PHP_Framework

Creating a basic module

Modules can be very useful by providing you with more features that can be used within web pages and can even provide a full web app that will work on top of your website. You can get more information about modules in the modules section of the documentation.

Here, we will only show you the basics on how to create a module. There is absolutely no limit on what you can with them, so you can go very deep and build a powerful web app.
One important thing to remember is that modules are loaded during the Framework boot process. Therefore, it is preferable to only declare functions, load libraries (if needed) and hook to events during the initialization. Then, you can use these events to run your code.
Modules folder are named using the syntax organization_moduleName. For example, if we want to create a module named helloWorld, then our module’s folder would be wh1t3projects_helloWorld.
The reason to specify the organization’s name as part of the module’s name is the same than with our function that we created earlier: to prevent a ‘collision’. Only in this case, it’s to prevent having a ‘collision’ if another organization or developer create a module with the same name and you would like to use both. Obviously, that would be impossible, since one’s files would replace the other’s.

Now create a folder inside the modules directory and create a file named init.php inside it. Open the new file for editing.

Here you can write any PHP code you want, but like previously stated, it is best to only create functions here and hook to events to run our code. A module can also only provide functions (never hooking to an event) and therefore, act only as a library for other modules or even web pages.
NOTE: In the event you wrote code that works by using another module as a library, or if you need features from it that are automated, you might want to first check if that module is installed by using the kernel_checkIfModuleIsValid function prior to doing anything. However, this guide doesn’t cover its usage.

Add the usual <?php and ?> at the beginning and ending of the file respectively, so that your module’s code will be processed and not be sent as text to the browser.

Now you can get a bit original. Create a function with any name you want, but again, to prevent a ‘collision’ you need to prefix it with your module’s name (and not the organization) followed by the underscore, like helloWorld_hello.
Write some code that will output something to the browser (instead of returning data), like echo 'Hello World!';. This will make it easier to see our module is working when calling it.
Now add a call, to your new function, inside a web page (make sure to put it inside a div with a container or you may not see your text!). Save the files and test it via your browser.

It works! Now, if you want, you can even call the theme_column function from within your new function and make it say anything you want. Make sure that you call your new function only when rendering a page in that case or you will get an error because the theme’s functions are not loaded and, therefore, not declared.