XOOPS API Reference

Welcome to the comprehensive XOOPS API Reference documentation. This section provides detailed documentation for all core classes, methods, and systems that make up the XOOPS Content Management System.

Overview

The XOOPS API is organized into several major subsystems, each responsible for a specific aspect of the CMS functionality. Understanding these APIs is essential for developing modules, themes, and extensions for XOOPS.

API Sections

Core Classes

The foundation classes that all other XOOPS components build upon.

Documentation	Description
XoopsObject	Base class for all data objects in XOOPS
XoopsObjectHandler	Handler pattern for CRUD operations

Database Layer

Database abstraction and query building utilities.

Documentation	Description
XoopsDatabase	Database abstraction layer
Criteria System	Query criteria and conditions
QueryBuilder	Modern fluent query building

Form System

HTML form generation and validation.

Documentation	Description
XoopsForm	Form container and rendering
Form Elements	All available form element types

Kernel Classes

Core system components and services.

Documentation	Description
Kernel Classes	System kernel and core components

Module System

Module management and lifecycle.

Documentation	Description
Module System	Module loading, installation, and management

Template System

Smarty template integration.

Documentation	Description
Template System	Smarty integration and template management

User System

User management and authentication.

Documentation	Description
User System	User accounts, groups, and permissions

Architecture Overview

flowchart TB
    subgraph "Foundation Layer"
        XO[XoopsObject<br/>Base Class]
        XD[XoopsDatabase<br/>DB Abstraction]
        XF[XoopsForm<br/>Form Generation]
    end

    subgraph "Handler Layer"
        XOH[XoopsObjectHandler<br/>CRUD Operations]
        CR[Criteria<br/>Query Building]
        XFE[XoopsFormElement<br/>Input Types]
    end

    subgraph "Module Layer"
        XM[XoopsModule<br/>Module Management]
    end

    subgraph "Presentation Layer"
        XT[XoopsTpl<br/>Template Engine]
    end

    XO --> XOH
    XD --> CR
    XF --> XFE
    XOH --> XM
    CR --> XM
    XFE --> XM
    XM --> XT

Class Hierarchy

Object Model

classDiagram
    class XoopsObject {
        <<Base>>
        +getVar()
        +setVar()
        +toArray()
    }
    XoopsObject <|-- XoopsUser
    XoopsObject <|-- XoopsGroup
    XoopsObject <|-- XoopsModule
    XoopsObject <|-- XoopsBlock
    XoopsObject <|-- XoopsComment
    XoopsObject <|-- XoopsNotification

Handler Model

classDiagram
    class XoopsObjectHandler {
        <<Base>>
        +create()
        +get()
        +insert()
        +delete()
    }
    class XoopsPersistableObjectHandler {
        +getObjects()
        +getCount()
        +deleteAll()
    }
    XoopsObjectHandler <|-- XoopsPersistableObjectHandler
    XoopsPersistableObjectHandler <|-- XoopsUserHandler
    XoopsPersistableObjectHandler <|-- XoopsGroupHandler
    XoopsPersistableObjectHandler <|-- XoopsModuleHandler
    XoopsPersistableObjectHandler <|-- XoopsBlockHandler
    XoopsObjectHandler <|-- CustomModuleHandlers

Form Model

classDiagram
    class XoopsForm {
        <<Base>>
        +addElement()
        +render()
        +display()
    }
    XoopsForm <|-- XoopsThemeForm
    XoopsForm <|-- XoopsSimpleForm

    class XoopsFormElement {
        <<Base>>
        +getName()
        +render()
        +getValue()
    }
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormText
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormTextArea
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormSelect
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormCheckBox
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormRadio
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormButton
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormFile
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormHidden
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormLabel
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormPassword
    XoopsFormElement <|-- XoopsFormEditor

Design Patterns

The XOOPS API implements several well-known design patterns:

Singleton Pattern

Used for global services like database connections and container instances.

$db = XoopsDatabase::getInstance();
$container = XoopsContainer::getInstance();

Factory Pattern

Object handlers create domain objects consistently.

$handler = xoops_getHandler('user');
$user = $handler->create();

Composite Pattern

Forms contain multiple form elements; criteria can contain nested criteria.

$criteria = new CriteriaCompo();
$criteria->add(new Criteria('status', 1));
$criteria->add(new CriteriaCompo(...)); // Nested

Observer Pattern

The event system allows loose coupling between modules.

$dispatcher->addListener('module.news.article_published', $callback);

Quick Start Examples

Creating and Saving an Object

// Get the handler
$handler = xoops_getHandler('user');

// Create a new object
$user = $handler->create();
$user->setVar('uname', 'newuser');
$user->setVar('email', 'user@example.com');

// Save to database
$handler->insert($user);

Querying with Criteria

// Build criteria
$criteria = new CriteriaCompo();
$criteria->add(new Criteria('level', 0, '>'));
$criteria->setSort('uname');
$criteria->setOrder('ASC');
$criteria->setLimit(10);

// Get objects
$handler = xoops_getHandler('user');
$users = $handler->getObjects($criteria);

Creating a Form

$form = new XoopsThemeForm('User Profile', 'userform', 'save.php', 'post', true);
$form->addElement(new XoopsFormText('Username', 'uname', 50, 255, $user->getVar('uname')));
$form->addElement(new XoopsFormTextArea('Bio', 'bio', $user->getVar('bio')));
$form->addElement(new XoopsFormButton('', 'submit', _SUBMIT, 'submit'));
echo $form->render();

API Conventions

Naming Conventions

Type	Convention	Example
Classes	PascalCase	XoopsUser, CriteriaCompo
Methods	camelCase	getVar(), setVar()
Properties	camelCase (protected)	$_vars, $_handler
Constants	UPPER_SNAKE_CASE	XOBJ_DTYPE_INT
Database Tables	snake_case	users, groups_users_link

Data Types

XOOPS defines standard data types for object variables:

Constant	Type	Description
XOBJ_DTYPE_TXTBOX	String	Text input (sanitized)
XOBJ_DTYPE_TXTAREA	String	Textarea content
XOBJ_DTYPE_INT	Integer	Numeric values
XOBJ_DTYPE_URL	String	URL validation
XOBJ_DTYPE_EMAIL	String	Email validation
XOBJ_DTYPE_ARRAY	Array	Serialized arrays
XOBJ_DTYPE_OTHER	Mixed	Custom handling
XOBJ_DTYPE_SOURCE	String	Source code (minimal sanitization)
XOBJ_DTYPE_STIME	Integer	Short timestamp
XOBJ_DTYPE_MTIME	Integer	Medium timestamp
XOBJ_DTYPE_LTIME	Integer	Long timestamp

Authentication Methods

The API supports multiple authentication methods:

API Key Authentication

X-API-Key: your-api-key

OAuth Bearer Token

Authorization: Bearer your-oauth-token

Session-Based Authentication

Uses existing XOOPS session when logged in.

REST API Endpoints

When the REST API is enabled:

Endpoint	Method	Description
/api.php/rest/users	GET	List users
/api.php/rest/users/{id}	GET	Get user by ID
/api.php/rest/users	POST	Create user
/api.php/rest/users/{id}	PUT	Update user
/api.php/rest/users/{id}	DELETE	Delete user
/api.php/rest/modules	GET	List modules

Related Documentation

• Module Development Guide
• Theme Development Guide
• System Configuration
• Security Best Practices

Version History

Version	Changes
2.5.11	Current stable release
2.5.10	Added GraphQL API support
2.5.9	Enhanced Criteria system
2.5.8	PSR-4 autoloading support

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This documentation is part of the XOOPS Knowledge Base. For the latest updates, visit the XOOPS GitHub repository.