**Course Title:** Modern PHP Development: Best Practices and Advanced Techniques **Section Title:** PHP Frameworks: Introduction to Laravel or Symfony **Topic:** Routing, controllers, and views in Laravel/Symfony ### Introduction In the previous topic, we introduced the MVC architecture in PHP frameworks. In this topic, we'll dive deeper into routing, controllers, and views in Laravel and Symfony, two of the most popular PHP frameworks. Understanding these concepts is crucial for building robust, maintainable, and scalable web applications. ### Routing in Laravel Routing is the process of mapping URLs to specific handlers that process the request and return a response. In Laravel, routing is handled using the `routes` directory, where you define routes for different HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.). Here's an example of a basic route in Laravel: ```php // routes/web.php Route::get('/', function () { return view('welcome'); }); ``` In this example, the `/` route responds to GET requests and returns a `welcome` view. Laravel provides several types of routes, including: * **Web routes**: Routes that handle web requests (HTTP). * **API routes**: Routes that handle API requests (JSON). * **Console routes**: Routes that handle console commands. You can also use route names, middleware, and parameters to create more complex routes. For more information on routing in Laravel, please visit the [Laravel documentation](https://laravel.com/docs/routing). ### Routing in Symfony In Symfony, routing is handled using the `config/routes` directory, where you define routes for different HTTP methods. Here's an example of a basic route in Symfony: ```yaml // config/routes.yaml hello: path: /hello/{name} controller: App\Controller\HelloController ``` In this example, the `/hello/{name}` route responds to GET requests and maps to the `HelloController` controller. Symfony provides several types of routes, including: * **YAML routes**: Routes defined using YAML configuration files. * **Annotation routes**: Routes defined using annotations in controllers. * **XML routes**: Routes defined using XML configuration files. You can also use route names, requirements, and defaults to create more complex routes. For more information on routing in Symfony, please visit the [Symfony documentation](https://symfony.com/doc/current/routing.html). ### Controllers in Laravel and Symfony Controllers are classes that handle requests and return responses. In both Laravel and Symfony, controllers are typically stored in the `app/Http/Controllers` directory. Here's an example of a basic controller in Laravel: ```php // app/Http/Controllers/HelloController.php namespace App\Http\Controllers; use Illuminate\Http\Request; class HelloController extends Controller { public function index() { return 'Hello, World!'; } } ``` In this example, the `HelloController` controller responds to GET requests and returns a string response. Here's an example of a basic controller in Symfony: ```php // src/Controller/HelloController.php namespace App\Controller; use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response; class HelloController extends Controller { public function index() { return new Response('Hello, World!'); } } ``` ### Views in Laravel and Symfony Views are templates that render data to the user. In both Laravel and Symfony, views are typically stored in the `resources/views` directory. Here's an example of a basic view in Laravel: ```php // resources/views/hello.blade.php <h1>Hello, {{ $name }}!</h1> ``` In this example, the `hello` view uses Blade templating engine and renders a heading with a variable `name`. Here's an example of a basic view in Symfony: ```twig // templates/hello.html.twig <h1>Hello, {{ name }}!</h1> ``` ### Key Concepts and Practical Takeaways * **Routing**: Routing maps URLs to specific handlers that process the request and return a response. * **Controllers**: Controllers are classes that handle requests and return responses. * **Views**: Views are templates that render data to the user. * **Templating engines**: Templating engines like Blade (Laravel) and Twig (Symfony) provide a way to separate presentation logic from business logic. **Practical Exercise:** Create a new route in Laravel that responds to GET requests and returns a view with a variable. Then, create a new controller in Symfony that handles a POST request and returns a success message. **Leave a Comment or Ask for Help:** If you have any questions or need help with this topic, please leave a comment below. We'll be happy to assist you. **Next Topic:** In the next topic, we'll cover database migrations and Eloquent ORM (for Laravel) or Doctrine ORM (for Symfony).