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ADR-002: Database Abstraction

Architecture Decision Record for XOOPS's object-oriented database access pattern.

Status

Accepted - Core pattern since XOOPS 2.0

Context

XOOPS needed a database interaction strategy that would:

  1. Abstract away database-specific SQL syntax
  2. Provide consistent CRUD operations across all modules
  3. Enable automatic data sanitization and escaping
  4. Support future database engine changes
  5. Simplify common operations for developers

The alternatives were: - Raw SQL throughout the codebase - Full ORM (Doctrine, Eloquent) - Custom lightweight abstraction

Decision Diagram

graph TB
    subgraph "Application Layer"
        A[Module Code]
        B[Handler Methods]
    end

    subgraph "Abstraction Layer"
        C[XoopsObjectHandler]
        D[XoopsPersistableObjectHandler]
        E[Criteria System]
    end

    subgraph "Database Layer"
        F[XoopsDatabase]
        G[MySQLDatabase]
        H[PDO Wrapper]
    end

    subgraph "Storage"
        I[(MySQL/MariaDB)]
    end

    A --> B
    B --> C
    B --> D
    C --> E
    D --> E
    E --> F
    F --> G
    F --> H
    G --> I
    H --> I

Decision

We will implement a Handler Pattern with:

1. XoopsObject - Data Container

Each data entity extends XoopsObject:

class Item extends XoopsObject
{
    public function __construct()
    {
        $this->initVar('id', XOBJ_DTYPE_INT, null, false);
        $this->initVar('title', XOBJ_DTYPE_TXTBOX, '', true, 255);
        $this->initVar('content', XOBJ_DTYPE_TXTAREA, '', false);
        $this->initVar('status', XOBJ_DTYPE_INT, 0, false);
    }
}

2. Handler - Operations Manager

Each object has a corresponding handler:

class ItemHandler extends XoopsPersistableObjectHandler
{
    public function __construct($db)
    {
        parent::__construct($db, 'mymodule_items', Item::class, 'id', 'title');
    }

    // CRUD methods inherited:
    // - create(), get(), insert(), delete()
    // - getObjects(), getCount(), getAll()
}

3. Criteria - Query Builder

Object-oriented query conditions:

$criteria = new CriteriaCompo();
$criteria->add(new Criteria('status', 1));
$criteria->add(new Criteria('created', time() - 86400, '>='));
$criteria->setSort('created');
$criteria->setOrder('DESC');
$criteria->setLimit(10);

$items = $handler->getObjects($criteria);

Data Type Constants

// Variable types with automatic sanitization
XOBJ_DTYPE_INT       // Integer
XOBJ_DTYPE_TXTBOX    // Single-line text (escaped)
XOBJ_DTYPE_TXTAREA   // Multi-line text (escaped)
XOBJ_DTYPE_EMAIL     // Email validation
XOBJ_DTYPE_URL       // URL validation
XOBJ_DTYPE_ARRAY     // Serialized array
XOBJ_DTYPE_OTHER     // No processing
XOBJ_DTYPE_FLOAT     // Floating point

Handler Inheritance

classDiagram
    class XoopsObjectHandler {
        <<abstract>>
        #db: XoopsDatabase
        +create(): XoopsObject
        +get(id): XoopsObject
        +insert(object): bool
        +delete(object): bool
    }

    class XoopsPersistableObjectHandler {
        +getObjects(criteria): array
        +getCount(criteria): int
        +getAll(criteria): array
        +deleteAll(criteria): bool
        +updateAll(field, value, criteria): bool
    }

    class ItemHandler {
        +getPublishedItems(): array
        +getByCategory(catId): array
    }

    XoopsObjectHandler <|-- XoopsPersistableObjectHandler
    XoopsPersistableObjectHandler <|-- ItemHandler

Consequences

Positive

  1. Consistency: All modules use same patterns
  2. Security: Automatic escaping prevents SQL injection
  3. Simplicity: Common operations require minimal code
  4. Maintainability: Changes to database layer don't affect modules
  5. Testability: Handlers can be mocked for testing

Negative

  1. Performance: Extra abstraction overhead
  2. Complexity: Learning curve for new developers
  3. Limitations: Complex queries may need raw SQL
  4. N+1 Problem: No built-in eager loading

Mitigations

  • Performance: Cache frequently accessed objects
  • Complex queries: Allow raw SQL when needed
  • N+1: Use getAll() with proper criteria

Evolution to XOOPS 2026

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Current (2.5.x)"
        A[XoopsDatabase]
        B[Handlers]
        C[Criteria]
    end

    subgraph "Future (2026)"
        D[PDO/DBAL]
        E[Repository Pattern]
        F[Query Builder]
        G[DI Container]
    end

    A --> D
    B --> E
    C --> F
    D --> G
    E --> G

XOOPS 2026 plans: - Doctrine DBAL for database abstraction - Repository pattern replacing handlers - Query builder for complex queries - Full PSR-11 container integration

Code Examples

Basic CRUD

$helper = Helper::getInstance();
$handler = $helper->getHandler('Item');

// Create
$item = $handler->create();
$item->setVar('title', 'New Item');
$handler->insert($item);

// Read
$item = $handler->get($id);
$title = $item->getVar('title');

// Update
$item->setVar('title', 'Updated Title');
$handler->insert($item);

// Delete
$handler->delete($item);

Complex Query

$criteria = new CriteriaCompo();
$criteria->add(new Criteria('status', 'published'));
$criteria->add(new Criteria('category_id', '(1,2,3)', 'IN'));
$criteria->add(new Criteria('created', strtotime('-30 days'), '>='));
$criteria->setSort('views');
$criteria->setOrder('DESC');
$criteria->setLimit(10);
$criteria->setStart(0);

$items = $handler->getObjects($criteria);
$total = $handler->getCount($criteria);

References

  • Martin Fowler - Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture
  • Domain-Driven Design concepts
  • Active Record vs Data Mapper patterns

xoops #architecture #adr #database #handler #design-decision