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Route grouping

Summary

The dot-router package lets you declare routes that share a common path prefix as a single group instead of repeating the prefix on every line. The result is less duplication, easier refactoring, and routes that belong together staying together in the code.

Details

In Dotkernel API with the help of the new dot-router package, we have managed to implement a nicer way of creating routes. A lot of the times developers need to create sets of routes that have a similar format. As an example:

$app->post('/product/create', CreateProductHandler::class, 'product:create');
$app->delete('/product/delete/{id}', DeleteProductHandler::class, 'product:delete');
$app->patch('/product/update/{id}', UpdateProductHandler::class, 'product:update');
$app->get('/product/view/{id}', GetProductHandler::class, 'product:view');

Along with the features from mezzio/mezzio-fastroute, the new dot-router package provides the ability to create route groups which are collections of routes that have the same base string for the path.

Here we have an example from src/User/src/RoutesDelegator.php with the new grouping method:

$routeCollector->group('/user/' . $id)
    ->delete('', DeleteUserResourceHandler::class, 'user::delete-user')
    ->get('', GetUserResourceHandler::class, 'user::view-user')
    ->patch('', PatchUserResourceHandler::class, 'user::update-user');

The advantages of this new implementation:

  • DRY: no need for repeating common route parts
  • encapsulation: similar routes are grouped in a single block of code (versus each route a separate statement)
  • easy path refactoring: modify all routes at once by changing only the prefix
  • easy copying/moving: copying/moving an entire group makes sure that you don't accidentally omit a route

FAQ

Q: Which package provides route grouping?

A: dot-router, which builds on mezzio/mezzio-fastroute.

Q: Where do I declare my routes?

A: In your module's RoutesDelegator.php, for example src/User/src/RoutesDelegator.php.

Q: Do I still name each route individually?

A: Yes. Grouping shares the path prefix, not the route name, so every route keeps its own name such as user::view-user.

Q: Can I nest groups?

A: Groups are built around a shared base path, so a nested group extends its parent's prefix. Keep nesting shallow, otherwise the effective path of a route becomes hard to read.

Q: Is the older per-route style still supported?

A: Yes. Calls like $app->get(...) continue to work; grouping is an additional option, not a replacement.

Q: What happens to the path when the route part is an empty string?

A: The group prefix becomes the full path. That is why ->get('', ...) inside group('/user/' . $id) maps to /user/{id}.