CODEWITHSUNDEEP
phpmodel-view-controllercodeignitermodule
Jess
Jess

Reputation: 8700

How to modularize CodeIgniter?

Well, I have been thinking a lot about the first real CodeIgniter site I am coding. I want to modularize the site in such a way that I have a controller that formats the navbar, one that formats a multipurpose right column, and one that formats the content area.

My idea is to have a controller for each state of any part of the site (an example would be the right column, it would have 3 states; new posts, related posts, and search filters). I would also have the content area be many different states aswell (things like search results, view post, new posts, etc).

The problem is that I can't find a way to take multiple controller outputs and compile it into a single template (notice, I said controllers, not views).

I have seen the HMVC extension, but that is going to far for my first site, and am hoping for a more simplistic solution (unless you can prove me wrong, and show that HMVC is easier than what I've seen).

Upvotes: 0

Views: 963

Answers (2)

Anthony Jack
Anthony Jack

Reputation: 5563

For what you're trying to accomplish the matchbox module suggested in the comments seems way overkill. I don't think that using controllers to format each of these areas is a very good approach to take.

Usually people who want the type of functionality that you're describing when working with CodeIgniter end up using a template library. There are several open source template libraries for CodeIgniter that can easily be found with a google search for "codeigniter template library".

I've never used any of them so I will not recommend any particular library. However the app that I'm working on has borrowed some ideas from Phil Sturgeon's template library. You may not find an exact match to features that you need but at least you'll be able to draw some inspiration from solutions that others have come up with.

Upvotes: 1

Demian Brecht
Demian Brecht

Reputation: 21378

This seems a little wonky to me in an MVC model.

If you're using a single stateful view for your right panel that might change state based on input (i.e. which page the user is currently on), then I would add a model for the panel. The controller's action would be responsible for setting the correct model state (i.e. "you're in home page state"). The model could be responsible for telling the right panel view which child views to load.

That's how I'd probably implement something like that anyway. HMVC seems overkill and with this example, wouldn't be used as intended.

Upvotes: 1

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