wheels generate controller

This command works correctly without options (parameters). Option support is under development and will be available soon.

Generate a controller with actions and optional views.

Synopsis

wheels generate controller [name] [actions] [options]
wheels g controller [name] [actions] [options]

Description

The wheels generate controller command creates a new controller CFC file with specified actions and optionally generates corresponding view files. It supports both traditional and RESTful controller patterns.

Arguments

| Argument | Description | Default | |----------|-------------|---------| | name | Name of the controller to create (usually plural) | Required |

Options

| Option | Description | Default | |--------|-------------|---------| | actions | Actions to generate (comma-delimited, default: CRUD for REST) | | | --rest | Generate RESTful controller with CRUD actions | false | | --api | Generate API controller (no view-related actions) | false | | description | Controller description | | | --force | Overwrite existing files | false |

Examples

Basic controller

wheels generate controller products

Creates:

• /controllers/Products.cfc with index action
• /views/products/index.cfm

Controller with multiple actions

wheels generate controller products actions="index,show,new,create,edit,update,delete"

Creates controller with all CRUD actions and corresponding views.

RESTful controller

wheels generate controller products --rest

Automatically generates all RESTful actions:

• index - List all products
• show - Show single product
• new - New product form
• create - Create product
• edit - Edit product form
• update - Update product
• delete - Delete product

API controller

wheels generate controller api/products --api

Creates:

• /controllers/api/Products.cfc with JSON responses
• No view files

Custom actions

wheels generate controller reports actions="dashboard,monthly,yearly,export"

Generated Code

Basic Controller

component extends="Controller" {

    function init() {
        // Constructor
    }

    function index() {
        products = model("Product").findAll();
    }

}

RESTful Controller

component extends="Controller" {

    function init() {
        // Constructor
    }

    function index() {
        products = model("Product").findAll();
    }

    function show() {
        product = model("Product").findByKey(params.key);
        if (!IsObject(product)) {
            flashInsert(error="Product not found");
            redirectTo(action="index");
        }
    }

    function new() {
        product = model("Product").new();
    }

    function create() {
        product = model("Product").new(params.product);
        if (product.save()) {
            flashInsert(success="Product created successfully");
            redirectTo(action="index");
        } else {
            renderView(action="new");
        }
    }

    function edit() {
        product = model("Product").findByKey(params.key);
        if (!IsObject(product)) {
            flashInsert(error="Product not found");
            redirectTo(action="index");
        }
    }

    function update() {
        product = model("Product").findByKey(params.key);
        if (IsObject(product) && product.update(params.product)) {
            flashInsert(success="Product updated successfully");
            redirectTo(action="index");
        } else {
            renderView(action="edit");
        }
    }

    function delete() {
        product = model("Product").findByKey(params.key);
        if (IsObject(product) && product.delete()) {
            flashInsert(success="Product deleted successfully");
        } else {
            flashInsert(error="Could not delete product");
        }
        redirectTo(action="index");
    }

}

API Controller

component extends="Controller" {

    function init() {
        provides("json");
    }

    function index() {
        products = model("Product").findAll();
        renderWith(products);
    }

    function show() {
        product = model("Product").findByKey(params.key);
        if (IsObject(product)) {
            renderWith(product);
        } else {
            renderWith({error: "Product not found"}, status=404);
        }
    }

    function create() {
        product = model("Product").new(params.product);
        if (product.save()) {
            renderWith(product, status=201);
        } else {
            renderWith({errors: product.allErrors()}, status=422);
        }
    }

    function update() {
        product = model("Product").findByKey(params.key);
        if (IsObject(product) && product.update(params.product)) {
            renderWith(product);
        } else {
            renderWith({errors: product.allErrors()}, status=422);
        }
    }

    function delete() {
        product = model("Product").findByKey(params.key);
        if (IsObject(product) && product.delete()) {
            renderWith({message: "Product deleted"});
        } else {
            renderWith({error: "Could not delete"}, status=400);
        }
    }

}

View Generation

Views are automatically generated for non-API controllers:

index.cfm

<h1>Products</h1>

<p>#linkTo(text="New Product", action="new")#</p>

<table>
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th>Name</th>
            <th>Actions</th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        <cfloop query="products">
            <tr>
                <td>#products.name#</td>
                <td>
                    #linkTo(text="Show", action="show", key=products.id)#
                    #linkTo(text="Edit", action="edit", key=products.id)#
                    #linkTo(text="Delete", action="delete", key=products.id, method="delete", confirm="Are you sure?")#
                </td>
            </tr>
        </cfloop>
    </tbody>
</table>

Naming Conventions

• Controller names: PascalCase, typically plural (Products, Users)
• Action names: camelCase (index, show, createProduct)
• File locations:
  • Controllers: /controllers/
  • Nested: /controllers/admin/Products.cfc
  • Views: /views/{controller}/

Routes Configuration

Add routes in /config/routes.cfm:

Traditional Routes

<cfset get(name="products", to="products##index")>
<cfset get(name="product", to="products##show")>
<cfset post(name="products", to="products##create")>

RESTful Resources

<cfset resources("products")>

Nested Resources

<cfset namespace("api")>
    <cfset resources("products")>
</cfset>

Testing

Generate tests alongside controllers:

wheels generate controller products --rest
wheels generate test controller products

Best Practices

1. Use plural names for resource controllers
2. Keep controllers focused on single resources
3. Use --rest for standard CRUD operations
4. Implement proper error handling
5. Add authentication in init() method
6. Use filters for common functionality

Common Patterns

Authentication Filter

function init() {
    filters(through="authenticate", except="index,show");
}

private function authenticate() {
    if (!session.isLoggedIn) {
        redirectTo(controller="sessions", action="new");
    }
}

Pagination

function index() {
    products = model("Product").findAll(
        page=params.page ?: 1,
        perPage=25,
        order="createdAt DESC"
    );
}

Search

function index() {
    if (StructKeyExists(params, "q")) {
        products = model("Product").findAll(
            where="name LIKE :search OR description LIKE :search",
            params={search: "%#params.q#%"}
        );
    } else {
        products = model("Product").findAll();
    }
}

See Also

• wheels generate model - Generate models
• wheels generate view - Generate views
• wheels scaffold - Generate complete CRUD
• wheels generate test - Generate controller tests