Start a CorianderPHP Project

This page is the shortest practical path from a fresh CorianderPHP install to a real feature. It does not prescribe what the feature should be. Pick a small first feature from your own project, then use the same structure for routes, controller, view, module, assets, and optional database.

What You Are Building

Choose a feature slug, such as account, catalog, blog, or support. In the examples below, replace feature with your slug and replace Feature with the matching PascalCase name.

Your first feature should use this structure:

src/
  Routes/feature.php
  Controllers/FeatureController.php
  Modules/Feature/FeatureSummary.php

public/public_views/feature/index.php
nodejs/src/feature/index.ts

The goal is to understand where project code belongs.

Update-Safe Rule

Do not put app features inside CorianderCore. Framework updates manage that directory. If you need app-specific routes, controllers, middleware, modules, views, or assets, place them in the project folders shown below.

1. Install Dependencies

From the project root:

composer install
php coriander nodejs install

Composer installs PHP dependencies. The Node command installs the Tailwind and TypeScript tooling used by the nodejs folder.

2. Configure .env

Start with a local environment:

APP_ENV=local
APP_DEBUG=1
APP_TIMEZONE=Europe/Paris
PROJECT_URL=http://localhost
PUBLIC_URL_PREFIX=/public

Use PUBLIC_URL_PREFIX=/public when Apache serves the project root. Leave it empty only when the web server document root is already the public/ directory.

Checkpoint: open your local project URL. CSS should load from /public/assets/css/output.css.

3. Create A Feature Route File

Create a route file for your feature:

php coriander make:route feature

The file should live here:

src/Routes/feature.php

Add a route:

<?php
declare(strict_types=1);

use Controllers\FeatureController;
use CorianderCore\Core\Router\Router;

return static function (Router $router): void {
    $router->get('feature', static fn () => (new FeatureController())->index());
};

Why this matters: public/routes.php should stay small. Feature URLs belong in feature route files.

4. Register The Route File

In public/routes.php, include the feature route file:

$featureRoutes = PROJECT_ROOT . '/src/Routes/feature.php';
if (is_file($featureRoutes)) {
    (require $featureRoutes)($router);
}

Checkpoint: /feature should now be handled by the framework router. It may fail until the controller exists, but it should no longer be an Apache directory or missing static file issue.

5. Create The Controller

Create the controller:

php coriander make:controller Feature

Then keep it thin:

<?php
declare(strict_types=1);

namespace Controllers;

use CorianderCore\Core\Router\ViewRenderer;
use Modules\Feature\FeatureSummary;

final class FeatureController
{
    public function index(): void
    {
        (new ViewRenderer())->render('feature', [
            'summary' => (new FeatureSummary())->items(),
        ]);
    }
}

The controller coordinates the request. It does not build HTML and it does not own reusable business logic.

6. Create A Custom App Module

Create the module folder:

src/Modules/Feature/

Create src/Modules/Feature/FeatureSummary.php:

<?php
declare(strict_types=1);

namespace Modules\Feature;

final class FeatureSummary
{
    public function items(): array
    {
        return [
            ['label' => 'Routes', 'value' => 'Configured'],
            ['label' => 'Controller', 'value' => 'Thin'],
            ['label' => 'View', 'value' => 'Rendered'],
        ];
    }
}

This is a custom app module. It is different from official Coriander modules inside the framework repository. Custom modules are for project-specific behavior and should stay in src/Modules.

7. Create The View

Create the view:

php coriander make:view feature

Expected file:

public/public_views/feature/index.php

Render the data passed by the controller:

<?php
/** @var array<int,array{label:string,value:string}> $summary */
$summary = $summary ?? [];
?>

<section class="px-4 py-10 font-poppins sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
    <h1 class="font-concert-one text-5xl text-dark-green dark:text-peach">Feature</h1>

    <div class="mt-8 divide-y divide-dark-green/10 dark:divide-peach/10">
        <?php foreach ($summary as $item): ?>
            <div class="grid gap-2 py-4 md:grid-cols-[12rem_1fr]">
                <span class="font-semibold"><?= htmlspecialchars($item['label'], ENT_QUOTES | ENT_SUBSTITUTE, 'UTF-8') ?></span>
                <span><?= htmlspecialchars($item['value'], ENT_QUOTES | ENT_SUBSTITUTE, 'UTF-8') ?></span>
            </div>
        <?php endforeach; ?>
    </div>
</section>

Checkpoint: open /feature. You should see a server-rendered page with the summary rows.

8. Add TypeScript Only For Interaction

If the page needs small interactions, create:

nodejs/src/feature/index.ts

Example:

document.querySelectorAll('[data-feature-action]').forEach((button) => {
  button.addEventListener('click', () => {
    button.classList.add('opacity-80');
  });
});

Build assets:

php coriander nodejs run build-all

The compiled file goes to:

public/assets/js/feature/index.js

The footer automatically loads a matching view script when it exists.

9. Add Middleware When An Area Needs Protection

Use middleware for an entire protected area. Do not repeat the same access rule inside every controller method.

$router->group('admin', [new AdminMiddleware()], static function (Router $router): void {
    $router->get('feature', static fn () => (new FeatureController())->index());
});

Project middleware belongs in:

src/Middleware/

10. Add Database Only When You Need Persistence

Do not start every feature with a database. Add it when the feature needs persisted data.

php coriander make:database
php coriander make:migration CreateFeatureTables
php coriander migrate

For simple reads and writes, prefer the safer condition helpers:

SQLManager::findWhere(['id', 'title'], 'topics', ['category_id' => $categoryId]);
SQLManager::updateWhere('topics', ['title' => $title], ['id' => $topicId]);
SQLManager::deleteWhere('topics', ['id' => $topicId]);

Definition Of Done

Your first feature is correctly shaped when:

• Your feature URL is registered in a feature route file.
• The controller renders a view and delegates reusable logic.
• Custom project logic lives in src/Modules.
• Templates live in public/public_views.
• TypeScript lives in nodejs/src only when the page needs interaction.
• No app feature code was added to CorianderCore.

Next

Read the focused references when you need details:

• Routing
• Controllers
• Views
• Custom Modules

Then follow the complete Forum Guided Project to see these ideas connected in a real feature.