? upMVC NoFramework - FAQ

? Frequently Asked Questions

? Installation & Setup

Q: Which repository should I use for my project?

A: - Production: Use the main upMVC repository - This is the clean, production-ready version - Development/Learning: Use upMVC-DEV - Contains additional modules and development tools - Experimentation: Use other dev repositories for testing new features

Q: Why do I get "composer not found" error?

A: You need to install Composer first:

# Download and install from https://getcomposer.org/download/

# Linux/Ubuntu
curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

# CentOS/RHEL
sudo yum install composer

# Or using package managers
apt-get install composer  # Debian/Ubuntu
brew install composer     # macOS

Q: What PHP version is required?

A: upMVC requires PHP 8.1 or higher. Check your version:

php --version

Q: How do I fix "vendor/autoload.php not found" error?

A: Run composer install in your project directory:

cd your-project-directory
composer install

?? Configuration Issues

Q: How do I change the base URL/path?

A: Edit etc/Config.php:

public const SITE_PATH = '/your-app-path';  // e.g., '/myapp' or '/' for root
public const DOMAIN_NAME = 'https://yourdomain.com';

Q: Database connection fails, what should I check?

A: 1. Check credentials in etc/ConfigDatabase.php 2. Verify database exists:

   CREATE DATABASE your_database_name;

3. Test connection:
   mysql -u username -p -h localhost database_name
   

4. Check PHP extensions:
   php -m | grep pdo
   php -m | grep mysql
   

Q: How do I enable/disable debug mode?

A: - Enable: Set APP_DEBUG=true in etc/.env or modify etc/Config.php - Disable: Set APP_DEBUG=false for production

Q: Sessions not working, what's wrong?

A: Check these common issues: 1. Session directory permissions:

   chmod 755 storage/sessions/

2. PHP session configuration:
   // In etc/Config.php
   ini_set('session.save_path', __DIR__ . '/../storage/sessions');
   

3. Headers already sent: Check for output before `session_start()`

?? Module Development

Q: My new module isn't loading, why?

A: Check these steps: 1. Namespace matches directory (v2.0 layout): - Namespace: MyModule - Directory: src/Modules/Mymodule/ 2. Added to composer.json:

   "MyModule\\": "src/Modules/Mymodule/"

3. Regenerated autoloader:
   composer dump-autoload
   

4. Routes class exists:
   // modules/mymodule/routes/Routes.php
   namespace MyModule\Routes;
   class Routes {
       public static function addRoutes($router): void { ... }
   }
   

Q: How do I rename an existing module?

A: Follow these steps: 1. Rename directory: src/Modules/Oldname/ ? src/Modules/Newname/ 2. Update namespace in all PHP files: namespace OldName; ? namespace NewName; 3. Update composer.json:

   "NewName\\": "src/Modules/Newname/"

4. Regenerate autoloader: `composer dump-autoload`
5. Update any hard-coded references

Q: Can I delete demonstration modules?

A: Yes! Modules in /src/Modules/ are optional demonstration code. Safe to remove: - src/Modules/Enhanced/ - Advanced features demo - src/Modules/Test/ - Testing examples - src/Modules/React*/ - React integration examples - Keep only modules you're actually using

Q: How do I create nested modules?

A: upMVC supports nested modules (v2.0 layout):

src/Modules/
??? Parent/
?   ??? Controller.php          # namespace Parent;
?   ??? Modules/
?       ??? Child/
?           ??? Controller.php  # namespace Parent\Child;
?           ??? routes/Routes.php

? Routing & URLs

Q: My routes return 404 errors, what's wrong?

A: Check these common issues: 1. Web server configuration: - Apache: Ensure .htaccess is working and mod_rewrite enabled - Nginx: Configure try_files directive properly 2. Route registration:

   // In your module's Routes.php
   $router->addRoute('/mypath', \MyModule\Controller::class, 'method');

3. Method exists in controller:
   public function method() { ... }
   

Q: How do I add parameters to routes?

A: Use curly braces for parameters:

$router->addRoute('/user/{id}', \User\Controller::class, 'show');
$router->addRoute('/post/{id}/comment/{comment_id}', \Blog\Controller::class, 'showComment');

// In controller:
public function show($id) {
    // $id contains the route parameter
}

Q: How do I handle different HTTP methods (POST, PUT, DELETE)?

A: Check request method in your controller:

public function handleUser() {
    $method = $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'];
    
    switch ($method) {
        case 'GET':
            return $this->show();
        case 'POST':
            return $this->create();
        case 'PUT':
            return $this->update();
        case 'DELETE':
            return $this->delete();
    }
}

? Security

Q: How do I implement CSRF protection?

A: upMVC includes built-in CSRF protection:

// In forms, add CSRF token:
echo '<input type="hidden" name="csrf_token" value="' . \upMVC\Security::generateCsrf() . '">';

// Validation is automatic for POST requests when enabled in config

Q: How do I add authentication to routes?

A: Use the auth middleware:

// In your Routes.php
$router->addRoute('/admin/dashboard', \Admin\Controller::class, 'dashboard')
       ->middleware(['auth']);

// Or check manually in controller:
public function dashboard() {
    if (!isset($_SESSION['user_id'])) {
        header('Location: /login');
        exit;
    }
    // ... protected content
}

Q: How do I prevent SQL injection?

A: Always use prepared statements:

// ? CORRECT - Using prepared statements
$sql = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ? AND status = ?";
$result = $this->db->query($sql, [$id, $status]);

// ? WRONG - Direct string concatenation
$sql = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = " . $id;  // VULNERABLE!

? Performance

Q: How do I enable caching?

A: upMVC includes a caching system:

use upMVC\Cache\CacheManager;

// Cache data for 1 hour (3600 seconds)
$data = CacheManager::remember('expensive_operation', 3600, function() {
    return performExpensiveOperation();
});

// Manual cache operations
CacheManager::put('key', $data, 3600);
$cached = CacheManager::get('key', $default);

Q: How do I optimize for production?

A: Follow these steps: 1. Optimize composer autoloader:

   composer dump-autoload --optimize --no-dev

2. Disable debug mode:
   // etc/Config.php
   'debug' => false,
   

3. Enable PHP OPcache in `php.ini`:
   opcache.enable=1
   opcache.memory_consumption=128
   opcache.max_accelerated_files=4000
   

4. Use file-based caching instead of database caching

? Debugging & Troubleshooting

Q: How do I debug errors?

A: 1. Enable debug mode: APP_DEBUG=true in .env 2. Check error logs:

   tail -f logs/errors.log

3. Add debug output:
   error_log("Debug: " . print_r($variable, true));
   var_dump($variable); // Only in development!
   

Q: "Class not found" errors, how to fix?

A: 1. Check namespace matches directory structure 2. Verify composer.json autoload section 3. Regenerate autoloader: composer dump-autoload 4. Case sensitivity: Ensure proper case in filenames and namespaces

Q: Database queries not working?

A: 1. Enable query logging:

   // In ConfigDatabase.php
   'log_queries' => true,

2. Check SQL syntax:
   try {
       $result = $this->db->query($sql, $params);
   } catch (PDOException $e) {
       error_log("SQL Error: " . $e->getMessage());
   }
   

? Deployment

Q: How do I deploy to production?

A: 1. Use production repository: Clone the main upMVC repository 2. Configure environment:

   APP_ENV=production
   APP_DEBUG=false

3. Set proper permissions:
   chmod -R 755 storage/
   chmod -R 755 logs/
   chmod 644 etc/.env
   

4. Configure web server (Apache/Nginx)
5. Install dependencies: `composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader`

Q: File permissions issues on shared hosting?

A:

# Set proper permissions
find . -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
find . -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
chmod 755 storage/ logs/

? Migration & Updates

Q: How do I migrate from old upMVC version?

A: 1. Backup your current project 2. Compare module structures - update to new format if needed 3. Update composer.json - ensure PSR-4 compliance 4. Test thoroughly in development environment 5. Update incrementally rather than all at once

Q: How do I update upMVC noFramework?

A: 1. Check for updates in the main repository 2. Review changelog for breaking changes 3. Test in development environment first 4. Update composer dependencies: composer update

? Common Error Messages

"Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Class 'upMVC\Start' not found"

Solution: Run composer install to generate autoloader

"404 Not Found" for all routes

Solution: Check web server configuration, ensure URL rewriting works

"Headers already sent" error

Solution: Remove any output (spaces, BOM) before PHP opening tags

"Permission denied" errors

Solution: Set proper file permissions (755 for directories, 644 for files)

"Cannot redeclare class" error

Solution: Check for duplicate class definitions or include statements

? Getting Help

Still having issues?

1. Check the documentation in other guide files
2. Review example modules in the development repository
3. Enable debug mode and check error logs
4. Search for similar issues in the codebase
5. Create minimal reproduction of the problem

Reporting Bugs:

When reporting issues, include: - PHP version (php --version) - upMVC version/repository used - Error messages (full stack trace) - Steps to reproduce - Expected vs actual behavior

This FAQ covers the most common questions. For detailed implementation examples, see the How-To Guide and First Steps documentation.