Architecture

Table of contents

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• Architecture

  • Models

  • Views

  • Controllers

Architecture

PrestaShop uses Model-View-Controller (MVC) for its software architecture, which is often used in web applications where webpages are dynamically generated. MVC isolates application logic from the input and presentation, so that they can be separately developed, tested and maintained. A view provides the user interface presented to the customer in the browser. A controller receives input from the browser, decides what to do with it and then passes information to models that carry out specific tasks. In PrestaShop, the models are in the /classes directory, the views are in the /themes directory and the controllers are in the /controllers directory. The files in the root directory are the public interface used to call the controllers.

All these files have a warning at the top of them telling you not to modify them if you wish to upgrade PrestaShop to newer versions in the future. That is because PrestaShop allows you to override its classes and controllers in the override directory. By overriding classes and controllers instead of modifying them, you can safely overwrite them with new versions in the future without having to worry about losing any changes you have made. PrestaShop’s modules also have the same warning, since they can be overridden in a theme by mirroring the module’s directory inside the theme, e.g. themes/themename/modules/blockuserinfo/blockuserinfo.tpl.

Models

The models in the /classes directory of PrestaShop are all PHP classes that extend the ObjectModel class. This class gives the model a unique ID and a table name and identifier to link it to a row in the database. For example, in the Address model, the ID is a positive integer, the table name is address and the table identifier is id_address. The ObjectModel class also defines the model’s field sizes and the functions in the Validate class that are used to validate fields. It also links the model to the webservice feature and provides a cache. The model class names all end in Core so they can be overridden in the /override/classes directory. Here is a description of each PrestaShop model:

Model Filename	Description
Address.php	Customer, manufacturer and supplier addresses.
AddressFormat.php	Address format for each country.
Alias.php	Aliases used to redirect typos in the search box in the Front Office.
Attachment.php	File attachments that are added to products.
Attribute.php	Product attributes that display as dropdowns on the product page.
AttributeGroup.php	Product attribute groups that display as labels for the dropdowns.
Carrier.php	Carriers used to ship products to customers.
Cart.php	Customer carts including those that didn’t result in an order.
Category.php	Product categories used to organise products.
CMS.php	CMS pages used to display information.
CMSCategory.php	Categories used to organise CMS pages.
Combination.php	Combinations of product attributes and their prices.
Configuration.php	All of PrestaShop’s configuration settings.
Connection.php	Statistics about page visits.
ConnectionsSource.php	Statistics about the source of page visits.
Contact.php	Departments that can be selected on the contact form.
Country.php	Countries used in addresses.
Currency.php	Currencies used in prices.
Customer.php	Customers who have registered.
CustomerMessage.php	Individual messages sent between customers and employees.
CustomerThread.php	Threads of messages sent between customers and employees.
DateRange.php	Date ranges used in page visits.
Delivery.php	Links between carriers, zones and ranges.
Discount.php	Vouchers that can be used by customers.
Employee.php	Employees who can log in to the Back Office.
Feature.php	Product feature labels on the product page.
FeatureValue.php	Product feature values on the product page.
Group.php	Customer groups and display methods.
GroupReduction.php	Customer group reductions.
Guest.php	Customers who haven’t registered.
Hook.php	Hooks where modules can be placed.
Image.php	Product images.
ImageType.php	Image thumbnail sizes.
Language.php	Languages used on the website.
Manufacturer.php	Product manufacturers.
Message.php	Customer messages sent from the order history page.
Meta.php	Meta-information of PrestaShop’s pages.
Order.php	Customer order information.
OrderDetail.php	Customer order products.
OrderDiscount.php	Customer order vouchers.
OrderHistory.php	Customer order status history.
OrderMessage.php	Prefilled order messages that employees can use.
OrderReturn.php	Merchandise returns.
OrderReturnState.php	Merchandise return statuses.
OrderSlip.php	Credit slips.
OrderState.php	Order statuses.
Pack.php	Product packs (extends Product class).
Page.php	PrestaShop’s non-CMS pages.
PaymentCC.php	Order credit card information.
Product.php	Product information.
ProductDownload.php	Downloadable products.
Profile.php	Profiles used to restrict employee access.
QuickAccess.php	Shortcuts in the dropdown at the top of the Back Office.
RangePrice.php	Carrier price ranges.
RangeWeight.php	Carrier weight ranges.
Referrer.php	Affiliate program data.
SearchEngine.php	Search engines tracked when guests visit.
Scene.php	Image maps that link products to banners.
Shop.php	Multiple shops (not yet implemented).
SpecificPrice.php	Specific prices including quantity discounts.
State.php	States used in addresses.
Store.php	Stores used in the store locator module.
StockMvt.php	Stock movements used to track employees’ changes.
StockMvtReason.php	Stock movement reasons.
SubDomain.php	Subdomains used by PrestaShop’s cookie.
Supplier.php	Product suppliers.
Tab.php	Back Office tabs and positions.
Tag.php	Product tags used by the tag cloud module.
Tax.php	Tax names and rates.
TaxRules.php	Specific tax rules.
TaxRulesGroup.php	Groups of the tax rules.
Webservice.php	External access to the database.
Zone.php	Zones used by the carriers.

Here’s a description of the other PrestaShop classes that do not store data in the database:

Class Filename	Description
AdminTab.php	Provides basic Back Office tab functionality.
Backup.php	Creates backups of the PrestaShop database.
Blowfish.php	Encrypts the PrestaShop cookie with Blowfish.
Cache.php	Provides basic caching functionality.
CacheFS.php	Perform File System caching.
CarrierModule.php	Provides basic shipping module functionality.
Chart.php	Creates charts.
ControllerFactory.php	Calls a controller and any overrides.
Cookie.php	Reads and writes PrestaShop’s cookie.
Customization.php	Gets product customization.
Db.php	Provides basic database functionality.
FrontController.php	Initialises Smarty variables and other basic controller code.
HelpAccess.php	Displays help tooltips and documentation.
ImportModule.php	Provides basic shop import functionality.
Link.php	Gets links to products, categories, CMS pages, etc.
LocalizationPack.php	Installs localisation packs.
Mail.php	Sends emails.
MCached.php	Performs Memcaching.
Module.php	Provides basic module functionality.
ModuleGraph.php	Provides module graph functionality.
ModuleGraphEngine.php	Provides module graph engine functionality.
ModuleGrid.php	Provides module grid functionality.
ModuleGridEngine.php	Provides module grid engine functionality.
MySQL.php	Provides access to a MySQL database.
PaymentModule.php	Provides basic payment module functionality.
PDF.php	Creates PDF invoices and delivery slips.
ProductSale.php	Manages product sale numbers.
Rijndael.php	Encrypts PrestaShop’s cookie using mcrypt.
Search.php	Performs searchs on products.
Validate.php	Validates data.

Here’s a description of the ObjectModel members:

Member Name	Description
$_cache	Stores a cache of all object.
$fieldsRequired	The required fields.
$fieldsRequiredDatabase	The required fields that have been overridden by an employee.
$fieldsSize	The maximum size of each non-translatable field.
$fieldsSizeLang	The maximum size of each translatable field.
$fieldsValidate	Array of validation functions that check non-translatable fields.
$fieldsValidateLang	Array of validation functions that check translatable fields.
$id	The integer ID of the object, e.g. 1
$identifier	The name of the ID of the object, e.g. id_address
$table	The main table used by the object.
$tables	All the tables used by the object.
$webserviceParameters	The webservice parameters for the object.

Here’s a description of the ObjectModel functions:

Function Name	Description
__construct()	Loads an object with the specified ID and language.
add()	Adds the current object to the database.
clearCache()	Used to clear the cache whenever an object is modified.
delete()	Deletes the current object from the database.
deleteSelection()	Deletes the specified list of objects from the database.
displayFieldName()	Gets the unique name of a field.
getFields()	Gets the non-translatable fields for the object.
getFieldsRequiredDatabase()	Gets the required fields overridden by an employee.
getTranslationFields()	Gets the translatable fields for the object.
getValidationRules()	Gets the validation rules for the object.
getWebserviceObjectList()	Gets a list of all webservice objects.
getWebserviceParameters()	Gets the webservice parameters for the object.
save()	Saves the object, adding it or updating it as necessary.
toggleStatus()	Toggles whether the object is visible on the website.
update()	Updates the current object in the database.
validateController()	Checks whether required fields have valid data.
validateFields()	Checks whether required non-translatable fields have valid data.
validateFieldsLang()	Checks whether required translatable fields have valid data.

Here’s a description of the validation functions:

Function Name	Description
isAbsoluteUrl()	Is an absolute URL (e.g., http://www.domain.com).
isAddress()	Is an address line (^!<>?=+@{}_$% not allowed).
isAnything()	Accepts anything without doing any validation.
isBirthDate()	Is empty date or a date in yyyy-mm-dd format at least 9 years ago.
isBool()	Is a Boolean value 0 or 1.
isBool_Id()	Is a Boolean id (0 or 1 followed by an underscore, then digits).
isCarrierName()	Is a valid carrier name (^<>;=#{} not allowed).
isCatalogName()	Is a catalog name (^<>;=#{} not allowed).
isCityName()	Is a city name (^!<>;?=+@#"°{}_$% not allowed).
isCleanHtml()	Is HTML without script tags or events.
isColor()	Is a colour keyword or hexadecimal code.
isConfigName()	Is a configuration key (alphanumeric and hypens).
isCookie()	Is an instance of the Cookie class.
isCoordinate()	Is a coordinate (up to 6 digits, a period, then up to 6 digits).
isCountryName()	Is a country name (lowercase letters, spaces and hyphens).
isDate()	Is a date in yyyy-mm-dd format.
isDateFormat()	Is a valid date in yyyy-mm-dd format.
isDiscountName()	Is a valid voucher code (3-32 characters except ^!<>,;?=+()@"°{}_$%:).
isDistanceUnit()	Is a distance unit (up to 2 letters).
isDni()	Is a valid DNI, NIF, CIF or NIE code and return an error code (deprecated).
isDniBool()	Whether an error code was returned from isDni (deprecated).
isEan13()	Is a 13-digit EAN13 code.
isEmail()	Is an email of the form [e-mail].
isFileName()	Is a valid filename (alphanumeric, hyphens, underscores and periods).
isFloat()	Is a valid float value.
isGenderIsoCode()	Is a valid gender ISO code (0, 1 [male], 2 [female] or 9 [unknown]) (deprecated).
isGenderName()	Is a valid gender name (lowercase alphanumeric and period) (deprecated).
isGenericName()	Is a generic name (^<>;=#{} not allowed).
isGranularityValue()	Is a date format using lowercase d, m and y (deprecated).
isHookName()	Is a valid hook name (lowercase alphanumeric and hyphens).
isImageSize()	Is an image size (up to 4 digits).
isIcoFile()	Is a valid filename ending in .ico (deprecated).
isIconFile()	Is a valid filename ending in .gif, .jpg, .jpeg or .png (deprecated).
isImageTypeName()	Is a valid image type name (lowercase alphanumeric, spaces and hyphens).
isInt()	Is an integer.
isIp2Long()	Is a valid IP address.
isLabel()	Is a customisation field label (^{}<> allowed).
isLangIsoCode()	Is a language iso code (2 or 3 alphanumeric).
isLanguageFileName()	Is a language filename (2 or 3 alphanumeric followed by .gzip).
isLanguageIsoCode()	Is a valid language ISO code (2 or 3 lowercase letters).
isLinkRewrite()	Is a rewritten link (lowercase alphanumeric, hypens and underscores).
isLoadedObject()	Is a variable is an object and has a valid ID.
isLocalizationPackSelection()	Is "states", "taxes", "currencies", "languages" or "units".
isMailName()	Is a valid mail name (^<>;=#{} not allowed).
isMailSubject()	Is a valid mail subject (^<>{} not allowed).
isMessage()	Is a message (<>{} not allowed except <br />).
isMd5()	Is a valid MD5 hash.
isModuleName()	Is a valid module name (lowercase alphanumeric and hyphens).
isModuleUrl()	Is a valid URL to a zip, tgz or tar.gz file.
isName()	Is a valid name (^0-9!<>,;?=+()@#"°{}_$%: not allowed).
isOptFloat()	Is an empty field or valid float value.
isOptId()	Is an empty field or a positive integer (deprecated).
isOrderWay()	Is a valid order way 'ASC', 'DESC', 'asc' or 'desc'.
isOrderBy()	Is a valid order (lowercase alphanumeric, hyphens and underscores).
isPasswd()	Is a customer password (5-32 alphanumeric and (). -!@#$%\^&*).
isPasswdAdmin()	Is an employee password (8-32 alphanumeric and (). -!@#$%\^&*).
isPostCode()	Is a postcode (alphanumeric and hyphens).
isPrice()	Is a valid price (up to 10 digits, a period, then up to 9 digits).
isPriceDisplayMethod()	Is a price display method (must be PS_TAX_EXC or PS_TAX_INC values).
isProtocol()	Is the protocol http or https (deprecated).
isReductionType()	Is a reduction type "amount" or "percentage".
isReference()	Is a reference (^<>;={} not allowed).
isSerializedArray()	Is a serialised array.
isSha1()	Is a valid SHA1 hash.
IsSortDirection()	Is a sort direction 'ASC' or 'DESC'.
isStateIsoCode()	Is a valid state ISO code (up to 4 lowercase alphanumeric).
isString()	Is a string.
isSubDomainName()	Is a subdomain name.
isTableOrIdentifier()	Is a table name (lowercase alphanumeric, hyphens and underscores).
isTabName()	Is a valid tab name (alphanumeric, hyphens and underscores).
isTagsList()	Is a tags list (^!<>;?=+#"°{}_$% not allowed).
isTplFileName()	Is a valid template filename (alphanumeric, hyphens and underscores) (deprecated).
isTplName()	Is a valid template name (lowercase alphanumeric and hyphens).
isUnsignedFloat()	Is a valid positive float value.
isUnsignedId()	Is a positive integer.
isUnsignedInt()	Is a positive integer.
isUrl()	Is a valid URL.
isUpc()	Is a 12-digit UPC code.
isValidSearch()	Is a valid search (up to 64 characters except ^<>;=#{}).
isValuesList()	Is a MySQL query values list (deprecated).
isVoucherDescription()	Is a voucher description (<>{} not allowed except <br />).
isWeightUnit()	Is a weight unit (up to 3 letters).
isZipCodeFormat()	Is a zip code format (using uppercase letters N, L, C, spaces and hyphens).
isZoneName()	Is a zone name (lowercase letters, hyphens, spaces and parentheses) (deprecated).

Views

PrestaShop uses Smarty templating for its views, which supplements HTML with a flexible syntax to add variables, if statements, loops and other PHP code to the view. Most of the TPL files have the same name as the PHP file that calls them. For example, 404.php calls 404.tpl. Here is a description of PrestaShop’s templates:

View Filename	Description
404.tpl	The “Page not found” page.
address.tpl	The address form.
addresses.tpl	Lists customer addresses.
authentication.tpl	The login and registration forms.
best-sales.tpl	Lists the best-selling products.
breadcrumb.tpl	The breadcrumb bar at the top of the centre column.
category-cms-tree.tpl	Used by sitemap.php to list CMS pages on the sitemap.
category-tree-branch.tpl	Used by sitemap.php to list subcategories on the sitemap.
category.tpl	Lists a category’s subcategories and products.
cms.tpl	Displays a CMS page.
contact-form.tpl	The customer service contact form.
discount.tpl	Lists vouchers available to a customer.
errors.tpl	Displays error messages.
footer.tpl	The footer at the bottom of the website.
guest-tracking.tpl	The guest order tracking form.
header.tpl	The header at the top of the website.
history.tpl	Lists a customer’s orders.
identity.tpl	The customer’s personal information form.
index.tpl	The center column on the homepage.
maintenance.tpl	The maintenance page when the shop is disabled.
manufacturer-list.tpl	Lists manufacturers.
manufacturer.tpl	Lists the products of a manufacturer.
my-account.tpl	The account page of a customer.
new-products.tpl	Lists new products.
order-address.tpl	Used by order.php and order-opc.php for the address step.
order-carrier.tpl	Used by order.php and order-opc.php for the carrier step.
order-confirmation.tpl	The order confirmation page.
order-detail.tpl	Used by guest-tracking.php and history.php for order details.
order-follow.tpl	Lists a customer’s merchandise returns.
order-opc.tpl	The one-page checkout page.
order-opc-new-account.tpl	Used by order-opc.php for the login and new account forms.
order-payment.tpl	Used by order-opc.php for the payment step.
order-return.tpl	Displays information about a merchandise return.
order-slip.tpl	Lists a customer’s credit clips.
order-steps.tpl	Used by order.php to display the order steps.
pagination.tpl	The page navigation at the bottom of the centre column.
password.tpl	The lost password form.
prices-drop.tpl	Lists discounted products.
product-compare.tpl	Adds product comparison checkboxes to the product listings.
product-list.tpl	Lists products.
product-sort.tpl	The “Sort by” form at the top of product listings.
product.tpl	Information about a product.
products-comparison.tpl	The product comparison page.
restricted-country.tpl	Displays a message when a customer has been restricted by country.
scenes.tpl	Used by category.php to display banners that link to products.
search.tpl	List the search results page.
shopping-cart-product-line.tpl	Used by shopping-cart.tpl to display a product line in the cart summary.
shopping-cart.tpl	Used by order.php and order-opc.php to display the cart summary.
sitemap.tpl	The sitemap of the website.
store_infos.tpl	The store opening hours.
stores.tpl	The store information and Google map.
supplier-list.tpl	Lists suppliers.
supplier.tpl	Lists products from a supplier.

Controllers

Here’s a list of PrestaShop’s controllers and a description of what each of them do:

Controller Name	Description
AddressController.php	Used by address.php to edit a customer’s address.
AddressesController.php	Used by addresses.php to get a customer’s addresses.
AuthController.php	Used by authentication.php to manage customer login.
BestSalesController.php	Used by best-sales.php to get the best-selling products.
CartController.php	Used by cart.php to manage the customer’s cart.
CategoryController.php	Used by category.php to get product categories.
CMSController.php	Used by cms.php to get a CMS page.
CompareController.php	Used by products-comparison.php to compare products.
ContactController.php	Used by contact-form.php to send messages to employees.
DiscountController.php	Used by discount.php to get vouchers available to a customer.
GuestTrackingController.php	Used by guest-tracking.php to manage guest orders.
HistoryController.php	Used by history.php to get a customer’s orders.
IdentityController.php	Used by identity.php to get a customer’s personal information.
IndexController.php	Used by index.php to display the homepage.
ManufacturerController.php	Used by manufacturer.php to get manufacturers and their products.
MyAccountController.php	Used by my-account.php to display a customer’s account page.
NewProductsController.php	Used by new-products.php to get a list of new products.
OrderConfirmationController.php	Used by order-confirmation.php to manage the order confirmation page.
OrderController.php	Used by order.php to manage the five-step checkout pages.
OrderDetailController.php	Used by order-detail.php to get a single customer order.
OrderFollowController.php	Used by order-follow.php to get a list of a customer’s merchandise returns.
OrderOpcController.php	Used by order-opc.php to manage the one-page checkout page.
OrderReturnController.php	Used by order-return.php to get a single merchandise return.
OrderSlipController.php	Used by order-slip.php to get a list of a customer’s credit slips.
PageNotFoundController.php	Used by 404.php to manage the “Page not found” page.
ParentOrderController.php	Used by OrderController.php and OrderOpcController.php for shared code.
PasswordController.php	Used by password.php to allow a customer to reset a lost password.
PricesDropController.php	Used by prices-drop.php to get a list of discounted products.
ProductController.php	Used by product.php to get a product.
SearchController.php	Used by search.php to perform a search and get the results.
SitemapController.php	Used by sitemap.php to get the sitemap of the website.
StoresController.php	Used by stores.php to get store information and Google map coordinates.
SupplierController.php	Used by supplier.php to get suppliers and their products.

All controllers in PrestaShop extend the FrontController class. Here’s a description of the FrontController members:

Member Name	Description
$auth	Whether a customer must log in before they can access the page.
$authRedirection	The page redirected to after logging in.
$cart	The current customer’s or guest’s cart.
$cookie	Used to access PrestaShop’s cookie variables.
$currentCustomerGroups	Caches the current customer’s groups.
$errors	An array of errors that have occurred.
$guestAllowed	Whether a customer who has signed out can access the page.
$initialized	Whether the init() function has been called.
$iso	The iso code of the currently selected language.
$link	Used to generate PrestaShop links.
$n	The number of items per page.
$orderBy	The field used to sort.
$orderWay	Whether to sort ascending or descending ("ASC" or "DESC").
$p	The current page number.
$smarty	Used to access Smarty variables and functions.
$ssl	Whether the page is loaded using SSL when it is available.

Here’s a description of the controller functions in the order they are executed:

Function Name	Description
__construct()	Sets all the controller’s member variables.
preProcess()	Assigns variables that can be used in the header template file.
setMedia()	Adds all JavaScript and CSS specific to the page so it can be combined, compressed and cached.
displayHeader()	Calls the header template file.
process()	Assigns variables that can be used by the content template file.
displayContent()	Calls the content template file.
displayFooter()	Calls the footer template file.