XOOPS API Reference¶

Welcome to the comprehensive XOOPS API Reference documentation. This section provides detailed documentation for all core classes, methods, and systems that make up the XOOPS Content Management System.

Overview¶

The XOOPS API is organized into several major subsystems, each responsible for a specific aspect of the CMS functionality. Understanding these APIs is essential for developing modules, themes, and extensions for XOOPS.

API Sections¶

Core Classes¶

The foundation classes that all other XOOPS components build upon.

Database Layer¶

Database abstraction and query building utilities.

Form System¶

HTML form generation and validation.

Kernel Classes¶

Core system components and services.

Module System¶

Module management and lifecycle.

Template System¶

Smarty template integration.

User System¶

User management and authentication.

Architecture Overview¶

flowchart TB
    subgraph "Foundation Layer"
        XO[XoopsObject<br/>Base Class]
        XD[XoopsDatabase<br/>DB Abstraction]
        XF[XoopsForm<br/>Form Generation]
    end

    subgraph "Handler Layer"
        XOH[XoopsObjectHandler<br/>CRUD Operations]
        CR[Criteria<br/>Query Building]
        XFE[XoopsFormElement<br/>Input Types]
    end

    subgraph "Module Layer"
        XM[XoopsModule<br/>Module Management]
    end

    subgraph "Presentation Layer"
        XT[XoopsTpl<br/>Template Engine]
    end

    XO --> XOH
    XD --> CR
    XF --> XFE
    XOH --> XM
    CR --> XM
    XFE --> XM
    XM --> XT

Class Hierarchy¶

Object Model¶

classDiagram
    class XoopsObject {
        <<Base>>
        +getVar()
        +setVar()
        +toArray()
    }
    XoopsObject <|-- XoopsUser
    XoopsObject <|-- XoopsGroup
    XoopsObject <|-- XoopsModule
    XoopsObject <|-- XoopsBlock
    XoopsObject <|-- XoopsComment
    XoopsObject <|-- XoopsNotification

Handler Model¶

classDiagram
    class XoopsObjectHandler {
        <<Base>>
        +create()
        +get()
        +insert()
        +delete()
    }
    class XoopsPersistableObjectHandler {
        +getObjects()
        +getCount()
        +deleteAll()
    }
    XoopsObjectHandler <|-- XoopsPersistableObjectHandler
    XoopsPersistableObjectHandler <|-- XoopsUserHandler
    XoopsPersistableObjectHandler <|-- XoopsGroupHandler
    XoopsPersistableObjectHandler <|-- XoopsModuleHandler
    XoopsPersistableObjectHandler <|-- XoopsBlockHandler
    XoopsObjectHandler <|-- CustomModuleHandlers

Form Model¶

classDiagram
    class XoopsForm {
        <<Base>>
        +addElement()
        +render()
        +display()
    }
    XoopsForm <|-- XoopsThemeForm
    XoopsForm <|-- XoopsSimpleForm

    class XoopsFormElement {
        <<Base>>
        +getName()
        +render()
        +getValue()
    }
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormText
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormTextArea
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormSelect
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormCheckBox
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormRadio
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormButton
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormFile
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormHidden
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormLabel
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormPassword
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormEditor

Design Patterns¶

The XOOPS API implements several well-known design patterns:

Singleton Pattern¶

Used for global services like database connections and container instances.

$db = XoopsDatabase::getInstance();
$container = XoopsContainer::getInstance();

Factory Pattern¶

Object handlers create domain objects consistently.

$handler = xoops_getHandler('user');
$user = $handler->create();

Composite Pattern¶

Forms contain multiple form elements; criteria can contain nested criteria.

$criteria = new CriteriaCompo();
$criteria->add(new Criteria('status', 1));
$criteria->add(new CriteriaCompo(...)); // Nested

Observer Pattern¶

The event system allows loose coupling between modules.

$dispatcher->addListener('module.news.article_published', $callback);

Quick Start Examples¶

Creating and Saving an Object¶

// Get the handler
$handler = xoops_getHandler('user');

// Create a new object
$user = $handler->create();
$user->setVar('uname', 'newuser');
$user->setVar('email', 'user@example.com');

// Save to database
$handler->insert($user);

Querying with Criteria¶

// Build criteria
$criteria = new CriteriaCompo();
$criteria->add(new Criteria('level', 0, '>'));
$criteria->setSort('uname');
$criteria->setOrder('ASC');
$criteria->setLimit(10);

// Get objects
$handler = xoops_getHandler('user');
$users = $handler->getObjects($criteria);

Creating a Form¶

$form = new XoopsThemeForm('User Profile', 'userform', 'save.php', 'post', true);
$form->addElement(new XoopsFormText('Username', 'uname', 50, 255, $user->getVar('uname')));
$form->addElement(new XoopsFormTextArea('Bio', 'bio', $user->getVar('bio')));
$form->addElement(new XoopsFormButton('', 'submit', _SUBMIT, 'submit'));
echo $form->render();

API Conventions¶

Naming Conventions¶

Data Types¶

XOOPS defines standard data types for object variables:

Authentication Methods¶

The API supports multiple authentication methods:

API Key Authentication¶

X-API-Key: your-api-key

OAuth Bearer Token¶

Authorization: Bearer your-oauth-token

Session-Based Authentication¶

Uses existing XOOPS session when logged in.

REST API Endpoints¶

When the REST API is enabled:

Related Documentation¶

• Module Development Guide
• Theme Development Guide
• System Configuration
• Security Best Practices

Version History¶

This documentation is part of the XOOPS Knowledge Base. For the latest updates, visit the XOOPS GitHub repository.