Zend Framework – Application Structure

In this chapter, let us understand the structure of the Zend Framework application. The structure of the myapp application is as follows −

├── composer.json 
├── composer.lock 
├── CONDUCT.md 
├── config 
│   ├── application.config.php 
│   ├── autoload 
│   │   ├── development.local.php 
│   │   ├── development.local.php.dist 
│   │   ├── global.php 
│   │   ├── local.php.dist 
│   │   ├── README.md 
│   │   └── zend-developer-tools.local-development.php 
│   ├── development.config.php 
│   ├── development.config.php.dist 
│   └── modules.config.php 
├── CONTRIBUTING.md 
├── data 
│   └── cache 
│       └── module-classmap-cache.application.module.cache.php ├── docker-compose.yml 
├── Dockerfile 
├── LICENSE.md 
├── module 
│   └── Application 
│       ├── config 
│       ├── src 
│       ├── test 
│       └── view 
├── phpcs.xml 
├── phpunit.xml.dist 
├── public
│   ├── css 
│   │   ├── bootstrap.css 
│   │   ├── bootstrap.css.map 
│   │   ├── bootstrap.min.css 
│   │   ├── bootstrap.min.css.map 
│   │   ├── bootstrap-theme.css 
│   │   ├── bootstrap-theme.css.map 
│   │   ├── bootstrap-theme.min.css 
│   │   ├── bootstrap-theme.min.css.map 
│   │   └── style.css 
│   ├── fonts 
│   │   ├── glyphicons-halflings-regular.eot 
│   │   ├── glyphicons-halflings-regular.svg 
│   │   ├── glyphicons-halflings-regular.ttf 
│   │   ├── glyphicons-halflings-regular.woff 
│   │   └── glyphicons-halflings-regular.woff2 
│   ├── img 
│   │   ├── favicon.ico 
│   │   └── zf-logo-mark.svg 
│   ├── index.php 
│   ├── js 
│   │   ├── bootstrap.js 
│   │   ├── bootstrap.min.js 
│   │   └── jquery-3.1.0.min.js 
│   └── web.config 
├── README.md 
├── TODO.md 
├── Vagrantfile 
└── vendor     
├── autoload.php     
├── bin     
│   ├── phpunit -> ../phpunit/phpunit/phpunit     
│   ├── templatemap_generator.php -> ../zendframework/zend-
view/bin/templatemap_generator.php
│   └── zf-development-mode -> ../zfcampus/zf-development-mode/bin/zf-
development-mode 
├── composer     
│   ├── autoload_classmap.php     
│   ├── autoload_namespaces.php     
│   ├── autoload_psr4.php     
│   ├── autoload_real.php     
│   ├── ClassLoader.php     
│   ├── installed.json 
│   └── LICENSE     
├── container-interop 
│   └── container-interop     
├── doctrine 
│   └── instantiator     
├── myclabs 
│   └── deep-copy     
├── phpdocumentor     
│   ├── reflection-common     
│   ├── reflection-docblock 
│   └── type-resolver     
├── phpspec 
│   └── prophecy     
├── phpunit     
│   ├── php-code-coverage     
│   ├── php-file-iterator     
│   ├── php-text-template     
│   ├── php-timer     
│   ├── php-token-stream     
│   ├── phpunit 
│   └── phpunit-mock-objects     
├── sebastian     
│   ├── code-unit-reverse-lookup     
│   ├── comparator     
│   ├── diff     
│   ├── environment     
│   ├── exporter     
│   ├── global-state     
│   ├── object-enumerator
│   ├── recursion-context     
│   ├── resource-operations 
│   └── version     
├── symfony 
│   └── yaml     
├── webmozart 
│   └── assert     
├── zendframework     
│   ├── zend-component-installer     
│   ├── zend-config     
│   ├── zend-console     
│   ├── zend-dom     
│   ├── zend-escaper     
│   ├── zend-eventmanager     
│   ├── zend-http     
│   ├── zend-loader     
│   ├── zend-modulemanager     
│   ├── zend-mvc     
│   ├── zend-router     
│   ├── zend-servicemanager     
│   ├── zend-stdlib     
│   ├── zend-test     
│   ├── zend-uri     
│   ├── zend-validator 
│   └── zend-view 
└── zfcampus 
└── zf-development-mode  

73 directories, 55 files

The Zend Framework application consists of different folders. They are as follows −

  • Application − This directory contains your application. It will house the MVC system, as well as configurations, services used and your bootstrap file.
  • Config − This directory contains the configuration files of an application.
  • Data − This directory provides a place to store application data that is volatile and possibly temporary.
  • Module − Modules allow a developer to group a set of related controllers into a logically organized group.
  • Public − This is the application’s document root. It starts the Zend application. It also contains the assets of the application like JavaScript, CSS, Images, etc.
  • Vendor − This directory contains composer dependencies.

Structure of the Application Modules

This is the main directory of your application. Zend Framework 2 introduces a powerful and flexible module system to organize the application efficiently. The Application module of the skeleton application (myapp) provides bootstrapping, error and routing configuration to the whole application. The structure of the Application module is as shown below −

├── module 
│   └── Application 
│       ├── config 
│       │   └── module.config.php 
│       ├── src 
│       │   ├── Controller 
│       │   │   └── IndexController.php 
│       │   └── Module.php 
│       ├── test 
│       │   └── Controller 
│       │       └── IndexControllerTest.php 
│       └── view 
│           ├── application 
│           │   └── index 
│           │       └── index.phtml 
│           ├── error 
│           │   ├── 404.phtml 
│           │   └── index.phtml 
│           └── layout 
│               └── layout.phtml

Let us cover each of these module directories in detail −

  • Application − This is root directory of the module. The name of the folder will match the name of the module and the name is also used as the PHP namespace of all the class defined inside the module. It will house the MVC system, as well as configurations, services used, and your bootstrap file.
  • Config − Independent configuration of the module.
  • Src − Main business logic of the application.
  • View − Contains design / presentation (HTML) files. For example, index.phtml.
  • src/Module.php − It is the heart of the module. It works as a “front controller” for the module. The Zend process src/Module.php file before processing any PHP Classes in this module.
  • Application/config/module.config.php − It is implemented for the router configuration and auto loading files.
  • Application/view/layout − Layouts represent the common parts of multiple views. For example, page header and footer. By default, layouts should be stored in the views/layoutsfolder.

All modules share the same or similar structure as that of the above Application module.

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