Patterns from Production

Seven patterns that show up repeatedly across Nibiru production apps. Each is small, copy-paste-ready, and rooted in a real codebase.

1. Thin controller → module-plugin delegation

Keep controllers tiny. Push logic into module plugins.

// thin
class erpController extends Controller {
    public function syncAction(): void {
        View::forwardToJsonHeader();
        $result = \Nibiru\Module\Erp\Plugin\Sync::run();
        View::assign(['data' => $result]);
    }
}

// fat
class Sync extends Erp {
    public static function run(): array {
        $svc = AlphaplanSyncService::getInstance();
        try {
            return ['success' => true, 'changes' => $svc->syncAbDocuments()];
        } catch (\Throwable $e) {
            return ['success' => false, 'error' => $e->getMessage()];
        }
    }
}

The controller is reviewable in 5 seconds; the plugin is unit-testable.

2. CMS as content source

Decouple text from layout. Editors update copy via the CMS module’s UI; templates stay developer-owned.

public function pageAction() {
    $path = $this->getController() . '/' . $this->getRequest('_action', 'page');
    foreach (Cms::init($this->getController())
                  ->loadCmsTemplateTextsByControllerPath($path, $this->language)
             as $t)
    {
        View::assign([
            $t['cms_template_texts_text_identifier']
                => $t['cms_template_texts_text_content']
        ]);
    }
}

Templates reference the identifiers as if they were ordinary variables:

<h1>{$hero_title}</h1>
<p>{$hero_intro}</p>

3. Observer-driven analytics

Multiple trackers without controller coupling.

$analytics = new Analytics();
$analytics->attach(new Plugin\Matomo());
$analytics->attach(new Plugin\Plausible());
$analytics->trackPageView();   / calls notify() internally

Each observer’s update($subject) pulls only the fields it cares about. Adding a tracker is a one-line change.

4. Multi-navigation composition

Build pages with several named nav arrays instead of one monolithic structure.

public function navigationAction() {
    foreach (['head', 'main', 'social', 'footer'] as $name) {
        JsonNavigation::getInstance()->loadJsonNavigationArray($name);
    }
}

<header>{include file="navigation.tpl" array=$head}</header>
<aside>{include file="navigation.tpl" array=$main}</aside>
<footer>{include file="navigation.tpl" array=$footer}</footer>

Each JSON file is small, scoped, easy to edit, and conflict-free in PRs.

5. JSON endpoints with forwardToJsonHeader

Standard contract for AJAX:

public function searchAction() {
    View::forwardToJsonHeader();
    $q = trim($_REQUEST['q'] ?? '');
    if (strlen($q) < 2) {
        View::assign(['data' => ['results' => []]]);
        return;
    }
    View::assign(['data' => [
        'results' => MachineryScout::index()->search($q),
    ]]);
}

Headers are set automatically; no manual header('Content-Type: application/json').

6. Multi-stage workflow via actions

State machines mapped onto controller actions:

class quotesController extends Controller {
    public function pageAction()    { /* list view */ }
    public function detailAction()  { /* one quote */ }
    public function acceptAction()  { /* state transition: open → accepted */ }
    public function rejectAction()  { /* state transition: open → rejected */ }
    public function archiveAction() { /* state transition: any → archived */ }
}

/quotes/accept/42 runs acceptAction() with $_REQUEST['id'] = 42. Each transition is a tiny action; persistence and notification go through a QuotesService plugin.

7. Schema-first models with one custom method per intent

Generate the model from schema, then add intent-named methods that wrap your queries:

class users extends Db
{
    const TABLE = ['table' => 'users', 'field' => [/* … */]];
    public function __construct() { self::initTable(self::TABLE); }

    public function findByLogin(string $login): ?array {
        return Pdo::fetchRow('SELECT * FROM users WHERE user_login = :l',
                              [':l' => $login]) ?: null;
    }

    public function activeStandardUsers(): array {
        return Pdo::fetchAll(
            'SELECT * FROM users WHERE user_account_active = 1 AND user_role = :r',
            [':r' => 'standard']
        );
    }
}

Future-you reading the call site sees findByLogin($login) — the intent — not raw SQL.

Anti-patterns to avoid

• Static-buffer leakage in forms. Always Form::create() before building.
• Logic in navigationAction(). It runs on every request, including JSON endpoints.
• Mass View::assign() without a structured array. Use View::assign(['…']) once.
• Custom routes for what the SEO URL already does. /products/<slug>/<id> is free.
• Editing generated models. They get overwritten. Custom methods → child class or database.overwrite = false.