Osm Admin: Osm Admin Backlog
2 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
2 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
2 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
Before diving into what should be in the docs, let's define what you should more or less know before using Osm Admin.
There are four types of people who will read the docs: power users, developers, vendors and contributors.
2 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
Here are my thoughts on product backlog and roadmap.
2 years ago ∙ 3 minutes read
I came with an idea of much cleaner Osm Admin data class "markup", and more straightforward architecture, and I decided to give it a go in a separate experimental branch v0.2
, and to see if it's viable.
After three weeks of implementation effort, I can say that it is viable, and it's so much better! And it's not a completely new effort, I mostly copy code from v0.1
and some parts of osmphp/framework:old_v4
, and adapt it.
You can already define data classes using new markup, generate the database tables, and query it using new formula syntax. I really wanted to come with some UI working, but there wasn't enough time for that. It stays my priority for the next iteration.
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
My current goal is to get some minimum Osm Admin user interface and API working - just for one property, one data type, one UI control type, and then improve.
And there is a lot of space for improvement. The main areas are listed in this document.
I'd really appreciate a helping hand, so if you are into this sort of things, DM me on Twitter.
2 years ago ∙ 4 minutes read
I feel that both attributes decorating data classes, and object model parsed from it are too complex.
Let's have a fresh look at Osm Admin. If I had to start from scratch, how would it be?
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
Last two weeks were about implementing initial version of an Osm Admin grid, integrating it seamlessly with the editing form, and enabling mass-editing of multiple objects.
After finishing it, I realized that Osm Admin had become bigger than Osm Framework! To keep up, I started writing docs for it.
And now, you have a step-by-step guide for creating a project, adding Osm Admin to it and a practical example of an admin area that you can copy to your project and try it out locally.
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
Recently, I implemented mass-editing in Osm Admin. It allows you to view and edit multiple objects in a single operation.
This article describes mass-editing of products in a typical e-commerce application.
2 years ago ∙ 3 minutes read
The last 4 weeks were mostly a vacation. It's been a time for reflection, but still, I delivered some new features.
In Osm Admin, forms already allow creating new objects and saving them to the database, and editing one or several existing objects.
I've also implemented URL query filters that are applied to the underlying database query and that can be displayed in the user interface.
From now on, Osm Framework and all projects built with it - can be installed and developed under Apache and on Windows.
2 years ago ∙ 3 minutes read
In the user interface, you can narrow displayed data using grid column filters, or filters displayed in the sidebar. To enable that, apply #[Filter\*]
attributes to class properties.
Applied filters appear in the URL query parameters, for example, .../edit?id=5+16+19
, and on the page.
You can apply filters not only to a grid page, but also to a form page - to mass edit all matching objects, or to an action URL (edit, delete, or custom) - to perform the action on all matching objects.
In the same way, you can apply filters to the API URLs in order to retrieve or modify matching objects in a script.
2 years ago ∙ 3 minutes read
After 3 days of intensive work, I've got dot syntax working!
Along the way, I refactored the query internals once again, which reminds me a heuristics saying that you've got to implement something three times to get it right :)
New query implementation uses the concept of formulas - SQL-like expressions used for selecting, filtering and sorting data. Currently, formulas are quite limited, but with time, they should be a really powerful feature.
2 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
I decided to support selecting, filtering and ordering by properties of a related object using dot syntax: product.price
, parent.level
. This syntax will automatically join the table that stored related objects.
I realized that implementing joins requires a better query model than my current naive wrapper around Laravel query. This article describes the new query model.
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
This article is about running SELECT and INSERT queries on data objects stored in the database.
In short, use the query()
function. It runs on top of Laravel Query\Builder
. It handles the mapping of data class properties onto table columns, and initiates the computation of indexed properties.
Currently, you can only SELECT and INSERT, other operations are coming soon.
2 years ago ∙ 3 minutes read
Today, I implemented computation of indexed properties during insert. The implementation dictated some changes in indexed property definitions compare to the initial design, and how indexers are reflected into the data schema.
Also, I implemented a table query class working on the top of Laravel Query\Builder
. More about it next time, for now I'll review how indexed properties are computed during INSERT operation.
2 years ago ∙ 3 minutes read
I had two weeks full of meaningful, productive work. I started with sketching Osm Admin grid and form pages, and implemented a very basic, but working home page, and success/error messages. To enable that, Osm Framework now have extensible Blade templates, and a nice JavaScript solution for capturing user input into a modal dialog box, or into some picker component.
Then, I undertook a major refactoring of Osm Admin, including moving lots of pieces of code to their new places, stabilizing the underlying object model, rewriting database migrations and sketching future effort on data indexing. During this effort, I implemented generic object hydration and reflection over named subtypes.
I've already shared most of this information on Twitter, so if you are reading this, consider following me on Twitter and getting daily updates.
2 years ago ∙ 3 minutes read
It's often needed to compute, or index, data in database tables based on data in other tables.
This article is the first sketch of a consistent indexing solution.
2 years ago ∙ 3 minutes read
I've finished refactoring how Osm Admin stores data objects in the database. Also, in order to support multi-website, multi-vendor, multi-language applications, I've introduced the concept of scopes.
Most reasoning from the first version is still valid, so let's take a fresh look of what's changed.
2 years ago ∙ 3 minutes read
I developed dehydrate()/hydrate()
functions for a very practical need - storing the data class schema:
This article describes the information stored in the schema, and unit tests that I prepared in order to be sure that schema classes are property hydrated.
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.
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.
2021 ∙ November ∙ Osm Framework
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
Currently, I'm working on Osm Admin package, and I need a module to inject its HTML markup around some well-known place in a Blade template. However, Blade template extensibility is not a problem that's specific to Osm Admin project. It's a generic problem. Let's solve that.
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
I had two very productive weeks. #buildinpublic works wonders.
Most effort went into my new project, Osm Admin. I sketched how data classes look like, generated database tables from class attributes, and started working on the Admin UI. It's very fulfilling to see how an abstract idea gains shape.
2 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
As described in Migrations, most data objects of the same class will be stored in a database table.
But what about subclasses? In an e-commerce application, bags, dresses, and digital products, collectively known as subclasses, are all products stored in products
table, and they may have bad-specific, dress-specific or digital product specific properties that should also be stored there.
This article describes how subclasses are defined and stored in Osm Admin.
2 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
Different data classes have repeating structural patterns. For example, most data classes stored in database tables have the auto-incremented id
property. Use PHP traits to effectively introduce the same properties to different data classes over and over again.
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
I partly implemented data schema migration. It takes data class definitions, and incrementally creates or alters underlying database tables.
The article below describes how schema migration works, and what's not implemented yet, but most probably will be.
Note. This topic is continued in the new article.
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
The project repository, osmphp/admin
, follows a typical Osm Framework-based project structure. However, this repository is going to be a reusable Composer package, and has important structural differences presented in this article.
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
This article introduces the core project concepts: data object, data class, data query, and data schema.
2 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
I'm super-excited to announce that I'm starting a new project codenamed "The Big Red Button". It's about defining application data structures and logic in PHP code, pressing the big red button (hence the codename), and getting fully functioning Admin Panel and API.
2 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
This sprint was dedicated to writing Osm Framework documentation, and indeed, there are 8 new in-depth documentation articles, 4-5 minutes long each.
Despite documentation focus, I kept improving the website. From now on, you can assign a canonical URL to a blog post or a documentation page, and use GitHub friendly relative URLs in documentation.
But the most important thing - I started sharing progress and insights daily on Twitter.
2021 ∙ October ∙ Osm Framework
2 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
Throw the NotImplemented
exception in any code path that is not implemented yet, and configure the debugger to stop there whenever the code path is executed.
2 years ago ∙ 4 minutes read
osm.software
website. From now on, Osm Framework documentation resides in the docs/
directory of the osmphp/framework
repository, and it is displayed in a separate section of osm.software
website. New data source indexing engine allows running complex interdependent data synchronization with a single command, osm index
. New Placeholder
class simplifies dynamic Markdown content generation.
Osm Framework. Apply dynamic traits within the same file using #[UseIn]
attribute. Implement fast dynamic routing using new DynamicRoute
class. Generate URLs using new $osm_app->base_url
property.
2021 ∙ September ∙ Osm Framework
2 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
After you got a project up and running, let's have a look what's inside. Every directory has its purpose. Learn where to put your creative efforts!
Note. This post is moved to Osm Framework documentation.
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
This website got a completely new look. There are new blog posts diving into core Osm Framework features. Osm Framework itself offers more convenient page layout, website-wide header, footer and <head>
, customizable error pages. The themes support theme-specific CSS styles and JS scripts not bound to any module. New projects come with a handy bin/install.sh
script that simplifies installation on Linux. From now on, run osmh
without any parameters.
2021 ∙ September ∙ Osm Framework
2 years ago ∙ 4 minutes read
In Osm Framework, an application is a set of modules that you run as a whole. There are several applications defined in the project, each having its own PHP class. Mostly, deal with the main one, Osm\App\App
. Beside the class name, every application also has a name, the main one is named Osm_App
.
Access the current application object, and the main parts of Osm Framework, via the global $osm_app
object and its properties. Add your own long-living objects there. Run an application using its HTTP or console entry point, or using Apps::run()
.
Note. This post is moved to Osm Framework documentation.
2021 ∙ September ∙ Osm Framework
2 years ago ∙ 4 minutes read
Modular software development is a well-known practice of dividing your application into several modules, each doing one thing, and doing it well. It increases readability and simplifies maintenance, as application concerns are fully separated from one another, easier to reason about, and to debug.
Modular development also encourages reuse. It's like a puzzle. Using one set of modules, you'll get an e-commerce application, using another set of modules - you'll get a blog application.
Note. This post is moved to Osm Framework documentation.
2021 ∙ September ∙ Osm Framework
2 years ago ∙ 3 minutes read
Using dynamic traits, customize anything. Inject your code in the beginning, in the end, or instead of any standard method. Even more, add new properties and methods to the existing standard classes.
Note. This post is moved to Osm Framework documentation.
2021 ∙ September ∙ Osm Framework
2 years ago ∙ 5 minutes read
Computed properties are one of Osm Framework pillars. They help to execute code only once, and only if it's actually needed. Computed properties control object serialization and caching. They provide meaningful insights into class interdependencies. Finally, computed properties are easy to test.
Note. This post is moved to Osm Framework documentation.
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
From now on, this website is deployed on push, and by the way, you can easily play with the website copy locally. In the Osm framework, new Osm_Project
application allows reflecting over modules and classes regardless to which application they belong. New experimental project is aimed at quick creation of the Admin UI.
2021 ∙ September ∙ Osm Framework
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
Osm Framework uses Monolog library for logging. Use standard loggers defined in the $osm_app->logs
object, or add your own. Control logging in the settings.{app_name}.php
and .env.{app_name}
files.
Note. This post is moved to Osm Framework documentation.
2021 ∙ September ∙ osm.software Website
2 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
After pushing changes to GitHub, osm.software website is updated without any additional manual action. On push, GitHub executes the deployment script on the production server. Most changes are done to content only, and in this case, the deployment script only updates the search index. Otherwise, with the website being on maintenance, it additionally updates Composer and Node dependencies, builds JS and CSS assets, and runs the database migrations.
2021 ∙ August ∙ osm.software Website
2 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
Install PHP 8, MySql, Node, Gulp and ElasticSearch. Clone the project. Edit project settings. Finally, run few commands in the command line.
2 years ago ∙ 3 minutes read
New Osm Framework version comes with improved, configurable and easily
customizable Gulp script, modular NPM dependencies, standard page layout Blade
component and brand new README
. osm.software website
contains an easy-to-follow new project installation instruction.
2021 ∙ August ∙ Osm Framework
3 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
Install and use osm
, osmc
, osmt
and osmh
command line aliases for faster command typing.
Note. This post is moved to Osm Framework documentation.
2021 ∙ August ∙ Osm Framework
3 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
Once PHP 8, Node and Gulp are installed, create new projects quickly using the command line.
Note. This post is moved to Osm Framework documentation.
3 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
The first osm.software blog articles have been written, edited and revised. Content changes are deployed in semi-automated way. The website got some SEO improvements, and now it scores 100% in Google Lighthouse.
2021 ∙ July ∙ osm.software Website
3 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
Today, osm.software reached an important milestone - 100% Lighthouse score.
2021 ∙ July ∙ osm.software Website
3 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
This article explains how to manage and assign blog categories.
3 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
Osm Framework introduced production mode and maintenance mode. osm.software website went live.
3 years ago ∙ 1 minute read
Osm Framework introduced JS controllers, and JS unit tests. osmcommerce.com website project was renamed to osm.software, it finalized the post rendering, and introduced a tool for checking broken links.
2021 ∙ June ∙ osm.software Website
3 years ago ∙ 9 minutes read
Readers of osm.software blog can search the blog for a specific phrase, and narrow down listed articles using multi-select layered navigation. Let's see how it works under the hood.
3 years ago ∙ 2 minutes read
osmcommerce.com (now osm.software) blog got multi-select layered navigation, category management, FontAwesome icons, Tailwind CSS Typography. Osm Core allows debugging accidental assignments of the computed properties.