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Object-Oriented Patterns

This section covers practical patterns for building maintainable applications.

The this Reference​

this is a direct reference to the current object.

  • Access: $this.property
  • Method Call: $this.method()

Factory Pattern​

Use a factory class to decide which class to instantiate at runtime (e.g., selecting a print template based on data).

XML
<class var="ShapeFactory">
    <method name="create">
        <if value1="$type" value2="circle">
             <new class="Circle" var="return" />
        <else>
             <new class="Square" var="return" />
        </else>
        </if>
    </method>
</class>

Singleton Pattern​

Combine <global> with a conditional check to ensure only one instance exists.

XML
<global var="Logger" />
<is var="Logger" type="non-array">
    <new class="LoggerClass" var="Logger" />
</is>

Composition​

Prefer composition over deep inheritance. Objects can contain other objects as properties.

XML
<class var="Invoice">
    <constructor>
        <new class="Customer" var="this.customer" />
        <new class="LineItems" var="this.items" />
    </constructor>
</class>