Design Patterns in XOOPS¶

2.5.x ✅ 2026 ✅

Design patterns are reusable solutions to common software design problems. XOOPS employs several well-established patterns that help maintain code quality, improve testability, and enhance system flexibility.

Quick Pattern Selection

Not sure which pattern to use? See: - Choosing a Data Access Pattern — handlers vs repository vs service vs CQRS - Choosing an Event System — preloads vs PSR-14 events

Overview¶

Understanding and properly implementing design patterns is crucial for creating maintainable XOOPS modules. This guide covers the most commonly used patterns in XOOPS development.

Pattern	Purpose	Common Use Cases
MVC	Separation of concerns	Module structure
Singleton	Single instance guarantee	Database connections
Factory	Object creation abstraction	Handlers, database
Observer	Event notification	Preloads, notifications
Decorator	Dynamic behavior extension	Form elements, filters
Strategy	Algorithm interchange	Authentication, validation
Adapter	Interface compatibility	Legacy code integration
Repository	Data access abstraction	Data persistence

Model-View-Controller (MVC)¶

The MVC pattern separates an application into three interconnected components, making the codebase more organized and testable.

Architecture¶

flowchart TB
    subgraph MVC["MVC Pattern in XOOPS"]
        Controller["🎮 Controller<br/>(index.php, admin/index.php)"]
        Model["📦 Model<br/>(Handlers)"]
        View["🎨 View<br/>(Templates)"]

        Controller --> Model
        Controller --> View
        Model <--> View
    end

    style Controller fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#1976d2
    style Model fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#f57c00
    style View fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#388e3c

Model (Data Layer)¶

<?php
namespace XoopsModules\MyModule;

class Article extends \XoopsObject
{
    public function __construct()
    {
        $this->initVar('article_id', XOBJ_DTYPE_INT, null, false);
        $this->initVar('title', XOBJ_DTYPE_TXTBOX, '', true, 255);
        $this->initVar('content', XOBJ_DTYPE_TXTAREA, '', true);
        $this->initVar('author_id', XOBJ_DTYPE_INT, 0, true);
        $this->initVar('status', XOBJ_DTYPE_INT, 1, false);
        $this->initVar('created', XOBJ_DTYPE_INT, time(), false);
        $this->initVar('modified', XOBJ_DTYPE_INT, time(), false);
    }

    public function isPublished(): bool
    {
        return $this->getVar('status') === 1;
    }

    public function getFormattedDate(): string
    {
        return formatTimestamp($this->getVar('created'));
    }
}

class ArticleHandler extends \XoopsPersistableObjectHandler
{
    public function __construct(\XoopsDatabase $db)
    {
        parent::__construct($db, 'mymodule_articles', Article::class, 'article_id', 'title');
    }

    public function getPublishedArticles(int $limit = 10): array
    {
        $criteria = new \CriteriaCompo();
        $criteria->add(new \Criteria('status', 1));
        $criteria->setSort('created');
        $criteria->setOrder('DESC');
        $criteria->setLimit($limit);

        return $this->getObjects($criteria);
    }
}

View (Presentation Layer)¶

{* templates/article_list.tpl *}
<div class="article-list">
    <h2>{$smarty.const._MD_MYMODULE_ARTICLES}</h2>

    {foreach from=$articles item=article}
        <article class="article-item">
            <h3>
                <a href="{$xoops_url}/modules/mymodule/article.php?id={$article.article_id}">
                    {$article.title|escape}
                </a>
            </h3>
            <p class="meta">
                {$smarty.const._MD_MYMODULE_POSTED}: {$article.formatted_date}
            </p>
            <div class="content">
                {$article.content|truncate:200}
            </div>
        </article>
    {/foreach}
</div>

Controller (Logic Layer)¶

<?php
// index.php
require_once dirname(__DIR__, 2) . '/mainfile.php';

use XoopsModules\MyModule\Helper;

$helper = Helper::getInstance();
$articleHandler = $helper->getHandler('Article');

// Get action from request
$op = \Xmf\Request::getString('op', 'list');

switch ($op) {
    case 'view':
        $articleId = \Xmf\Request::getInt('id', 0);
        $article = $articleHandler->get($articleId);

        if (!$article) {
            redirect_header(XOOPS_URL, 3, _MD_MYMODULE_NOT_FOUND);
        }

        $GLOBALS['xoopsOption']['template_main'] = 'mymodule_article_view.tpl';
        require_once XOOPS_ROOT_PATH . '/header.php';

        $xoopsTpl->assign('article', $article->toArray());
        break;

    case 'list':
    default:
        $articles = $articleHandler->getPublishedArticles(10);

        $GLOBALS['xoopsOption']['template_main'] = 'mymodule_article_list.tpl';
        require_once XOOPS_ROOT_PATH . '/header.php';

        $xoopsTpl->assign('articles', array_map(fn($a) => $a->toArray(), $articles));
        break;
}

require_once XOOPS_ROOT_PATH . '/footer.php';

Singleton Pattern¶

The Singleton pattern ensures a class has only one instance and provides global access to it.

When to Use¶

Database connections
Configuration managers
Logger instances
Cache managers

Implementation¶

<?php
namespace XoopsModules\MyModule;

class ConfigurationManager
{
    private static ?self $instance = null;
    private array $config = [];

    private function __construct()
    {
        // Load configuration
        $this->loadConfiguration();
    }

    // Prevent cloning
    private function __clone() {}

    // Prevent unserialization
    public function __wakeup()
    {
        throw new \Exception("Cannot unserialize singleton");
    }

    public static function getInstance(): self
    {
        if (self::$instance === null) {
            self::$instance = new self();
        }

        return self::$instance;
    }

    private function loadConfiguration(): void
    {
        $helper = Helper::getInstance();
        $this->config = [
            'items_per_page' => $helper->getConfig('items_per_page', 10),
            'allow_comments' => $helper->getConfig('allow_comments', true),
            'date_format' => $helper->getConfig('date_format', 'Y-m-d'),
        ];
    }

    public function get(string $key, mixed $default = null): mixed
    {
        return $this->config[$key] ?? $default;
    }
}

// Usage
$config = ConfigurationManager::getInstance();
$itemsPerPage = $config->get('items_per_page');

XOOPS Core Examples¶

<?php
// XoopsDatabaseFactory uses Singleton pattern
$db = XoopsDatabaseFactory::getDatabaseConnection();

// XMF Module Helper uses Singleton
$helper = \Xmf\Module\Helper::getHelper('mymodule');

// Xoops main instance
$xoops = \Xoops::getInstance();

Factory Pattern¶

The Factory pattern creates objects without specifying their exact class, allowing for flexible object creation.

When to Use¶

Creating handlers dynamically
Database connections for different databases
Authentication providers
Form element creation

Implementation¶

<?php
namespace XoopsModules\MyModule;

interface ContentInterface
{
    public function render(): string;
}

class ArticleContent implements ContentInterface
{
    private array $data;

    public function __construct(array $data)
    {
        $this->data = $data;
    }

    public function render(): string
    {
        return "<article><h2>{$this->data['title']}</h2><p>{$this->data['body']}</p></article>";
    }
}

class NewsContent implements ContentInterface
{
    private array $data;

    public function __construct(array $data)
    {
        $this->data = $data;
    }

    public function render(): string
    {
        return "<div class='news'><h3>{$this->data['headline']}</h3><p>{$this->data['summary']}</p></div>";
    }
}

class ContentFactory
{
    public static function create(string $type, array $data): ContentInterface
    {
        return match ($type) {
            'article' => new ArticleContent($data),
            'news' => new NewsContent($data),
            default => throw new \InvalidArgumentException("Unknown content type: $type"),
        };
    }
}

// Usage
$article = ContentFactory::create('article', ['title' => 'Hello', 'body' => 'World']);
echo $article->render();

XOOPS Database Factory¶

<?php
class XoopsDatabaseFactory
{
    public static function getDatabaseConnection()
    {
        static $instance;

        if (!isset($instance)) {
            $dbType = XOOPS_DB_TYPE ?? 'mysql';
            $className = 'XoopsDatabase' . ucfirst($dbType);

            if (!class_exists($className)) {
                $file = XOOPS_ROOT_PATH . '/class/database/' . strtolower($dbType) . '.php';
                if (file_exists($file)) {
                    require_once $file;
                }
            }

            $instance = new $className();

            if (!$instance->connect()) {
                trigger_error('Unable to connect to database', E_USER_ERROR);
            }
        }

        return $instance;
    }
}

Observer Pattern¶

The Observer pattern allows objects to be notified of changes to a subject's state, enabling event-driven behavior.

When to Use¶

Event handling
Notification systems
Plugin architectures
Logging and auditing

Implementation¶

<?php
namespace XoopsModules\MyModule;

interface ObserverInterface
{
    public function update(string $event, array $data): void;
}

class EventDispatcher
{
    private array $observers = [];

    public function attach(string $event, ObserverInterface $observer): void
    {
        if (!isset($this->observers[$event])) {
            $this->observers[$event] = [];
        }

        $this->observers[$event][] = $observer;
    }

    public function detach(string $event, ObserverInterface $observer): void
    {
        if (isset($this->observers[$event])) {
            $key = array_search($observer, $this->observers[$event], true);
            if ($key !== false) {
                unset($this->observers[$event][$key]);
            }
        }
    }

    public function notify(string $event, array $data = []): void
    {
        if (isset($this->observers[$event])) {
            foreach ($this->observers[$event] as $observer) {
                $observer->update($event, $data);
            }
        }
    }
}

class EmailNotifier implements ObserverInterface
{
    public function update(string $event, array $data): void
    {
        if ($event === 'article.published') {
            // Send email notification
            $this->sendEmail($data['article']);
        }
    }

    private function sendEmail($article): void
    {
        $xoopsMailer = xoops_getMailer();
        $xoopsMailer->setSubject('New Article Published: ' . $article->getVar('title'));
        $xoopsMailer->setBody('A new article has been published.');
        $xoopsMailer->send();
    }
}

// Usage
$dispatcher = new EventDispatcher();
$dispatcher->attach('article.published', new EmailNotifier());

// When article is published
$dispatcher->notify('article.published', ['article' => $article]);

XOOPS Preloads (Observer Implementation)¶

<?php
// modules/mymodule/preloads/core.php
class MymoduleCorePreload extends XoopsPreloadItem
{
    public static function eventCoreIncludeCommonEnd($args)
    {
        // React to core common include completing
        $GLOBALS['xoopsLogger']->addExtra('MyModule', 'Initialized');
    }

    public static function eventCoreHeaderEnd($args)
    {
        // Add custom headers
        $GLOBALS['xoTheme']->addStylesheet('modules/mymodule/assets/css/custom.css');
    }

    public static function eventCoreFooterStart($args)
    {
        // Execute before footer renders
    }
}

Decorator Pattern¶

The Decorator pattern adds behavior to objects dynamically without affecting other objects of the same class.

When to Use¶

Form element customization
Output formatting
Permission checking
Caching layers

Implementation¶

<?php
namespace XoopsModules\MyModule;

interface FormElementInterface
{
    public function render(): string;
}

class TextInput implements FormElementInterface
{
    private string $name;
    private string $value;

    public function __construct(string $name, string $value = '')
    {
        $this->name = $name;
        $this->value = $value;
    }

    public function render(): string
    {
        return sprintf(
            '<input type="text" name="%s" value="%s">',
            htmlspecialchars($this->name),
            htmlspecialchars($this->value)
        );
    }
}

abstract class FormElementDecorator implements FormElementInterface
{
    protected FormElementInterface $element;

    public function __construct(FormElementInterface $element)
    {
        $this->element = $element;
    }

    public function render(): string
    {
        return $this->element->render();
    }
}

class RequiredDecorator extends FormElementDecorator
{
    public function render(): string
    {
        return $this->element->render() . '<span class="required">*</span>';
    }
}

class LabelDecorator extends FormElementDecorator
{
    private string $label;

    public function __construct(FormElementInterface $element, string $label)
    {
        parent::__construct($element);
        $this->label = $label;
    }

    public function render(): string
    {
        return sprintf(
            '<label>%s</label>%s',
            htmlspecialchars($this->label),
            $this->element->render()
        );
    }
}

class HelpTextDecorator extends FormElementDecorator
{
    private string $helpText;

    public function __construct(FormElementInterface $element, string $helpText)
    {
        parent::__construct($element);
        $this->helpText = $helpText;
    }

    public function render(): string
    {
        return $this->element->render() . sprintf(
            '<small class="help-text">%s</small>',
            htmlspecialchars($this->helpText)
        );
    }
}

// Usage - decorators can be stacked
$input = new TextInput('username');
$input = new RequiredDecorator($input);
$input = new LabelDecorator($input, 'Username');
$input = new HelpTextDecorator($input, 'Enter your username');

echo $input->render();
// Output: <label>Username</label><input type="text" name="username" value=""><span class="required">*</span><small class="help-text">Enter your username</small>

Strategy Pattern¶

The Strategy pattern defines a family of algorithms, encapsulates each one, and makes them interchangeable.

When to Use¶

Multiple authentication methods
Different sorting algorithms
Various export formats
Flexible validation rules

Implementation¶

<?php
namespace XoopsModules\MyModule;

interface AuthStrategyInterface
{
    public function authenticate(string $username, string $password): bool;
}

class DatabaseAuthStrategy implements AuthStrategyInterface
{
    public function authenticate(string $username, string $password): bool
    {
        $memberHandler = xoops_getHandler('member');
        $user = $memberHandler->loginUser($username, $password);

        return $user !== false;
    }
}

class LdapAuthStrategy implements AuthStrategyInterface
{
    private string $ldapHost;
    private int $ldapPort;

    public function __construct(string $host, int $port = 389)
    {
        $this->ldapHost = $host;
        $this->ldapPort = $port;
    }

    public function authenticate(string $username, string $password): bool
    {
        $ldap = ldap_connect($this->ldapHost, $this->ldapPort);

        if (!$ldap) {
            return false;
        }

        $bind = @ldap_bind($ldap, "uid=$username,ou=users,dc=example,dc=com", $password);

        ldap_close($ldap);

        return $bind;
    }
}

class AuthService
{
    private AuthStrategyInterface $strategy;

    public function __construct(AuthStrategyInterface $strategy)
    {
        $this->strategy = $strategy;
    }

    public function setStrategy(AuthStrategyInterface $strategy): void
    {
        $this->strategy = $strategy;
    }

    public function login(string $username, string $password): bool
    {
        return $this->strategy->authenticate($username, $password);
    }
}

// Usage
$authService = new AuthService(new DatabaseAuthStrategy());

// Can switch strategies at runtime
if ($useLdap) {
    $authService->setStrategy(new LdapAuthStrategy('ldap.example.com'));
}

$authenticated = $authService->login($username, $password);

Repository Pattern¶

The Repository pattern provides an abstraction layer between data access logic and business logic.

When to Use¶

Complex data access requirements
Multiple data sources
Testable data layers
Domain-Driven Design

Implementation¶

<?php
namespace XoopsModules\MyModule\Repository;

use XoopsModules\MyModule\Entity\Article;

interface ArticleRepositoryInterface
{
    public function find(int $id): ?Article;
    public function findBySlug(string $slug): ?Article;
    public function findPublished(int $limit = 10, int $offset = 0): array;
    public function save(Article $article): bool;
    public function delete(Article $article): bool;
}

class ArticleRepository implements ArticleRepositoryInterface
{
    private \XoopsPersistableObjectHandler $handler;

    public function __construct(\XoopsPersistableObjectHandler $handler)
    {
        $this->handler = $handler;
    }

    public function find(int $id): ?Article
    {
        $obj = $this->handler->get($id);
        return $obj ?: null;
    }

    public function findBySlug(string $slug): ?Article
    {
        $criteria = new \Criteria('slug', $slug);
        $objects = $this->handler->getObjects($criteria);

        return !empty($objects) ? $objects[0] : null;
    }

    public function findPublished(int $limit = 10, int $offset = 0): array
    {
        $criteria = new \CriteriaCompo();
        $criteria->add(new \Criteria('status', 'published'));
        $criteria->setSort('published_at');
        $criteria->setOrder('DESC');
        $criteria->setLimit($limit);
        $criteria->setStart($offset);

        return $this->handler->getObjects($criteria);
    }

    public function save(Article $article): bool
    {
        return $this->handler->insert($article);
    }

    public function delete(Article $article): bool
    {
        return $this->handler->delete($article);
    }
}

Dependency Injection¶

Dependency Injection (DI) allows objects to be constructed with their dependencies instead of creating them internally.

Benefits¶

Improved testability
Loose coupling
Flexible configuration
Better code organization

Implementation¶

<?php
namespace XoopsModules\MyModule;

class ArticleService
{
    private Repository\ArticleRepositoryInterface $repository;
    private CacheInterface $cache;
    private LoggerInterface $logger;

    public function __construct(
        Repository\ArticleRepositoryInterface $repository,
        CacheInterface $cache,
        LoggerInterface $logger
    ) {
        $this->repository = $repository;
        $this->cache = $cache;
        $this->logger = $logger;
    }

    public function getArticle(int $id): ?Entity\Article
    {
        $cacheKey = "article_{$id}";

        // Try cache first
        if ($this->cache->has($cacheKey)) {
            $this->logger->debug("Article {$id} loaded from cache");
            return $this->cache->get($cacheKey);
        }

        // Load from repository
        $article = $this->repository->find($id);

        if ($article) {
            $this->cache->set($cacheKey, $article, 3600);
            $this->logger->debug("Article {$id} loaded from database");
        }

        return $article;
    }
}

// Service container setup
$container = new DependencyContainer();

$container->register('db', fn() => XoopsDatabaseFactory::getDatabaseConnection());

$container->register('articleHandler', fn($c) =>
    new ArticleHandler($c->resolve('db'))
);

$container->register('articleRepository', fn($c) =>
    new Repository\ArticleRepository($c->resolve('articleHandler'))
);

$container->register('cache', fn() => new FileCache(XOOPS_VAR_PATH . '/caches'));

$container->register('logger', fn() => new XoopsLogger());

$container->register('articleService', fn($c) =>
    new ArticleService(
        $c->resolve('articleRepository'),
        $c->resolve('cache'),
        $c->resolve('logger')
    )
);

// Usage
$articleService = $container->resolve('articleService');
$article = $articleService->getArticle(1);

Best Practices¶

Pattern Selection Guidelines¶

Choose patterns based on actual needs, not anticipated ones
Keep implementations simple - don't over-engineer
Document pattern usage for team understanding
Combine patterns when appropriate (e.g., Factory + Singleton)
Consider testability when selecting patterns

Common Anti-Patterns to Avoid¶

Anti-Pattern	Problem	Solution
God Object	Class does too much	Single Responsibility
Spaghetti Code	No clear structure	Use MVC pattern
Copy-Paste	Code duplication	Extract common code
Magic Numbers	Unclear constants	Use named constants
Tight Coupling	Hard to test/maintain	Use Dependency Injection

Testing Patterns¶

<?php
// Unit testing with dependency injection
class ArticleServiceTest extends \PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase
{
    private $repository;
    private $cache;
    private $logger;
    private $service;

    protected function setUp(): void
    {
        $this->repository = $this->createMock(ArticleRepositoryInterface::class);
        $this->cache = $this->createMock(CacheInterface::class);
        $this->logger = $this->createMock(LoggerInterface::class);

        $this->service = new ArticleService(
            $this->repository,
            $this->cache,
            $this->logger
        );
    }

    public function testGetArticleFromCache(): void
    {
        $article = new Article();
        $article->setVar('article_id', 1);

        $this->cache->expects($this->once())
            ->method('has')
            ->with('article_1')
            ->willReturn(true);

        $this->cache->expects($this->once())
            ->method('get')
            ->with('article_1')
            ->willReturn($article);

        $result = $this->service->getArticle(1);

        $this->assertSame($article, $result);
    }
}

XOOPS-Architecture - Overall system architecture
Database Layer - Data persistence patterns
Security Best Practices - Secure pattern implementation

xoops #design-patterns #architecture #mvc #singleton #factory #observer¶

Design Patterns in XOOPS¶

Overview¶

Model-View-Controller (MVC)¶

Architecture¶

Model (Data Layer)¶

View (Presentation Layer)¶

Controller (Logic Layer)¶

Singleton Pattern¶

When to Use¶

Implementation¶

XOOPS Core Examples¶

Factory Pattern¶

When to Use¶

Implementation¶

XOOPS Database Factory¶

Observer Pattern¶

When to Use¶

Implementation¶

XOOPS Preloads (Observer Implementation)¶

Decorator Pattern¶

When to Use¶

Implementation¶

Strategy Pattern¶

When to Use¶

Implementation¶

Repository Pattern¶

When to Use¶

Implementation¶

Dependency Injection¶

Benefits¶

Implementation¶

Best Practices¶

Pattern Selection Guidelines¶

Common Anti-Patterns to Avoid¶

Testing Patterns¶

Related Documentation¶

xoops #design-patterns #architecture #mvc #singleton #factory #observer¶