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QkSkima Model

A lean but powerful DSL-based model system for TYPO3 with Symfony validation, property access, nested relations, and business rule validation. QkSkima Model is an alternative approach, when you think Extbase is too heavy for the job.

Features

• ActiveRecord-style CRUD operations (create, save, update, destroy)
• Automatic hydration from form data with nested relations
• Symfony validation with attribute-based constraints
• Business rule validation layer for complex domain logic
• Nested model support with automatic validation propagation
• TYPO3 QueryBuilder integration
• Comprehensive error handling with structured error messages
• TYPO3 specific database operations like softDelete, hide, show, findAll

Recommendations

For building RESTful API endpoints that work seamlessly with this model system, we highly recommend using the qkskima/api composer package.

Why Use QkSkima Api?

The qkskima/api package is specifically designed to complement this model system and provides:

• Structured API Controllers: Organize your API endpoints with controllers and actions
• Automatic CSRF Protection: Built-in CSRF token validation for secure API calls
• TYPO3 Frontend Authentication: Leverage TYPO3's native frontend user authentication system
• Seamless Model Integration: Works perfectly with the BaseModel validation and error handling

Installation

Architecture

Core Classes

1. BaseModel - Abstract base class providing all core functionality
2. BusinessRuleInterface - Contract for business rule validators
3. BusinessRuleResult - Value object for validation results
4. TYPO3ModelTrait - Trait to add TYPO3 specific functionality

Usage

Defining a Model

Creating Records

Updating Records

Deleting Records

Handling Validation Errors

Nested Relations

The system automatically handles nested model hydration and validation:

This makes it easy to process the creation of nested relations through a form.

Business Rules

Business rules provide domain-specific validation logic that runs after syntactic validation:

Business rules can:

• Access database via TYPO3 QueryBuilder
• Call external services
• Perform complex calculations
• Add violations to specific fields (including nested fields)

Adding Business Rule Violations to Nested Fields

Validation Flow

1. Syntactic Validation - Symfony constraints on properties
2. Nested Validation - Recursive validation of related models
3. Business Rule Validation - Custom domain logic (only if syntactic validation passes)

Database Integration

The system uses TYPO3's QueryBuilder for all database operations:

• save() - Inserts new records or updates existing ones
• destroy() - Deletes records and cascades to relations
• Automatic timestamp handling (crdate, tstamp)
• Support for custom queries via getQueryBuilder()

Custom Finder Methods

Error Structure

Errors are returned as a flat array with dot-notation for nested fields:

This structure makes it easy to:

• Display errors in forms
• Map errors to specific input fields
• Handle nested validation feedback

Best Practices

1. Always validate before save: The create() method does this automatically
2. Use business rules for domain logic: Keep Symfony constraints for syntax/format
3. Define relations explicitly: Use getRelations() for nested models
4. Handle errors gracefully: Check hasErrors() after operations
5. Override saveRelations/destroyRelations: For custom cascade behavior

Custom Business Rules with Database Access