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CodeIgniter 4 provides the Spark command-line tool, facilitating various tasks such as package installation, updating, and management within your application.

Integrating Spark commands within controllers allows for dynamic execution and automation of specific tasks based on application logic, enhancing the functionality of your CodeIgniter 4 projects.

In this tutorial, we’ll see the process of invoking Spark commands directly from a controller in CodeIgniter 4.

Let’s get started.

CodeIgniter 4 Installation

To create a CodeIgniter 4 setup run this given command into your shell or terminal. Please make sure composer should be installed.

composer create-project codeigniter4/appstarter codeigniter-4

Assuming you have successfully installed application into your local system.

Environment (.env) Setup

When we install CodeIgniter 4, we will have env file at root. To use the environment variables means using variables at global scope we need to do env to .env

Either we can do via renaming file as simple as that. Also we can do by terminal command.

Open project in terminal

cp env .env

Above command will create a copy of env file to .env file. Now we are ready to use environment variables.

Enable Development Mode

CodeIgniter starts up in production mode by default. You need to make it in development mode to see any error if you are working with application.

Open .env file from root.

# CI_ENVIRONMENT = production

 // Do it to 
 
CI_ENVIRONMENT = development

Now application is in development mode.

Create Controller

Back to project terminal and run this command to create a controller file.

php spark make:controller Site --suffix

Above command will create a file i.e SiteController.php inside /app/Controllers folder.

Open file and write this code into it.

<?php

namespace App\Controllers;

use App\Controllers\BaseController;

class SiteController extends BaseController
{
	// Create controller file
	public function generateMyController()
	{
		echo command("make:controller Hello -suffix");
	}

	// Clear debugger cache
	public function clearDebuggerCache()
	{
		echo command("debugbar:clear");
	}

	// Show all routes
	public function showAllRoutes()
	{
		echo command("routes");
	}
}

Create Route

Open Routes.php file from /app/Config folder. Add these routes into it.

//...

$routes->get("my-controller", "SiteController::generateMyController");

$routes->get("debugger-clear", "SiteController::clearDebuggerCache");

$routes->get("my-routes", "SiteController::showAllRoutes");

//...

Application Testing

Open project terminal and start development server via command:

php spark serve

To create application controller

URL: http://localhost:8080/my-controller

Output

File created: APPPATH/Controllers/HelloController.php

To clear debugger cache

URL: http://localhost:8080/debugger-clear

Output

Debugbar cleared.

To show all application routes

URL: http://localhost:8080/my-routes

Output

That’s it.

We hope this article helped you to learn CodeIgniter 4 Call Spark Command From Controller Tutorial in a very detailed way.

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