Aliases module for Kohana Framework

This module allows you to make useful and beautiful URLs for your service.

You don't need more /user/<id> or /article/<id> cursors in routes. Now you can use simply /donald and /victory or /pokemon-go like addresses for different resources.

User Guide

Article describing this HMVC feature placed on our website https://ifmo.su/alias-system.

Installing

Firstly you need to copy this module to your project. You can download this repository and place its files to the /modules directory or attach it as a submodule.

git submodule add https://github.com/codex-team/kohana-aliases modules/aliases

To enable module push it to Kohana::modules() array in bootstrap.php

Kohana::modules(array(
    'aliases' => MODPATH . 'aliases', // Aliases for URLs
    ...
));

Defining project's entities

In classes directory create a subdirectory Aliases with file Controller.php. You can copy classes/Kohana/Aliases/Controller.php.

Create constants for your site's entities and add them to Controllers map.

const ARTICLE   = 1;
const USER      = 2;
...

const MAP = array(
    self::ARTICLE   => 'Articles',
    self::USER      => 'Users',
    ...
);

It means that entity ARTICLE will be handled by controller with name Articles.

Subcontrollers

Aliases module suggest you two types of subcontrollers:

• Index for showing entities
• Modify for do anything else with them

Example

If you have entity User, then create two controllers

1. To show user by uri /alice or /bob:

Controller/Users/Index.php with action action_show

2. To do any editions as adding, deleting. Uri: /my-great-article/edit or /not-a-good-user/ban

Controller/Users/Modify.php with all other actions e.g. action_edit, action_ban, action_delete.

All you need after is to include aliases creation and updating methods into your logic.

Set system routes

If you want to set up system routes for your site or block some which shouldn't be allowed to use as alias. Then use config/system-aliases.php file. Lock any count of system URIs by adding them to the array.

Database

Migrations for Aliases table in MySQL database migrations are in the migrations/Aliases.sql file.

Create a new alias

$alias         = Model_Aliases::generateUri($uri);
$resource_type = Aliases_Controller::ARTICLE;       // your own resource's type such as user, article, category and other
$resource_id   = 12345;

$article->uri = Model_Aliases::addAlias($alias, $resource_type, $resource_id);

Update alias

$resource_id   = $article->id;
$old_uri       = $article->uri;
$new_uri       = Model_Aliases::generateUri($uri);
$resource_type = Aliases_Controller::ARTICLE;

$article->uri = Model_Aliases::updateAlias($old_uri, $new_uri, $resource_type, $resource_id);

Remove alias

$hash = Model_Aliases::createRawHash($route);

Model_Aliases::deleteAlias($hash);

Database and cache

You can create a Model_DB_Aliases class and create your own function to work with database e.g. for use caching system.

Copy file classes/Model/DB/Aliases.php and rewrite functions.

Repository

https://github.com/codex-team/kohana-aliases/

About CodeX

We are small team of Web-developing fans consisting of IFMO students and graduates located in St. Petersburg, Russia. Feel free to give us a feedback on team@ifmo.su