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Introduction

Resource controllers follow RESTful conventions for handling CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations. While Aeros doesn’t have a dedicated resource controller generator, you can easily structure your controllers to follow REST principles.

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RESTful Convention

A resource controller typically handles seven standard actions for a given resource:
MethodURIActionDescription
GET/photosindexDisplay a list of all photos
GET/photos/createcreateShow form to create new photo
POST/photosstoreStore a new photo
GET/photos/{id}showDisplay a specific photo
GET/photos/{id}/editeditShow form to edit a photo
PUT/PATCH/photos/{id}updateUpdate a specific photo
DELETE/photos/{id}destroyDelete a specific photo

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Creating a Resource Controller

Create a resource controller that follows REST conventions:
PhotoController.php
<?php

namespace App\Controllers;

use Aeros\Src\Classes\Controller;
use Aeros\Src\Classes\Response;

class PhotoController extends Controller
{
    /**
     * Display a listing of the resource.
     */
    public function index()
    {
        $photos = db()->query('SELECT * FROM photos ORDER BY created_at DESC');
        
        return view('photos.index', ['photos' => $photos]);
    }

    /**
     * Show the form for creating a new resource.
     */
    public function create()
    {
        return view('photos.create');
    }

    /**
     * Store a newly created resource in storage.
     */
    public function store()
    {
        $validated = validate([
            'title' => 'required|string|max:255',
            'description' => 'string',
            'image' => 'required|image'
        ]);
        
        // Handle file upload
        $uploaded = store(request('files')['image'], '/uploads/photos');
        
        db()->insert('photos', [
            'title' => $validated['title'],
            'description' => $validated['description'] ?? '',
            'path' => $uploaded[0]['path'],
            'created_at' => date('Y-m-d H:i:s')
        ]);
        
        return redirect('/photos');
    }

    /**
     * Display the specified resource.
     */
    public function show($id)
    {
        $photo = db()->query('SELECT * FROM photos WHERE id = ?', [$id])[0] ?? null;
        
        if (!$photo) {
            abort('Photo not found', 404);
        }
        
        return view('photos.show', ['photo' => $photo]);
    }

    /**
     * Show the form for editing the specified resource.
     */
    public function edit($id)
    {
        $photo = db()->query('SELECT * FROM photos WHERE id = ?', [$id])[0] ?? null;
        
        if (!$photo) {
            abort('Photo not found', 404);
        }
        
        return view('photos.edit', ['photo' => $photo]);
    }

    /**
     * Update the specified resource in storage.
     */
    public function update($id)
    {
        $validated = validate([
            'title' => 'required|string|max:255',
            'description' => 'string'
        ]);
        
        db()->update('photos', $validated, ['id' => $id]);
        
        return redirect('/photos/' . $id);
    }

    /**
     * Remove the specified resource from storage.
     */
    public function destroy($id)
    {
        $photo = db()->query('SELECT * FROM photos WHERE id = ?', [$id])[0] ?? null;
        
        if ($photo && file_exists($photo['path'])) {
            unlink($photo['path']);
        }
        
        db()->delete('photos', ['id' => $id]);
        
        return redirect('/photos');
    }
}

​
Defining Resource Routes

Set up routes that map to your resource controller methods:
routes/web.php
use Aeros\Src\Classes\Router;

// Display all photos
Router::get('/photos', 'PhotoController@index');

// Show create form
Router::get('/photos/create', 'PhotoController@create');

// Store new photo
Router::post('/photos', 'PhotoController@store');

// Show specific photo
Router::get('/photos/{id}', 'PhotoController@show');

// Show edit form
Router::get('/photos/{id}/edit', 'PhotoController@edit');

// Update photo
Router::put('/photos/{id}', 'PhotoController@update');
// Alternative: Router::patch('/photos/{id}', 'PhotoController@update');

// Delete photo
Router::delete('/photos/{id}', 'PhotoController@destroy');
Make sure to define the /photos/create route before /photos/{id} to prevent “create” from being interpreted as an ID parameter.

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API Resource Controllers

For API endpoints, you typically skip the create and edit methods (which return forms) and return JSON responses:
api/ProductController.php
<?php

namespace App\Controllers\Api;

use Aeros\Src\Classes\Controller;
use Aeros\Src\Classes\Response;

class ProductController extends Controller
{
    public function index()
    {
        $products = db()->query('SELECT * FROM products');
        
        return response([
            'success' => true,
            'data' => $products
        ], 200, Response::JSON);
    }

    public function store()
    {
        $validated = validate([
            'name' => 'required|string|max:255',
            'price' => 'required|numeric',
            'stock' => 'required|integer'
        ]);
        
        $id = db()->insert('products', $validated);
        
        return response([
            'success' => true,
            'data' => ['id' => $id],
            'message' => 'Product created successfully'
        ], 201, Response::JSON);
    }

    public function show($id)
    {
        $product = db()->query('SELECT * FROM products WHERE id = ?', [$id])[0] ?? null;
        
        if (!$product) {
            return response([
                'success' => false,
                'message' => 'Product not found'
            ], 404, Response::JSON);
        }
        
        return response([
            'success' => true,
            'data' => $product
        ], 200, Response::JSON);
    }

    public function update($id)
    {
        $validated = validate([
            'name' => 'string|max:255',
            'price' => 'numeric',
            'stock' => 'integer'
        ]);
        
        $affected = db()->update('products', $validated, ['id' => $id]);
        
        if ($affected === 0) {
            return response([
                'success' => false,
                'message' => 'Product not found'
            ], 404, Response::JSON);
        }
        
        return response([
            'success' => true,
            'message' => 'Product updated successfully'
        ], 200, Response::JSON);
    }

    public function destroy($id)
    {
        $affected = db()->delete('products', ['id' => $id]);
        
        if ($affected === 0) {
            return response([
                'success' => false,
                'message' => 'Product not found'
            ], 404, Response::JSON);
        }
        
        return response([
            'success' => true,
            'message' => 'Product deleted successfully'
        ], 200, Response::JSON);
    }
}
With API routes:
routes/api.php
use Aeros\Src\Classes\Router;

Router::get('/api/products', 'Api\\ProductController@index');
Router::post('/api/products', 'Api\\ProductController@store');
Router::get('/api/products/{id}', 'Api\\ProductController@show');
Router::put('/api/products/{id}', 'Api\\ProductController@update');
Router::patch('/api/products/{id}', 'Api\\ProductController@update');
Router::delete('/api/products/{id}', 'Api\\ProductController@destroy');

​
Nested Resources

Handle nested resources like posts and their comments:
CommentController.php
<?php

namespace App\Controllers;

use Aeros\Src\Classes\Controller;

class CommentController extends Controller
{
    public function index($postId)
    {
        $comments = db()->query(
            'SELECT * FROM comments WHERE post_id = ? ORDER BY created_at DESC',
            [$postId]
        );
        
        return view('comments.index', [
            'postId' => $postId,
            'comments' => $comments
        ]);
    }

    public function store($postId)
    {
        $validated = validate([
            'content' => 'required|string',
            'author' => 'required|string'
        ]);
        
        db()->insert('comments', array_merge($validated, [
            'post_id' => $postId,
            'created_at' => date('Y-m-d H:i:s')
        ]));
        
        return redirect('/posts/' . $postId);
    }

    public function destroy($postId, $commentId)
    {
        db()->delete('comments', [
            'id' => $commentId,
            'post_id' => $postId
        ]);
        
        return redirect('/posts/' . $postId);
    }
}
With nested routes:
routes/web.php
Router::get('/posts/{postId}/comments', 'CommentController@index');
Router::post('/posts/{postId}/comments', 'CommentController@store');
Router::delete('/posts/{postId}/comments/{commentId}', 'CommentController@destroy');

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Partial Resource Controllers

You don’t always need all seven resource methods. Create controllers with only the methods you need:
NotificationController.php
<?php

namespace App\Controllers;

use Aeros\Src\Classes\Controller;

class NotificationController extends Controller
{
    // Only index and destroy - no create/edit
    
    public function index()
    {
        $notifications = db()->query(
            'SELECT * FROM notifications WHERE user_id = ?',
            [session()->get('user_id')]
        );
        
        return view('notifications.index', ['notifications' => $notifications]);
    }

    public function destroy($id)
    {
        db()->delete('notifications', [
            'id' => $id,
            'user_id' => session()->get('user_id')
        ]);
        
        return redirect('/notifications');
    }
}

​
Resource Controller with Middleware

Protect resource routes with middleware:
routes/web.php
use Aeros\Src\Classes\Router;

Router::group('auth', function() {
    // All these routes require authentication
    Router::get('/posts', 'PostController@index');
    Router::get('/posts/create', 'PostController@create');
    Router::post('/posts', 'PostController@store');
    Router::get('/posts/{id}/edit', 'PostController@edit');
    Router::put('/posts/{id}', 'PostController@update');
    Router::delete('/posts/{id}', 'PostController@destroy');
});

// Public route - no auth required
Router::get('/posts/{id}', 'PostController@show');

​
Best Practices

Stick to standard method names (index, show, store, update, destroy) to make your code predictable and maintainable.
  • 200: Success
  • 201: Created
  • 204: No Content (for successful deletes)
  • 404: Not Found
  • 422: Validation Error
Always validate data in store and update methods before persisting to the database.
Instead of permanently deleting records, consider marking them as deleted with a deleted_at timestamp.
Maintain a consistent JSON structure across all API endpoints:
{
  "success": true,
  "data": {},
  "message": "Operation successful"
}

​
Example: Complete E-commerce Resource

Here’s a complete example showing a product resource with image uploads, stock management, and JSON responses:
ProductController.php
<?php

namespace App\Controllers;

use Aeros\Src\Classes\Controller;
use Aeros\Src\Classes\Response;

class ProductController extends Controller
{
    public function index()
    {
        $page = request('get', ['page']) ?? 1;
        $perPage = 20;
        $offset = ($page - 1) * $perPage;
        
        $products = db()->query(
            'SELECT * FROM products WHERE deleted_at IS NULL ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT ? OFFSET ?',
            [$perPage, $offset]
        );
        
        return view('products.index', ['products' => $products, 'page' => $page]);
    }

    public function store()
    {
        $validated = validate([
            'name' => 'required|string|max:255',
            'description' => 'required|string',
            'price' => 'required|numeric|min:0',
            'stock' => 'required|integer|min:0',
            'category_id' => 'required|integer'
        ]);
        
        // Handle image upload if present
        if (isset(request('files')['image'])) {
            $uploaded = store(request('files')['image'], '/uploads/products');
            $validated['image_path'] = $uploaded[0]['path'];
        }
        
        $validated['created_at'] = date('Y-m-d H:i:s');
        $id = db()->insert('products', $validated);
        
        session()->set('success', 'Product created successfully');
        return redirect('/products/' . $id);
    }

    public function update($id)
    {
        $validated = validate([
            'name' => 'string|max:255',
            'description' => 'string',
            'price' => 'numeric|min:0',
            'stock' => 'integer|min:0'
        ]);
        
        $validated['updated_at'] = date('Y-m-d H:i:s');
        db()->update('products', $validated, ['id' => $id]);
        
        session()->set('success', 'Product updated successfully');
        return redirect('/products/' . $id);
    }

    public function destroy($id)
    {
        // Soft delete
        db()->update('products', [
            'deleted_at' => date('Y-m-d H:i:s')
        ], ['id' => $id]);
        
        session()->set('success', 'Product deleted successfully');
        return redirect('/products');
    }
}

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Next Steps

Basic Controllers

Learn the fundamentals of controller creation and usage.

Dependency Injection

Discover how to inject dependencies into your controllers.

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