[RESOLVED] [MVC] validation inside the model or inside the controller ...

[whisher06]

Hi.
I'm taking my first steps in the MVC pattern
and I've a doubt about where I've to put the
input user validation.
I've got this snippet (for instance):

abstract class UserController{
	protected $db= null;
	protected $page= null;
	public function __construct(PDO $db){
		$this->db= $db;
	}
	public function getPage(){
		return $this->page->getXhtml();
	}
	abstract protected function run();
}
class UserRegisterController extends UserController{
	public function __construct($db){
		parent::__construct($db);
		$this->run();
	}
	protected function run(){
		if (!$formHasBeenSubmitted){
			$this->page= new UserPage(new UserRegisterView());
				return;
		}
		$userRegisterData= new UserRegisterData(/PostData/);
		$userRegisterValidator= new UserRegisterValidator($userRegisterData);
		$userRegisterModel= new UserRegisterModel($this->db,$userRegisterData);
		if($userRegisterValidator->isValid()){
			refresh('login.php');
			$userRegisterModel->register();
			$userRegisterMail= new UserRegisterMail($userRegisterData);
			$userRegisterMail->send();
			$this->page= new UserPage(new UserConfirmView(SENT_EMAIL));
			exit($this->getPage());
		}
		else{
			refresh('register.php');
			$this->page= new UserPage(
								new UserErrorView(
										$userRegisterValidator->getErrors()
									)
							);
			exit($this->getPage());
		}
	}
}

I find quite strange put the validation inside the model,
there also the view involved in it, you should show or an
error or a confirmation message.
Therefore I put it inside the controller but I made it
in a separate class ..........
but 😉
I'd like to know your opinion, inside the model or inside
the controller ?

Bye.

[whisher06]

Inside the model it looks like:

abstract class UserModel{
	protected $db= null;
	protected $validator= null;
	public function __construct(PDO $db,UserValidator $validator){
		$this->db= $db;
		$this->validator= $validator;
    } 
}
class UserRegisterModel extends UserModel{
	public function __construct($db,UserRegisteValidator $validator){
		parent::__construct($db,$validator);
	} 
	public function register(){
		if($this->validator->isValid()){
			$sql= "INSERT INTO users (user_ID, user_nick,user_name, user_password,user_email, user_confirm, user_is_admin, user_date, user_uid)
			VALUES(NULL,:usernick,:username,MD5(:password),:email,'0','0',NOW(),:uid)";
			$sth= $this->db->prepare($sql);
			$excute= array(
						':usernick'=>$this->validator->data->nickname,
						':username'=>$this->validator->data->username,
						':password'=>$this->validator->data->password,
						':email'=>$this->validator->data->email,
						':uid'=>$this->validator->data->uid
					);
			$sth->execute($excute);
			return new UserPage(new UserConfirmView(SENT_EMAIL));
		}
		else{
			return new UserPage(
								new UserErrorView(
										$this->validator->getErrors()
									)
							);
		}
	} 
}

[bpat1434]

THe whole point of the MVC is to separate the code into 3 parts:

Model The work-horse of the code. Does essentially all the backend stuff.

View Deals with the displaying of the information in whatever format you choose.

Controller Directs information from requests to the proper spot, as well as signifying the proper view to use.

So any input validation and stuff is generally called individually by the Model; however, if you're globally doing something (like escaping all input stuff, and looking for magic-quotes) you can call the global sanitization function from the Controller.

So to recap:
View Deal with the outflow of information
Controller Direct the inflow of information to the correct spots, display the correct view
Model Deal with the data received & being sent

[whisher06]

Thanks a lot for the explanation.

The last point, I've to put also the refresh into the model ?
in this way:

class UserRegisterModel extends UserModel{ 
    public function __construct($db,UserRegisteValidator $validator){ 
        parent::__construct($db,$validator); 
    } 
    public function register(){ 
        if($this->validator->isValid()){ 
            $sql= "INSERT INTO users (user_ID, user_nick,user_name, user_password,user_email, user_confirm, user_is_admin, user_date, user_uid) 
            VALUES(NULL,:usernick,:username,MD5(:password),:email,'0','0',NOW(),:uid)"; 
            $sth= $this->db->prepare($sql); 
            $excute= array( 
                        ':usernick'=>$this->validator->data->nickname, 
                        ':username'=>$this->validator->data->username, 
                        ':password'=>$this->validator->data->password, 
                        ':email'=>$this->validator->data->email, 
                        ':uid'=>$this->validator->data->uid 
                    ); 
            $sth->execute($excute); 
            refresh('login.php');
            return new UserPage(new UserConfirmView(SENT_EMAIL)); 
        } 
        else{ 
            refresh('register.php');
            return new UserPage( 
                                new UserErrorView( 
                                        $this->validator->getErrors() 
                                    ) 
                            ); 
        } 
    } 
}

Bye.

[bpat1434]

You don't have to; however, if you want to stick to the MVC idea, then yes.

Think of the MVC as a webserver or cluster. The Controller could essentially be the Load Balancer, telling which server will be used in the cluster and "forwarding" the incoming information there. The View would be more-or-less the racks or stacks of servers physically designed & displayed. It's nothing more than how it looks. And the model is the thinking caps inside the cluster; they do all the work and return stuff to the controller for the controller to return to the user.

I'm not 100% sure I can put this any clearer.... so here's an illustration I did. This should help point you to where code goes.

Click for Image

Now, the user sends input which goes to the controller. The controller then forwards that input to the correct model (usually based upon either a $POST or $GET value) down arrow labeled (1). The model does all the grunt-work and returns the required information to be put into the template. The controller receives this information, and forwards it to the view also making sure the right template is called (like for the model) down arrow labeled (2). The view then returns all the HTML for the user. Now, here is where you can either just end in the view and return the HTML via echo or print and call exit(); (dashed pink arrow) or return through the controller, and the controller then does global clean-up and then returns the output to the user.

Hope that helps.

[whisher06]

Hope that helps.

YES, YES, YES

I'm chuffed with that 😃

Thanks a lot for your time buddy !

It's what I'm looking for.

Best wishes 😉