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Framework: Hydration

2021 November Osm Framework

2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read

Recently, I developed a couple of helper functions for transmitting PHP objects over the wire, and saving them in database records:

  • dehydrate() - recursively converts an instance of a PHP class to a plain untyped object. Then, store the plain object in the database, or convert it to JSON and send it to a browser.
  • hydrate() - recursively converts a plain untyped object back to a PHP class instance. Use if after decoding a JSON received from the browser, or after loading a database record.

This article describes how to use these functions.

Framework: Modal Elements

2021 November Osm Framework

2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read

When active, modal elements - dialogs, pickers, or AJAX spinners - need to prevent user interaction with the rest of the page.

A common approach is putting an overlay <div> under the modal element covering the rest of the page, as a click shield. However, user can still navigate the page with the keyboard.

Today, I implemented a better solution by capturing mouse and keyboard events outside the modal element, and keeping focus inside.