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Router

The Router class handles HTTP routing for GET and POST requests, supporting dynamic route parameters and middleware integration.

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Namespace

Sphp\Core\Router

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Methods

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get()

Registers a GET route with a controller, method, and optional middleware. 
public function get($route, $controller, $method, $middelware = null)
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route
string
required
The URL endpoint pattern (supports dynamic parameters like /edit/{id})
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controller
string
required
The fully qualified controller class name
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method
string
required
The controller method to invoke
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middelware
string
default:"null"
Optional middleware class name to execute before the controller

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Example

$router = new Router();
$router->get('/home', 'App\\Controllers\\HomeController', 'index');
$router->get('/user/{id}', 'App\\Controllers\\UserController', 'show', 'App\\Middleware\\AuthMiddleware');

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post()

Registers a POST route with a controller, method, and optional middleware. 
public function post($route, $controller, $method, $middelware = null)
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route
string
required
The URL endpoint pattern (supports dynamic parameters like /update/{id})
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controller
string
required
The fully qualified controller class name
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method
string
required
The controller method to invoke
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middelware
string
default:"null"
Optional middleware class name to execute before the controller

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Example

$router->post('/login', 'App\\Controllers\\AuthController', 'authenticate');
$router->post('/user/{id}/update', 'App\\Controllers\\UserController', 'update');

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dispatch()

Dispatches the request to the appropriate controller based on the current HTTP method and URI. 
public function dispatch()
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void
void
This method handles the routing logic internally and either:
  • Executes the matched route’s controller method
  • Renders a 404 page if no route matches
  • Renders a 403 page if middleware denies access

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Behavior

  • Extracts REQUEST_METHOD and REQUEST_URI from the server
  • Strips query strings from the URI
  • Matches dynamic routes with placeholders (e.g., /user/{id})
  • Passes extracted parameters to the controller method
  • Tracks previous and current URLs in session
  • Sanitizes POST data (except for content field)
  • Renders 404.html if no route matches

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Example

$router = new Router();
$router->get('/home', 'HomeController', 'index');
$router->post('/submit', 'FormController', 'handle');
$router->dispatch();

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matchDynamicRoute()

Matches a defined route pattern against the current request URI and extracts parameters. 
private function matchDynamicRoute($definedRoute, $currentRoute, &$params)
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definedRoute
string
required
The route pattern with placeholders (e.g., /user/{id}/post/{postId})
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currentRoute
string
required
The actual requested URI path
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params
array
required
Passed by reference - will be populated with extracted route parameters
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matched
bool
Returns true if the route matches, false otherwise

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How It Works

  1. Converts route placeholders {param} to regex capture groups ([^/]+)
  2. Performs regex match against the current route
  3. Extracts matched parameters into the $params array
  4. Returns true on successful match

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Example

// Defined route: /user/{id}/post/{postId}
// Current route: /user/42/post/123
// Result: $params = ['42', '123']

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Properties

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Private Properties

private $getRoutes = [];
private $postRoutes = [];
  • $getRoutes: Stores all registered GET routes as an associative array
  • $postRoutes: Stores all registered POST routes as an associative array

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Middleware Support

Middleware classes must implement a handle() method that returns:
  • true to allow the request to proceed
  • false to deny access (renders 403.html)
  • Any other value to redirect to the previous URL
namespace App\Middleware;

class AuthMiddleware
{
    public function handle()
    {
        return isset($_SESSION['user_id']);
    }
}

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