XMF Framework

2.5.x ✅ 4.0.x ✅

The Bridge to Modern XOOPS

XMF works in both XOOPS 2.5.x and XOOPS 4.0.x. It’s the recommended way to modernize your modules today while preparing for XOOPS 4.0. XMF provides PSR-4 autoloading, namespaces, and helpers that smooth the transition.

The XOOPS Module Framework (XMF) is a powerful library designed to simplify and standardize XOOPS module development. XMF provides modern PHP practices including namespaces, autoloading, and a comprehensive set of helper classes that reduce boilerplate code and improve maintainability.

What is XMF?

XMF is a collection of classes and utilities that provide:

• Modern PHP Support - Full namespace support with PSR-4 autoloading
• Request Handling - Secure input validation and sanitization
• Module Helpers - Simplified access to module configurations and objects
• Permission System - Easy-to-use permission management
• Database Utilities - Schema migration and table management tools
• JWT Support - JSON Web Token implementation for secure authentication
• Metadata Generation - SEO and content extraction utilities
• Admin Interface - Standardized module administration pages

XMF Component Overview

graph TB
    subgraph XMF["XMF Framework"]
        direction TB
        subgraph Core["Core Components"]
            Request["🔒 Request<br/>Input Handling"]
            Module["📦 Module Helper<br/>Config & Handlers"]
            Perm["🔑 Permission<br/>Access Control"]
        end

        subgraph Utils["Utilities"]
            DB["🗄️ Database<br/>Schema Tools"]
            JWT["🎫 JWT<br/>Token Auth"]
            Meta["📊 Metagen<br/>SEO Utils"]
        end

        subgraph Admin["Admin Tools"]
            AdminUI["🎨 Admin UI<br/>Standardized Pages"]
            Icons["🖼️ Icons<br/>Font Awesome"]
        end
    end

    subgraph Module["Your Module"]
        Controller["Controller"]
        Handler["Handler"]
        Template["Template"]
    end

    Controller --> Request
    Controller --> Module
    Controller --> Perm
    Handler --> DB
    Template --> AdminUI

    style XMF fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#1976d2
    style Core fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#388e3c
    style Utils fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#f57c00
    style Admin fill:#fce4ec,stroke:#c2185b

Key Features

Namespaces and Autoloading

All XMF classes reside in the Xmf namespace. Classes are automatically loaded when referenced - no manual includes required.

use Xmf\Request;
use Xmf\Module\Helper;

// Classes load automatically when used
$input = Request::getString('input', '');
$helper = Helper::getHelper('mymodule');

Secure Request Handling

The Request class provides type-safe access to HTTP request data with built-in sanitization:

flowchart LR
    subgraph Input["Raw Input"]
        GET["$_GET"]
        POST["$_POST"]
        REQUEST["$_REQUEST"]
    end

    subgraph XMF["Xmf\\Request"]
        Validate["Type Validation"]
        Sanitize["Sanitization"]
        Default["Default Values"]
    end

    subgraph Output["Safe Output"]
        Int["getInt()"]
        Str["getString()"]
        Email["getEmail()"]
        Bool["getBool()"]
    end

    GET --> XMF
    POST --> XMF
    REQUEST --> XMF
    XMF --> Int
    XMF --> Str
    XMF --> Email
    XMF --> Bool

    style Input fill:#ffcdd2,stroke:#c62828
    style XMF fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#f57c00
    style Output fill:#c8e6c9,stroke:#2e7d32

use Xmf\Request;

$id = Request::getInt('id', 0);
$name = Request::getString('name', '');
$email = Request::getEmail('email', '');

Module Helper System

The Module Helper provides convenient access to module-related functionality:

$helper = \Xmf\Module\Helper::getHelper('mymodule');

// Access module configuration
$configValue = $helper->getConfig('setting_name', 'default');

// Get module object
$module = $helper->getModule();

// Access handlers
$handler = $helper->getHandler('items');

Permission Management

The Permission-Helper simplifies XOOPS permission handling:

$permHelper = new \Xmf\Module\Helper\Permission();

// Check user permission
if ($permHelper->checkPermission('view', $itemId)) {
    // User has permission
}

Documentation Structure

Basics

• Getting-Started-with-XMF - Installation and basic usage
• XMF-Request - Request handling and input validation
• XMF-Module-Helper - Module helper class usage

Recipes

• Permission-Helper - Working with permissions
• Module-Admin-Pages - Creating standardized admin interfaces

Reference

• JWT - JSON Web Token implementation
• Database - Database utilities and schema management
• Metagen - Metadata and SEO utilities

Requirements

• XOOPS 2.5.8 or later
• PHP 7.2 or later (PHP 8.x recommended)

Installation

XMF is included with XOOPS 2.5.8 and later versions. For earlier versions or manual installation:

1. Download the XMF package from the XOOPS repository
2. Extract to your XOOPS /class/xmf/ directory
3. The autoloader will handle class loading automatically

Quick Start Example

Here is a complete example showing common XMF usage patterns:

<?php
use Xmf\Request;
use Xmf\Module\Helper;
use Xmf\Module\Helper\Permission;

// Get module helper
$helper = Helper::getHelper('mymodule');

// Get configuration values
$itemsPerPage = $helper->getConfig('items_per_page', 10);

// Handle request input
$op = Request::getCmd('op', 'list');
$id = Request::getInt('id', 0);

// Check permissions
$permHelper = new Permission();
if (!$permHelper->checkPermission('view', $id)) {
    redirect_header('index.php', 3, 'Access denied');
}

// Process based on operation
switch ($op) {
    case 'view':
        $handler = $helper->getHandler('items');
        $item = $handler->get($id);
        // ... display item
        break;
    case 'list':
    default:
        // ... list items
        break;
}

Resources

• XMF GitHub Repository
• XOOPS Project Website

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#xmf #xoops #framework #php #module-development