Search engine friendly URLs do not work yet. The URL to the items of the component will appear in the form JOOMLA/category?view=category&id=8. We use a service to repair this fault. At the same time, this is a good example to work out what is necessary to integrate a service in a Joomla extension.
Search Engine Friendly (SEF), human readable[^en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_URL] are URLs that make sense to both humans and search engines because they explain the path to the specific page. Joomla is able to create URLs in any format. This does not depend on URL rewriting performed by the web server, so it will work even if Joomla uses a server other than Apache with the mod_rewrite module. The SEF URLs follow a certain fixed pattern, but the user can define a short descriptive text alias[^docs.joomla.org/Alias] for each segment of the URL.
Internally, the local part of a SEF URL (the part after the domain name) is called the route. The creation and processing of SEF URLs is therefore called routing, and the corresponding code is called router.
An example of routing is the URL to the article "Welcome to Joomla" in the sample data. Without SEF URLs switched on, the URL is /index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1:welcome-to-joomla&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50. With SEF-URLs switched on and mod_rewrite switched off, it is /index.php/the-news/1-latest-news/1-welcome-to-joomla. With SEF URLs and mod_rewrite turned on, it is /the-news/1-latest-news/1-welcome-to-joomla.
Search Engine Friendly URLs can be enabled by turning on the Search Engine Friendly URLs option in the Global configuration. This option is activated by default in Joomla 4. For more information, see Enabling Search Engine Friendly (SEF) URLs in the documentation[^docs.joomla.org/Enabling_Search_Engine_Friendly_(SEF)_URLs].
For impatient people: View the changed program code in the Diff View[^codeberg.org/astrid/j4examplecode/compare/t26...t27] and copy these changes into your development version.
Step by step
New files
components/com_foos/src/Service/Router.php
The service components/com_foos/src/Service/Router.php does the actual work and converts the URLs into search engine friendly versions.
components/com_foos/src/Service/Router.php
// https://codeberg.org/astrid/j4examplecode/raw/branch/t27/src/components/com_foos/src/Service/Router.php
<?php
/**
* @package Joomla.Site
* @subpackage com_foos
*
* @copyright Copyright (C) 2005 - 2020 Open Source Matters, Inc. All rights reserved.
* @license GNU General Public License version 2 or later; see LICENSE.txt
*/
namespace FooNamespace\Component\Foos\Site\Service;
\defined('_JEXEC') or die;
use Joomla\CMS\Application\SiteApplication;
use Joomla\CMS\Categories\CategoryFactoryInterface;
use Joomla\CMS\Categories\CategoryInterface;
use Joomla\CMS\Component\ComponentHelper;
use Joomla\CMS\Component\Router\RouterView;
use Joomla\CMS\Component\Router\RouterViewConfiguration;
use Joomla\CMS\Component\Router\Rules\MenuRules;
use Joomla\CMS\Component\Router\Rules\NomenuRules;
use Joomla\CMS\Component\Router\Rules\StandardRules;
use Joomla\CMS\Menu\AbstractMenu;
use Joomla\Database\DatabaseInterface;
use Joomla\Database\ParameterType;
/**
* Routing class from com_foos
*
* @since __BUMP_VERSION__
*/
class Router extends RouterView
{
/**
* Flag to remove IDs
*
* @var boolean
*/
protected $noIDs = false;
/**
* The category factory
*
* @var CategoryFactoryInterface
*
* @since __BUMP_VERSION__
*/
private $categoryFactory;
/**
* The category cache
*
* @var array
*
* @since __BUMP_VERSION__
*/
private $categoryCache = [];
/**
* The db
*
* @var DatabaseInterface
*
* @since __BUMP_VERSION__
*/
private $db;
/**
* Content Component router constructor
*
* @param SiteApplication $app The application object
* @param AbstractMenu $menu The menu object to work with
* @param CategoryFactoryInterface $categoryFactory The category object
* @param DatabaseInterface $db The database object
*/
public function __construct(SiteApplication $app, AbstractMenu $menu, CategoryFactoryInterface $categoryFactory, DatabaseInterface $db)
{
$this->categoryFactory = $categoryFactory;
$this->db = $db;
$params = ComponentHelper::getParams('com_foos');
$this->noIDs = (bool) $params->get('sef_ids');
$categories = new RouterViewConfiguration('categories');
$categories->setKey('id');
$this->registerView($categories);
$category = new RouterViewConfiguration('category');
$category->setKey('id')->setParent($categories, 'catid')->setNestable();
$this->registerView($category);
$foo = new RouterViewConfiguration('foo');
$foo->setKey('id')->setParent($category, 'catid');
$this->registerView($foo);
$this->registerView(new RouterViewConfiguration('featured'));
$form = new RouterViewConfiguration('form');
$form->setKey('id');
$this->registerView($form);
parent::__construct($app, $menu);
$this->attachRule(new MenuRules($this));
$this->attachRule(new StandardRules($this));
$this->attachRule(new NomenuRules($this));
}
/**
* Method to get the segment(s) for a category
*
* @param string $id ID of the category to retrieve the segments for
* @param array $query The request that is built right now
*
* @return array|string The segments of this item
*/
public function getCategorySegment($id, $query)
{
$category = $this->getCategories()->get($id);
if ($category) {
$path = array_reverse($category->getPath(), true);
$path[0] = '1:root';
if ($this->noIDs) {
foreach ($path as &$segment) {
list($id, $segment) = explode(':', $segment, 2);
}
}
return $path;
}
return [];
}
/**
* Method to get the segment(s) for a category
*
* @param string $id ID of the category to retrieve the segments for
* @param array $query The request that is built right now
*
* @return array|string The segments of this item
*/
public function getCategoriesSegment($id, $query)
{
return $this->getCategorySegment($id, $query);
}
/**
* Method to get the segment(s) for a foo
*
* @param string $id ID of the foo to retrieve the segments for
* @param array $query The request that is built right now
*
* @return array|string The segments of this item
*/
public function getFooSegment($id, $query)
{
if (!strpos($id, ':')) {
$id = (int) $id;
$dbquery = $this->db->getQuery(true);
$dbquery->select($this->db->quoteName('alias'))
->from($this->db->quoteName('#__foos_details'))
->where($this->db->quoteName('id') . ' = :id')
->bind(':id', $id, ParameterType::INTEGER);
$this->db->setQuery($dbquery);
$id .= ':' . $this->db->loadResult();
}
if ($this->noIDs) {
list($void, $segment) = explode(':', $id, 2);
return [$void => $segment];
}
return [(int) $id => $id];
}
/**
* Method to get the segment(s) for a form
*
* @param string $id ID of the foo form to retrieve the segments for
* @param array $query The request that is built right now
*
* @return array|string The segments of this item
*
* @since __BUMP_VERSION__
*/
public function getFormSegment($id, $query)
{
return $this->getFooSegment($id, $query);
}
/**
* Method to get the id for a category
*
* @param string $segment Segment to retrieve the ID for
* @param array $query The request that is parsed right now
*
* @return mixed The id of this item or false
*/
public function getCategoryId($segment, $query)
{
if (isset($query['id'])) {
$category = $this->getCategories(['access' => false])->get($query['id']);
if ($category) {
foreach ($category->getChildren() as $child) {
if ($this->noIDs) {
if ($child->alias == $segment) {
return $child->id;
}
} else {
if ($child->id == (int) $segment) {
return $child->id;
}
}
}
}
}
return false;
}
/**
* Method to get the segment(s) for a category
*
* @param string $segment Segment to retrieve the ID for
* @param array $query The request that is parsed right now
*
* @return mixed The id of this item or false
*/
public function getCategoriesId($segment, $query)
{
return $this->getCategoryId($segment, $query);
}
/**
* Method to get the segment(s) for a foo
*
* @param string $segment Segment of the foo to retrieve the ID for
* @param array $query The request that is parsed right now
*
* @return mixed The id of this item or false
*/
public function getFooId($segment, $query)
{
if ($this->noIDs) {
$dbquery = $this->db->getQuery(true);
$dbquery->select($this->db->quoteName('id'))
->from($this->db->quoteName('#__foos_details'))
->where(
[
$this->db->quoteName('alias') . ' = :alias',
$this->db->quoteName('catid') . ' = :catid',
]
)
->bind(':alias', $segment)
->bind(':catid', $query['id'], ParameterType::INTEGER);
$this->db->setQuery($dbquery);
return (int) $this->db->loadResult();
}
return (int) $segment;
}
/**
* Method to get categories from cache
*
* @param array $options The options for retrieving categories
*
* @return CategoryInterface The object containing categories
*
* @since __BUMP_VERSION__
*/
private function getCategories(array $options = []): CategoryInterface
{
$key = serialize($options);
if (!isset($this->categoryCache[$key])) {
$this->categoryCache[$key] = $this->categoryFactory->createCategory($options);
}
return $this->categoryCache[$key];
}
}
Modified files
administrator/components/com_foos/services/provider.php
In the service provider we register the service.
administrator/components/com_foos/services/provider.php
use FooNamespace\Component\Foos\Administrator\Extension\FoosComponent;
use FooNamespace\Component\Foos\Administrator\Helper\AssociationsHelper;
use Joomla\CMS\Association\AssociationExtensionInterface;
use Joomla\CMS\Component\Router\RouterFactoryInterface;
use Joomla\CMS\Extension\Service\Provider\RouterFactory;
/**
* The foos service provider.
public function register(Container $container)
$container->registerServiceProvider(new CategoryFactory('\\FooNamespace\\Component\\Foos'));
$container->registerServiceProvider(new MVCFactory('\\FooNamespace\\Component\\Foos'));
$container->registerServiceProvider(new ComponentDispatcherFactory('\\FooNamespace\\Component\\Foos'));
$container->registerServiceProvider(new RouterFactory('\\FooNamespace\\Component\\Foos'));
$container->set(
ComponentInterface::class,
function (Container $container) {
$component->setMVCFactory($container->get(MVCFactoryInterface::class));
$component->setCategoryFactory($container->get(CategoryFactoryInterface::class));
$component->setAssociationExtension($container->get(AssociationExtensionInterface::class));
$component->setRouterFactory($container->get(RouterFactoryInterface::class));
return $component;
}
The lines $container->registerServiceProvider (new RouterFactory('\\Joomla\\Component\\Foos')) and $component->setRouterFactory ($container->get(RouterFactoryInterface::class)) are added.
administrator/components/com_foos/src/Extension/FoosComponent.php
We implement RouterServiceInterface and use RouterServiceTrait so that these files are available.
administrator/components/com_foos/src/Extension/FoosComponent.php
use FooNamespace\Component\Foos\Administrator\Service\HTML\Icon;
use Psr\Container\ContainerInterface;
use Joomla\CMS\Helper\ContentHelper;
use Joomla\CMS\Component\Router\RouterServiceInterface;
use Joomla\CMS\Component\Router\RouterServiceTrait;
/**
* Component class for com_foos
*
* @since __BUMP_VERSION__
*/
class FoosComponent extends MVCComponent implements BootableExtensionInterface, CategoryServiceInterface, AssociationServiceInterface
class FoosComponent extends MVCComponent implements BootableExtensionInterface, CategoryServiceInterface, AssociationServiceInterface, RouterServiceInterface
{
use CategoryServiceTrait;
use AssociationServiceTrait;
use HTMLRegistryAwareTrait;
use RouterServiceTrait;
/**
* Booting the extension. This is the function to set up the environment of the extension like
Test your Joomla component
- install your component in Joomla version 4 to test it:
Copy the files in the administrator folder into the administrator folder of your Joomla 4 installation.
Copy the files in the components folder into the components folder of your Joomla 4 installation.
Install your component as described in part one, after you have copied all the files. Joomla will update the namespaces for you during the installation. Since a new file has been added, this is necessary.
- Activate the setting search engine friendly URLs in the global configuration.
- create a menu item for a foo element
- check the URLs with which the menu item is called up in the frontend. Instead of
http://localhost/ single-foo-astrid?view=foo&id=2,http://localhost/ single-foo-astridshould appear - depending on how you named your menu items. In the case of categories, the improvement is even more obvious.
Note: The URL
http://localhost/ single-foo-astrid?view=foo&id=2is technically still present and accessible.
Links
Routing in com_contact[^github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/pull/27693]
Webmentions