Code Organization Best Practices in XOOPS¶

Proper code organization is essential for maintainability, scalability, and team collaboration.

Module Directory Structure¶

A well-organized XOOPS module should follow this structure:

mymodule/
├── xoops_version.php           # Module metadata
├── index.php                    # Frontend entry point
├── admin.php                    # Admin entry point
├── class/
│   ├── Controller/             # Request handlers
│   ├── Handler/                # Data handlers
│   ├── Repository/             # Data access
│   ├── Entity/                 # Domain objects
│   ├── Service/                # Business logic
│   ├── DTO/                    # Data transfer objects
│   └── Exception/              # Custom exceptions
├── templates/                  # Smarty templates
│   ├── admin/                  # Admin templates
│   └── blocks/                 # Block templates
├── assets/
│   ├── css/                    # Stylesheets
│   ├── js/                     # JavaScript
│   └── images/                 # Images
├── sql/                        # Database schemas
├── tests/                      # Unit and integration tests
├── docs/                       # Documentation
└── composer.json              # Composer configuration

Naming Conventions¶

PHP Naming Standards (PSR-12)¶

Classes:      PascalCase         (UserController, PostRepository)
Methods:      camelCase          (getUserById, createUser)
Properties:   camelCase          ($userId, $username)
Constants:    UPPER_SNAKE_CASE   (DEFAULT_LIMIT, MAX_USERS)
Functions:    snake_case         (get_user_data, validate_email)
Files:        PascalCase.php     (UserController.php)

File and Directory Organization¶

• One class per file
• Filename matches class name
• Directory structure matches namespace hierarchy
• Keep related classes together
• Use consistent naming across module

PSR-4 Autoloading¶

Composer Configuration¶

{
  "autoload": {
    "psr-4": {
      "Xoops\\Module\\Mymodule\\": "class/"
    }
  }
}

Manual Autoloader¶

<?php
class Autoloader
{
    public static function register()
    {
        spl_autoload_register([self::class, 'autoload']);
    }

    public static function autoload($class)
    {
        $prefix = 'Xoops\\Module\\Mymodule\\';
        if (strpos($class, $prefix) !== 0) {
            return;
        }

        $relative = substr($class, strlen($prefix));
        $file = __DIR__ . '/' . 
                str_replace('\\', '/', $relative) . '.php';

        if (file_exists($file)) {
            require $file;
        }
    }
}
?>

Best Practices¶

1. Single Responsibility¶

• Each class should have one reason to change
• Separate concerns into different classes
• Keep classes focused and cohesive

2. Consistent Naming¶

• Use meaningful, descriptive names
• Follow PSR-12 coding standards
• Avoid abbreviations unless obvious
• Use consistent patterns

3. Directory Organization¶

• Group related classes together
• Separate concerns into subdirectories
• Keep templates and assets organized
• Use consistent file naming

4. Namespace Usage¶

• Use proper namespaces for all classes
• Follow PSR-4 autoloading
• Namespace matches directory structure

5. Configuration Management¶

• Centralize configuration in config directory
• Use environment-based configuration
• Don't hardcode settings

Module Bootstrap¶

<?php
class Bootstrap
{
    private static $serviceContainer;
    private static $initialized = false;

    public static function initialize()
    {
        if (self::$initialized) {
            return;
        }

        global $xoopsDB;
        self::$serviceContainer = new ServiceContainer($xoopsDB);
        self::$initialized = true;
    }

    public static function getServiceContainer()
    {
        if (!self::$initialized) {
            self::initialize();
        }
        return self::$serviceContainer;
    }
}
?>

Related Documentation¶

See also: - Error-Handling for exception management - Testing for test organization - MVC-Pattern for controller structure

Tags: #best-practices #code-organization #psr-4 #module-development