Diving into symfony
Dustin Whittle
Social Search Group
1

Introduction
This session will cover rapid application
development using the symfony platform.
Learn what symfony is, how symfony
works, and why it will simultaneously
speed up your development and produce
secure maintainable code.The focus will
be on how to build, test, and deploy your
web 2.0 applications using symfony and
an assortment of integrated tools.
2

What is the symfony project?
• Full stack web application framework built for
rapid application development
• Written in PHP5
• A growing community since 2005
• Open source and free
• Licensed under the MIT license
symfony is a web application framework,
which automates most of the tedious tasks
of an AJAX developer
3

Why a framework?
• Another software layer (symfony, php, apache, linux/bsd)
• Factors out common patterns
– Code Structure/Layout -> (action + view)
– Configuration
– Clean Routing
– User Security / Authentication / Credentials / Attribute
– Server Side Form Validation / Automated Repopulation
– Internationalization / Localization
– ORM
– Unit & Functional Testing
• Encourages good design
• Abstraction > Consistency > Long Term Maintainability
4

Why symfony?
• Agile Development
– Built on best practices
– Built to factor out common patterns and allow
developers to focus on application logic
• Performance
– Proven to scale on very active web sites - Y!
• Stable
– Tested code base (4000+ unit and functional tests)
• Support
– Great documentation and very active community
5

How is symfony different?
• By default, comes with most tools needed for
development
– Routing, I18n/l10n, ORM, Caching,
– Debug Environment
– Code Generation
• CRUD, Admin Generators, Database Objects (propel)
– Helpers for Forms, AJAX, Visual Effects
– Plugin System
– Unit and functional testing
– Project administration
• Project/Module Creation, Deployment Tools
6

Built to adapt = Flexibility
• Minimal Dependencies
• Directory structure can be adapted to fit
your current environment
• All major components are factories
– Built to be extended and customized for your
application (user, i18n, routing, controller,
request, response, storage)
7

Clean Design
• Built using proven MVC design pattern
– Model-View-Controller
• Router/Dispatcher
• Separation / Encapsulation
– Model Logic (data access/manipulation)
– Presentation logic (view/template)
– Business logic (action/executor)
• Built to embrace agile development principles
– Allows developers to easily practice
• Extreme Programming Philosophy
• DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself)
• KISS (Keep it simple)
8

Requirements
• A web server that is capable of serving PHP5
• Database server supported by Creole/PDO
– MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Oracle, MSSQL,
• Recommended Configuration
– Apache
• mod_rewrite
– PHP 5.2.x
• APC (xCache or eAccellerator are also supported)
• Syck
• xDebug
9

Installation
• PEAR
pear channel-discover pear.symfony-project.com
pear install symfony/symfony
• symfony sandbox
http://www.symfony-project.com/get/sf_sandbox.tgz
• Subversion
svn export http://svn.symfony-project.com/branches/1.0/
10

Integrated PHP Libraries
• Creole
– Database Abstraction
– Support for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MSSQL
• Propel
– Object Relationship Mapping
– Code generation for db objects/base objects
• PAKE
– Command Line Tasks
• LIME
– Unit and Functional Testing
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Integrated Javascript Libraries
• Symfony makes it easy to build rich internet
applications
– Prototype
• Javascript Framework
– script.aculo.us
• AJAX Interactions
• Visual Effects
– TinyMCE
• Rich Text Editor (WYSIWYG)
– DynArch.com Rich Calendar
• Rich Date Control
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`symfony` command
• Creating projects/applications/modules
• Managing your model
• Code Generation
– CRUD, Admin
– Propel Database Objects
– Creation of Project / Applications / Modules with tests
• Executing Unit/Functional Tests
• Deploying your project with rsync
• Rotating and Purging logs
• Installing/Removing Plugins
• Upgrading symfony
• Create your own tasks
13

Creating a project
1. mkdir -p ~/projects/sfproject
2. cd ~/projects/sfproject
3. symfony init-project sfproject
4. symfony init-app frontend
5. symfony init-module frontend content
14

Configuration System
• Convention over configuration
– Establish conventions to eliminate the need to
configure
• Allows a developer to only configure the unconventional
• YAML
– Readable
– Short syntax
– Hierarchy Support
• Three levels of cascading configuration
– project, application, module
• framework provides defaults
15

Environments
• Three default environments
– Production
• caching enabled, logging disabled, clean URLs
– Development
• Caching disabled, logging enabled, debug toolbar enabled
– Testing
• Similar to production without caching
• Environment determined by front controller (entry)
• Add as many environments as you require
– staging
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Debug Environment
• Debug Toolbar
– Browser access to relevant information
• Request Parameters / Sessions / Cookies
• Configuration / Environment
– Logs & Debug Messages
• xDebug Integration
– SQL Query Monitor
• SQL Queries + Time
– Performance Monitor
• Memory Consumption
• Timers
– Cache Monitor
17

Configure your project
• Setup your database
– databases.yml, propel.ini
• Configure your symfony settings
– settings.yml
• Configure your default view
– view.yml
• Configure your application settings
– app.yml
18

Configure your databases
all:
propel:
class: sfPropelDatabase
param:
phptype: mysql
hostspec: localhost
username: symfonyworks
password: password
database: symfonyworks
persistent: true
encoding: utf8
compat_assoc_lower: true
19

Configure your symfony settings
use_database: on
use_security: on
use_flash: on
i18n: on
check_symfony_version: off
use_process_cache: on
compressed: off
suffix: .html
no_script_name: on
20

Configure your default view
default:
http_metas:
content-type: text/html; charset=utf-8
content-language: en
metas:
robots: noindex, nofollow
description: symfony showcase project.
keywords: symfony, showcase, project
stylesheets:
- common
javascripts:
- common
21

Configure your app settings
dev:
ui:
title: symfony playground [dev]
all:
ui:
theme: v1
title: symfony playground
delicious:
username: dustin.whittle
max_per_page: 10
flickr:
api_key: 4bb8629b535921fa13abd7cbd32ad8fb
max: 10
22

The Model Layer
• By default based on Propel
– Built in tools for pagination, sorting, and filters
– Can be replaced with Doctrine or ezPDO
– Support for behaviors
• Object model built via schema.yml
– Can be reverse engineered from existing db
– Support for indexes, references, constraints, and db
specific properties
• schema -> model generation -> sql -> insert
23

Create an object model/database
propel:
_attributes: { noXsd: false, defaultIdMethod: native }
contents:
_attributes: { phpName: Content }
id: { type: integer, primaryKey: true, autoIncrement: true }
title: { type: varchar, size: 255 }
permalink: { type: varchar, size: 255, index: true }
content: { type: longvarchar }
created_at: { type: timestamp }
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Build your object model
symfony propel-build-all
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Add stub data (fixtures)
Content:
Homepage:
title: home
content: <h1>Welcome to the site!</h1>
About:
title: about
content: <h1>About</h1><p>about the site...</p>
Contact:
title: contact
content: <h1>Contact</h1><p>contact the owner of the site...</p>
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Rebuild the object model w/ data
symfony propel-build-all-load frontend
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Customizing the object model
class Content extends BaseContent
{
public function __toString()
{
return $this->getTitle();
}
public function setTitle($title)
{
$this->setPermalink(TextTools::normalize($title));
return parent::setTitle($title);
}
}
28

Customize the object model peer
class ContentPeer extends BaseContentPeer
{
public static function retrieveByPermalink($permalink)
{
$c = new Criteria();
$c->add(self::PERMALINK, $permalink);
return self::doSelectOne($c);
}
}
29

The Controller Layer
• Contains all business logic
• Based on modules and actions
– Determined by route /:module/:action
– A module is a group of related actions (user)
• Represented by a class containing actions
– An action is the business logic of any view
• Represented by methods of the module class
• Actions can have multiple views
– Actions return view types
• Success/Error/Custom
30

Create a content action
public function executeRender()
{
$permalink = $this->getRequestParameter('permalink',
false);
$this->forward404If(empty($permalink));
$this->content =
ContentPeer::retrieveByPermalink($permalink);
$this->forward404Unless($this->content instanceof Content);
return sfView::SUCCESS;
}
31

The View Layer
• PHP as a template language with helpers
• View configuration managed via view.yml
– meta tags, title, javascript, css
• Layout
– Common elements like header/footer
• Partials
– Template fragment without business logic (footer)
• Components
– Template fragment with business logic
• Slots -> a placeholder in layout
32

Create a view
<?php echo $content->getContent(); ?>
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The Routing System
• Front controller
• Converts url into appropriate module/action
– Support for requirements via regex matching
• Clean URL generation
– link_to(‘click me’, ‘module/action’) / url_for helpers
content_render_permalink:
url: /:permalink
param: { module: content, action: render }
34

Easy rich interactions in PHP
• Template Helpers inspired from Rails
– Based on prototype/script.aculo.us
• Easy implementations in one line of php
– AJAX Interactions -> link_to_remote
– Visual Effects -> visual_effect
– Auto Complete -> input_autocomplete_tag
– Inline Editing -> input_inline_editor_tag
– Drag and Drop -> draggable_element
– Rich Text Editing -> textarea_tag w/ rich=tinymce|fck
– Rich Calendar -> input_date_tag
35

Easy AJAX
<?php use_helper(’Javascript') ?>
<?php echo link_to_remote(’about (ajax)', array('update'
=> ’content', 'url' => ’content/render?permalink=about'));
?>
<div id=“content”></div>
36

AJAX Toolkit Integration
• Prototype/scriptaculous built-in
• Plugins available:
– sfUJSPlugin -> helpers for UJS via jQuery
– sfYUIPlugin -> helpers for YUI
– sfDojoPlugin -> helpers for Dojo
– sfExtPlugin -> helpers for Ext
• Build your own helpers
37

A better AJAX (unobtrusive)
• Uses sfUJSPlugin to add unobtrusively
add behaviors to a page
<?php echo link_to('about', 'content/render?permalink=about',
'id=about'); ?>
<?php UJS_ajaxify_link('#about', array('update' => '#content', 'url' =>
'content/render?permalink=about')); ?>
38

Integrate your own PHP libraries
• Autoloading hooks for easy integration of
– Zend Framework
– EZ Components
– PEAR
– Custom
39

Integrating the Zend framework
• Download Zend and install in lib/vendor/zf
• Modify your settings.yml
autoloading_functions: [[sfZendFrameworkBridge, autoload]]
zend_lib_dir: <?php echo sfConfig::get('sf_lib_dir'); ?>/vendor/zf
• Clear the symfony cache (symfony cc)
40

Create a homepage
• Create a homepage action
– actions/actions.class.php
public function executeHomepage()
{
$this->content = ContentPeer::retrieveByPermalink('home');
return sfView::SUCCESS;
}
• Create a homepage view
– templates/homepageSuccess.php
41

Create a del.icio.us component
• Create actions/components.class.php
public function executeDelicious()
{
$delicious = new
Zend_Service_Delicious(sfConfig::get('app_delicious_username'),
sfConfig::get('app_delicious_password'));
$this->posts = $delicious-
>getRecentPosts(sfConfig::get('app_delicious_tag'),
sfConfig::get('app_delicious_max', 10));
}
42

Create a del.icio.us partial
• frontend/content/templates/_delicious.php
<ul>
<?php foreach($posts as $post): ?>
<li><?php echo link_to($post->getTitle(), $post->getUrl()); ?></li>
<?php endforeach; ?>
</ul>
43

Customize the homepage view
• templates/homepageSuccess.php
<?php echo $content->getContent(); ?>
<?php include_component('content', 'delicious'); ?>
44

Change the default homepage
• Modify the route (routing.yml)
# default rules
homepage:
url: /
param: { module: content, action: homepage }
• Modify the default settings
all:
.actions:
default_module: content
default_action: homepage
45

The Caching System
• Caching
– Actions with or without the layout
– Components
– Template fragments
• cache/cache_save helpers
• Cache + ETag header handling
• Configurable per action/component
• File based or SQLite
• sfSuperCachePlugin
46

Cache our homepage + delicious
• Enable in settings.yml
Configure cache.yml
_delicious:
enabled: true
lifetime: 96000
homepage:
enabled: true
with_layout: true
lifetime: 12000
47

Create a content administration
• symfony init-app backend
• symfony propel-init-admin backend
content Content
• Customize generator.yml
48

Generator.yml
fields:
title: { name: Title, help: This is the title of the content. }
content: { name: Body, help: This is the body of this content. }
list:
display: [=title, created_at]
filters: [title, created_at]
sort: title, desc
fields:
created_at: { params: disabled=true, type: plain }
title: { type: plain }
content: { type: textarea_tag, params: rich=true size=60x60}
49

Input Filtering & Output Escaping
• Input filtering
– Transformations applied via converters in
form handling
– Configurable via validate/:action.yml
• Output escaping
– XSS prevention
• Automatically escapes all variables accessible to
the template
• Configurable via settings.yml
50

The Plugin System
• Plugins are packages
– Configuration, Object Model, Libraries,
Helpers, Modules, Tasks, Tests, Assets
• Easy to install via PEAR
– symfony plugin-install or pear install
• Plugins can be overridden/extended
– Configuration, Object Model, Actions,
Templates
51

Available Plugins
• sfGuard
– Basic auth/user/group/permission system
• sfFeed2 / sfWebBrowserPlugin
– RSS/Atom Feed Generation/Aggregation
• sfSimpleCMS/sfSimpleBlog/sfSimpleForum
– Basic content management/blog/forum
• sfSuperCache
– Extremely fast full page caching
• sfErrorLogger
– Error logging for 404 and 500 errors
52

Install sfGuardPlugin
• Install sfGuardPlugin from pear
– symfony plugin-install
http://plugins.symfony-
project.com/sfGuardPlugin
• Rebuild object model + load data
– symfony propel-build-all-load frontend
53

Install sfGuardPlugin
• Enable in frontend (settings.yml)
.settings:
enabled_modules: [sfGuardAuth]
• Enable in backend (settings.yml)
.settings:
enabled_modules: [sfGuardGroup, sfGuardUser,
sfGuardPermission]
54

Install sfGuardPlugin
• Add remember me filter (filters.yml)
security_filter:
class: sfGuardBasicSecurityFilter
• Change default security actions
(settings.yml)
login_module: sfGuardAuth
login_action: signin
secure_module: sfGuardAuth
secure_action: secure
55

Secure your administration area
• Confirm frontend application is unsecure
(apps/frontend/config/security.yml)
default:
is_secure: off
• Modify backend application to be secure
(apps/backend/config/security.yml)
default:
is_secure: on
credentials: [admin | author]
56

I18n & L10n
• Inspired by PRADO
• Flexible Configuration
– Dictionaries can be XLIFF, gettext, or database
• Caching
• Template Helpers
– Dealing with text = __()
• Works with complex strings
– Date, time, currency formatting
• Support for internationalization in database tables
57

LIME - Unit and Functional Testing
• Based on Test::More Perl library
• Supports
– Unit Testing
• Given specific input validate specific output
– Functional Testing
• Does this work in context, a complete feature
• TAP compliant output
• Zero Dependencies
58

Writing a basic Unit Test
$t = new lime_test(16, new lime_output_color());
$t->diag('hello world');
$t->ok(1 == '1', 'the equal operator ignores type');
$t->is(1, '1', 'a string is converted to a number for comparison');
$t->isnt(0, 1, 'zero and one are not equal');
$t->like('test01', '/test\\d+/', 'test01 follows the test numbering pattern');
$t->unlike('tests01', '/test\\d+/', 'tests01 does not follow the pattern');
$t->cmp_ok(1, '<', 2, 'one is inferior to two');
$t->cmp_ok(1, '!==', true, 'one and true are not identical');
$t->isa_ok('foobar', 'string', '\\'foobar\\' is a string');
$t->isa_ok(new myObject(), 'myObject', 'new creates object of the right class');
$t->can_ok(new myObject(), 'myMethod', 'objects of class myObject do have amyMethod method');
$array1 = array(1, 2, array(1 => 'foo', 'a' => '4'));
$t->is_deeply($array1, array(1, 2, array(1 => 'foo', 'a' => '4')),
'the first and the second array are the same');
$t->include_ok('./fooBar.php', 'the fooBar.php file was properly included');
59

Execute Unit Tests
• ./symfony test-unit helloworld
# hello world
ok 1 - the equal operator ignores type
ok 2 - a string is converted to a number for comparison
ok 3 - zero and one are not equal
ok 4 - test01 follows the test numbering pattern
ok 5 - tests01 does not follow the pattern
ok 6 - one is inferior to two
ok 7 - one and true are not identical
ok 8 - 'foobar' is a string
ok 9 - new creates object of the right class
ok 10 - objects of class myObject do have a myMethod method
ok 11 - the first and the second array are the same
not ok 12 - the fooBar.php file was properly included
# Failed test (.\\test\\unit\\testTest.php at line 27)
60
# Tried to include './fooBar.php'

Write functional test for our app
$browser = new sfTestBrowser();
$browser->initialize();
$browser->
get('/')->
isStatusCode(200)->
isRequestParameter('module', 'content')->
isRequestParameter('action', 'homepage')->
checkResponseElement('body', '/Welcome/')->
checkResponseElement('ul#list li a[href]', 'click me');
61

Execute Functional Test
• ./symfony test-functional frontend
# get /
ok 1 - status code is 200
ok 2 - request parameter module is content
ok 3 - request parameter action is homepage
ok 4 - response selector body matches regex /Welcome/
62

Real World Performance
• Hello World in 15ms @ 220qps (pointless)
– APC / Syck
• symfony provides many features by default
– disable the ones you will not use
• Build intelligently, cache effectively
• sfOptimizerPlugin / sfSuperCache
• Yahoo! Bookmarks
– Full dynamic page in < 100ms
• symfony-project.com
63

Where to go from here?
• Read Documentation
• Work through the Askeet advent
• Step by step tutorials
• Finding example code
• Finding help
64

Documentation
• The Definitive Guide to symfony
– http://symfony-project.com/book/trunk
– Released open source 1/29/2007
– Licensed under GFDL
• API Documentation
– Good coverage
• Wiki
– Many useful guides and how to knowledge
– Many user contributed tips
65

Askeet Advent
• Askeet.com
– http://symfony-project.com/askeet
• 24 day tutorial on how to build a real web
2.0 application
– In-depth coverage of all aspects of symfony
66

Tutorials
• Askeet
• My first project
• Building an ajaxified drag and drop
shopping cart
• Sortable lists using ajax
• Degradable ajax pagination
67

Example Code
• Askeet
– http://trac.askeet.com
• Snippets
– http://symfony-project.com/snippets/
• Snipeet
– http://trac.snipeet.com
68

Finding Help
• Forums
– http://www.symfony-project.com/forum
• IRC
– irc.freenode.net/#symfony
• Mailing List (Google Groups)
– symfony-users@googlegroups.com
– archived & searchable
69

Questions?
70

YAHOO IS HIRING
Are you good with AJAX, PHP,
DHTML/XHTML, Javascript, CSS,
Actionscript / Flash?
Then we have a job for you!
71

Enjoy the rest of the conference!
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