Code Igniter - MVC Tips

The thing about any MVC (Model-View-Controller) framework is that it seperates your program logic from your HTML from your database access. You can however query your database in the model and format the result to be returned so that it is already in HTML, all ready for display. So all you need to do is to assign your model result to a $data['result'] array item ready for display and echo it in your view file. Nothing wrong with that and its a matter of taste and preference.

However… The purpose of MVC frameworks is that it seperates your program logic from your HTML from your database access!! A GOOD rule of thumb is to always keep all HTML in your view files, logic in your controllers and database access in your model files.

Derek Allard did a BRILLIANT vodcast tutorial. It even shows you how to utilize the script.aculo.us AJAX library to do AJAX calls in your application! The ONLY thing that I found wrong was that he mix HTML in his models (to be fair, it was due to an AJAX call and for the sake of time I do understand!). As I’ve said, there is nothing wrong with it technically, but if you keep things where they are supposed to be (HTML in your view files) then you know exactly where to go look for issues without even thinking about it. It will also make co.labs easier since I will not wonder where what is generated that was written by some other developer, etc…

BTW, Derek, I’m a big fan.

technorati tags:codeigniter, mvcframeworks, php, scriptaculous

Blogged with Flock

4 Comments to "Code Igniter - MVC Tips"

• Derek Allard said: On 01/16/2007 at 12:12 pm

  Wow, what a timely day to discover your site.

  Boy do I regret taking that shortcut. Truthfully I had recorded that part a bunch of times and it just seemed so long and overly complicated to describe doing it properly, so I just decided to output a list directly for the sake simplicity (and my own sanity). If I had to do it over again, I’d use a view

  Since this is my first comment here, let me just say I like your style, and you’ve got one more interested reader in me!

• Tresblue said: On 01/16/2007 at 12:46 pm

  I can just say that anything that lets my man Stii work faster has got my vote. I mean he was a machine before using code igniter, but man now…. HE COOKS

• watchingeye said: On 02/02/2007 at 4:19 pm

  I agree with this article. When Derek was used this solution (unfortunately in tutorial!), he must notice this.

• Dr-Hamza’s Space said: On 07/13/2007 at 10:06 pm

  [...] Code Igniter - MVC Tips , by Stii Pretorius Check his articles about Codeigniter [...]

Spit it out!

Filed in: Code Igniter by: Stii