Zend Framework: Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator Component Proposal

Proposed Component Name	Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator
Developer Notes	http://framework.zend.com/wiki/display/ZFDEV/Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator
Proposers	Ralph Schindler
Zend Liaison	TBD
Revision	1.0 - 2 June 2008: Initial Draft. (wiki revision: 4)

It is the goal of the Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator is to provide an object oriented set of abstracts and interfaces to facilitate the tasks related to and around the task of generating structured code. Currently in PHP, developers are able to (through Reflection) disassemble object oriented code into finite objects. Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator will attempt to take finite objects and construct and modify existing files (at the top most level) to produce completely working PHP files, classes, methods, properties, and docblocks.

Zend_Tool_Codegenerator will supply a set of interfaces and abstracts that will be able to be used to produce other flavors of "code", such as apache config files, php ini files, and potentially other languages such as javascript.

Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Abstract

Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Abstract is the simplest interface. Essentially, the only methods that are required are toString() and fromString(). This will ensure that any generators that use this component can read existing code and break it down into a finite object representation of the code, as well as take that object representation and write it out as code.

This interface also enforces the passing of options to the constructor that will allow for the generation of

<?php

abstract class Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Abstract
{
    
    public function __construct(Array $options = array())
    {
        if ($options) {
            $this->setOptions($options);
        }
    }
    
    public function setOptions(Array $options)
    {
        foreach ($options as $optionName => $optionValue) {
            $methodName = 'set' . $optionName;
            if (method_exists($this, $methodName)) {
                call_user_func(array($this, $methodName), $optionValue);
            }
        }
    }
    
    abstract public function fromString();
    
    abstract public function toString();
    
    final public function __toString()
    {
        return $this->toString();
    }

}

Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Apache

TO BE COMPLETED AT A LATER DATE

Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php

The Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php sub-component will be responsible for generating PHP based files. At current the following language constructs that can be retrieved through reflection will be implemented

Classes
Methods/Functions
Properties
Parameters (for methods and functions)

The following elements will be able to be generated by the PHP CodeGenerator, but are not explicitly modeled in the PHP Reflection API:

Docblocks
- File
- Class
- Method
- Property
- Required Files
Method Bodies
File

There exist the possibility that in the future, "body" elements/language constructs can be implemented such as: foreach loops, switch statements, for loops, etc.

6. Milestones / Tasks

Describe some intermediate state of this component in terms of design notes, additional material added to this page, and / code. Note any significant dependencies here, such as, "Milestone #3 can not be completed until feature Foo has been added to ZF component XYZ." Milestones will be required for acceptance of future proposals. They are not hard, and many times you will only need to think of the first three below.

Milestone 1: design notes will be published here
Milestone 2: Working prototype checked into the incubator supporting use cases #1, #2, ...
Milestone 3: Working prototype checked into the incubator supporting use cases #3 and #4.
Milestone 4: Unit tests exist, work, and are checked into SVN.
Milestone 5: Initial documentation exists.

If a milestone is already done, begin the description with "[DONE]", like this:

Milestone #: [DONE] Unit tests ...

7. Class Index

Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Apache
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Apache_File
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_CodeGeneratorAbstract
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Body
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Body
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Class
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Docblock
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Docblock_Class
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Docblock_DocblockAbstract
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Docblock_File
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Docblock_Method
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Docblock_Property
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_File
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_MemberAbstract
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Method
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Parameter
Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Property

8. Use Cases

UC-01

$className = 'IndexController';

$codeGenFile = new Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_File(array(
    'classes' => array(
        new Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Class(array(
            'className' => $className,
            'extendedClassName' => 'Zend_Controller_Action',
            'methods' => array(
                new Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Method(array(
                    'name' => 'init',
                    'body' => '        /* Initialize action controller here */'
                    )),
                new Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Method(array(
                    'name' => 'indexAction',
                    'body' => '        /* Default action for action controller */'
                    ))
                )
            ))
        )
    ));

echo $codeGenFile;

Will produce:

<?php

class IndexController extends Zend_Controller_Action
{

    public function init()
    {
        /* Initialize action controller here */
    }

    public function indexAction()
    {
        /* Default action for action controller */
    }

}

UC-02

$codeGen = Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator_Php_Class::fromReflection(new Zend_Reflection_Class('IndexController')); // from previous example

$codeGen->setMethod(array('name' => 'deleteAction', 'body' => '// some code here'));

Will produce:

<?php

class IndexController extends Zend_Controller_Action
{

    public function init()
    {
        /* Initialize action controller here */
    }

    public function indexAction()
    {
        /* Default action for action controller */
    }

    public function deleteAction()
    {
        // some code here
    }

}

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Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator - Ralph Schindler

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Zend Framework: Zend_Tool_CodeGenerator Component Proposal

Table of Contents

1. Overview

2. References

3. Component Requirements, Constraints, and Acceptance Criteria

4. Dependencies on Other Framework Components

5. Theory of Operation

Goals