Domain Model Pattern

Overview

The Domain Model pattern represents the business concepts, rules, and logic of your application. In XOOPS module development, domain models encapsulate the core business entities and their behaviors.

Entity vs Value Object

Entities

Entities have identity and a lifecycle:

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace XoopsModules\MyModule\Entity;

use XoopsModules\MyModule\ValueObject\ArticleId;

final class Article
{
    private bool $isNew = true;

    public function __construct(
        private ArticleId $id,
        private string $title,
        private string $content,
        private int $authorId,
        private int $categoryId,
        private ArticleStatus $status,
        private \DateTimeImmutable $createdAt,
        private ?\DateTimeImmutable $updatedAt = null
    ) {}

    public static function create(
        string $title,
        string $content,
        int $authorId,
        int $categoryId
    ): self {
        return new self(
            id: ArticleId::generate(),
            title: $title,
            content: $content,
            authorId: $authorId,
            categoryId: $categoryId,
            status: ArticleStatus::DRAFT,
            createdAt: new \DateTimeImmutable()
        );
    }

    public function publish(): void
    {
        if ($this->status === ArticleStatus::PUBLISHED) {
            throw new \DomainException('Article is already published');
        }

        $this->status = ArticleStatus::PUBLISHED;
        $this->updatedAt = new \DateTimeImmutable();
    }

    public function updateContent(string $title, string $content): void
    {
        $this->title = $title;
        $this->content = $content;
        $this->updatedAt = new \DateTimeImmutable();
    }

    // Getters...
    public function getId(): ArticleId { return $this->id; }
    public function getTitle(): string { return $this->title; }
    public function getContent(): string { return $this->content; }
    public function getStatus(): ArticleStatus { return $this->status; }
    public function isNew(): bool { return $this->isNew; }

    public function markAsPersisted(): void
    {
        $this->isNew = false;
    }
}

Value Objects

Value Objects are immutable and compared by value:

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace XoopsModules\MyModule\ValueObject;

final class ArticleId
{
    private function __construct(
        private readonly string $value
    ) {}

    public static function generate(): self
    {
        return new self(\Xmf\Ulid::generate());
    }

    public static function fromString(string $value): self
    {
        if (empty($value)) {
            throw new \InvalidArgumentException('ArticleId cannot be empty');
        }
        return new self($value);
    }

    public function toString(): string
    {
        return $this->value;
    }

    public function equals(self $other): bool
    {
        return $this->value === $other->value;
    }
}

Aggregates

Aggregates are clusters of domain objects treated as a single unit:

final class Category
{
    private array $articles = [];

    public function __construct(
        private CategoryId $id,
        private string $name,
        private ?CategoryId $parentId = null
    ) {}

    public function addArticle(Article $article): void
    {
        if ($article->getCategoryId() !== $this->id->toInt()) {
            throw new \DomainException('Article does not belong to this category');
        }
        $this->articles[] = $article;
    }

    public function getArticleCount(): int
    {
        return count($this->articles);
    }
}

Domain Events

Capture important domain occurrences:

final class ArticlePublishedEvent
{
    public function __construct(
        public readonly ArticleId $articleId,
        public readonly int $authorId,
        public readonly \DateTimeImmutable $publishedAt
    ) {}
}

Enums for Status

Use PHP 8.2+ enums for type-safe status values:

enum ArticleStatus: string
{
    case DRAFT = 'draft';
    case PENDING_REVIEW = 'pending';
    case PUBLISHED = 'published';
    case ARCHIVED = 'archived';

    public function canTransitionTo(self $newStatus): bool
    {
        return match($this) {
            self::DRAFT => in_array($newStatus, [self::PENDING_REVIEW, self::ARCHIVED]),
            self::PENDING_REVIEW => in_array($newStatus, [self::DRAFT, self::PUBLISHED]),
            self::PUBLISHED => $newStatus === self::ARCHIVED,
            self::ARCHIVED => false,
        };
    }
}

Invariants

Protect domain rules within entities:

final class Article
{
    public function setTitle(string $title): void
    {
        if (strlen($title) < 5) {
            throw new \DomainException('Title must be at least 5 characters');
        }
        if (strlen($title) > 255) {
            throw new \DomainException('Title cannot exceed 255 characters');
        }
        $this->title = $title;
    }

    public function archive(): void
    {
        if ($this->status === ArticleStatus::DRAFT) {
            throw new \DomainException('Cannot archive a draft article');
        }
        $this->status = ArticleStatus::ARCHIVED;
    }
}

Best Practices

1. Rich Domain Model - Put behavior in entities, not services
2. Immutable Value Objects - Value objects should never change
3. Factory Methods - Use static factory methods for complex construction
4. Guard Clauses - Validate inputs at entity boundaries
5. Domain Events - Capture significant state changes
6. Ubiquitous Language - Use business terminology in code

Related Documentation

• Service-Layer - Application services
• Repository-Layer - Persistence
• DTO-Pattern - Data transfer
• Event-System - Domain events