DALT.PHP - Learn Backend by Debugging

What Are Views?

In web development, a "view" is the HTML that gets sent to the browser. It's what the user sees.

In DALT.PHP, views are just PHP files that output HTML. They're not special classes or complex templates - just regular PHP files.

The Simplest Example

Here's a controller that renders a view:

// app/Http/controllers/welcome.php

view('welcome.view.php');

That's it! Just one function call.

This tells DALT.PHP: "Find the file welcome.view.php and render it."

Where Views Live

DALT.PHP looks for views in two places:

App views: resources/views/
Platform views: .dalt/resources/views/

So when you call view('welcome.view.php'), it looks for:

resources/views/welcome.view.php (app)
.dalt/resources/views/welcome.view.php (platform)

Important: App views take priority over the framework! If both exist, your custom app version is used. This allows you to override and customize the .dalt platform views.

Step 1: Extract Attributes

extract($attributes);

This is a PHP function that turns array keys into variables.

Example:

view('profile.view.php', [
    'name' => 'Alice',
    'age' => 25
]);

Inside profile.view.php, you can now use:

<h1>Hello, <?= htmlspecialchars($name) ?></h1>
<p>Age: <?= $age ?></p>

The $name and $age variables were created by extract().

How extract() Works

$attributes = ['name' => 'Alice', 'age' => 25];
extract($attributes);

// Now you have:
// $name = 'Alice'
// $age = 25

It's like unpacking a box - each item in the array becomes its own variable.

Step 2: Build File Paths

$appView = base_path('resources/views/' . $path);
$daltView = base_path('.dalt/resources/views/' . $path);

This creates the full file paths to check.

Example: if you call view('posts/index.view.php'):

$appView = /path/to/project/resources/views/posts/index.view.php
$daltView = /path/to/project/.dalt/resources/views/posts/index.view.php

Step 3: Check App Views First!

if (file_exists($appView)) {
    return require $appView;
}

This is where your normal application views live. By checking this directory first, you have the power to create a custom file in your app that completely shadows and overrides a .dalt learning platform view.

Step 4: Check Platform Views (Fallback)

if (is_dir(base_path('.dalt')) && file_exists($daltView)) {
    return require $daltView;
}

If your app doesn't have the view, the framework falls back to checking the .dalt learning component folder.

Step 5: View Not Found

throw new \RuntimeException("View not found: {$path}");

If the view doesn't exist in either location, throw an error.

This helps you catch typos: view('welcom.view.php') (missing 'e') will show a clear error.

ELI5: How view() Works

Imagine you're looking for a book:

You ask for a book (view('story.view.php'))
Check the main shelf first (resources/views/)
If not there, check the special platform shelf (.dalt/resources/views/)
If still not found, say "book not found" (throw error)

The main shelf is for your app. The special shelf (.dalt) is just a fallback for the learning platform.

A Simple View File

Here's what a view file looks like:

<!-- resources/views/welcome.view.php -->

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Welcome</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Welcome to DALT.PHP</h1>
    <p>This is a simple view file.</p>
</body>
</html>

It's just HTML with some PHP mixed in.

Passing Data to Views

You can pass data from controllers to views:

// Controller
$posts = $db->query('SELECT * FROM posts')->get();

view('posts/index.view.php', [
    'posts' => $posts
]);

Then in the view:

<!-- resources/views/posts/index.view.php -->

<h1>All Posts</h1>

<?php foreach ($posts as $post): ?>
    <article>
        <h2><?= htmlspecialchars($post['title']) ?></h2>
        <p><?= htmlspecialchars($post['body']) ?></p>
    </article>
<?php endforeach; ?>

The $posts variable is available because we passed it in the $attributes array.

Why Use htmlspecialchars()?

<?= htmlspecialchars($post['title']) ?>

This prevents XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attacks.

If a post title contains:

<script>alert('hacked')</script>

Without htmlspecialchars():

The browser runs the script
The attacker can steal cookies, redirect users, etc.

With htmlspecialchars():

The browser shows the text literally
The script doesn't run

Always escape user-generated content!

The Welcome View Example

Let's look at the actual welcome view in DALT.PHP:

// resources/views/welcome.view.php

<?php if (function_exists('base_path') && is_dir(base_path('.dalt'))): ?>
    <p><a href="/learn">Open Course &rarr;</a></p>
<?php endif; ?>

This checks:

Does the base_path() function exist?
Does the .dalt directory exist?

If yes, show a link to the course. If no, hide it.

This way:

With .dalt installed → you see "Open Course"
Without .dalt → you just see the normal welcome page

View File Naming Convention

DALT.PHP uses .view.php as the file extension:

welcome.view.php
login.view.php
posts/index.view.php

This makes it clear which files are views (vs controllers or models).

You could also use:

.php (simpler, but less clear)
.blade.php (if using Laravel's Blade)
.twig (if using Twig)

DALT.PHP keeps it simple with plain PHP.

What's Good Here

Views are just PHP files (no new syntax to learn)
Simple view() function (easy to understand)
Can pass data easily with $attributes
You can override platform views by just creating a file in your app views directory
Clear error messages when views are missing

Design Note

DALT keeps views as plain PHP on purpose:

No template engine to learn
No hidden compilation step
Data is passed as $attributes for convenience

If you prefer maximum explicitness, you can pass a single array (example: $data) and read from it inside the view. DALT doesn’t force a single style.

Common Patterns

Including Partials

<!-- resources/views/posts/index.view.php -->

<?php require base_path('resources/views/layouts/header.php'); ?>

<h1>Posts</h1>
<!-- content here -->

<?php require base_path('resources/views/layouts/footer.php'); ?>

Conditional Content

<?php if (isset($_SESSION['user'])): ?>
    <p>Welcome back, <?= htmlspecialchars($_SESSION['user']['email']) ?></p>
<?php else: ?>
    <p><a href="/login">Please log in</a></p>
<?php endif; ?>

Loops

<?php foreach ($posts as $post): ?>
    <article>
        <h2><?= htmlspecialchars($post['title']) ?></h2>
    </article>
<?php endforeach; ?>

Empty State

<?php if (empty($posts)): ?>
    <p>No posts yet.</p>
<?php else: ?>
    <?php foreach ($posts as $post): ?>
        <!-- post content -->
    <?php endforeach; ?>
<?php endif; ?>

Security Reminder

Always escape output:

<!-- ✅ SAFE -->
<?= htmlspecialchars($user['name']) ?>

<!-- ❌ DANGEROUS -->
<?= $user['name'] ?>

The only exception is when you're intentionally outputting HTML (like a rich text editor), and you've sanitized it properly.

Testing Views

To test if a view works:

Create the view file in resources/views/
Create a controller that calls view('your-file.view.php')
Add a route to that controller
Visit the route in your browser

If you see an error like "View not found", check:

Is the file path correct?
Is the file in the right directory?
Did you spell the filename correctly?

Views & the view() Helper