}', [UserController::class, 'update']);
$router->delete('/users/{id}', [UserController::class, 'destroy']);

API Controller Example

<?php
// src/Controllers/Api/UserApiController.php

class UserApiController {
    public function index(): void {
        $users = $this->userModel->all();
        
        header('Content-Type: application/json');
        echo json_encode([
            'success' => true,
            'data' => $users
        ]);
    }
    
    public function show(int $id): void {
        $user = $this->userModel->find($id);
        
        if (!$user) {
            http_response_code(404);
            echo json_encode(['error' => 'Not found']);
            return;
        }
        
        header('Content-Type: application/json');
        echo json_encode(['success' => true, 'data' => $user]);
    }
}

Useful Resources

• 📚 RESTful API Design Guide
• 📖 PSR-7: HTTP Message Interface