Model Change Tracking Extension for Yii2

This extension provides Yii2 model data and state change tracking.

For license information check the LICENSE-file.

Installation

The preferred way to install this extension is through composer.

Either run

php composer.phar require --prefer-dist yii2tech/model-change

or add

"yii2tech/model-change": "*"

to the require section of your composer.json.

Usage

This extension provides Yii2 model data and state change tracking. It provides solution, which works around the model classes, allowing their events tracking from external, allowing enabling or disabling it at will.

Imagine following use case: we composing complex web pages, which content is based on database records. So we have an administration panel, which provides setup for particular page content parts, like 'header', 'footer' etc, as well as custom pages and main menu items. In order to keep high performance we widely use cache for different pages and page parts, avoiding regular database queries for page contents. However, once some record is changed from admin panel the cache should be invalidated, so changes may actually appear at the side. But it is not very practical to clear entire cache per each content database record change as system administrator may edit several records during single user session and only after he consider all changes are done cache should be cleared. Thus instead of clearing cache we want simply show some notification to the user at web interface, which should remind him that cache should be cleared before changes will appear at the main site.

It is not good to place such functionality inside the model classes using model events or behaviors as functionality will affect only administration panel and should not consume resources at main or console application. This means that model event handlers, which respond model saving and deletion, should be assigned dynamically from outside.

Controller Filter

The use case described above can be solved using [[\yii2tech\modelchange\ModelChangeFilter]]. As a filter it can be attached either to the controller or module (including application itself).

Controller configuration example:

class PageController extends \yii\web\Controller
{
    public function behaviors()
    {
        return [
            'modelChange' => [
                'class' => ModelChangeFilter::className(),
                'except' => [
                    'index',
                    'view'
                ],
                'modelClasses' => [
                    'app\models\Page'
                ],
                'afterModelChange' => function ($event) {
                    Yii::$app->getSession()->set('cacheFlushRequired', true);
                },
            ],
        ];
    }

    // ...
}

Now, once app\models\Page model is saved during some PageController action run, the session flag 'cacheFlushRequired' will be set. This flag should be processed somewhere at administration page layout, like following:

<?php if (Yii::$app->session->get('cacheFlushRequired', false)) : ?>
    <div class="alert alert-warning">
        You need to clear cache <?= Html::a('Clear Cache', ['/maintenance/flush-cache'], ['class' => 'btn btn-warning']) ?>
    </div>
<?php endif; ?>

Tip: in case there is modelClass property at the controller class, its value will be automatically picked up as [[\yii2tech\modelchange\ModelChangeFilter::$modelClasses]] value, so you can omit it.

The last thing to do is clearing the session flag during the related controller action:

class MaintenanceController extends \yii\web\Controller
{
    public function actionFlushCache()
    {
        Yii::$app->cache->flush();
        Yii::$app->getSession()->remove('cacheFlushRequired');
        return $this->redirect(['index']);
    }
}

You can also attach [[\yii2tech\modelchange\ModelChangeFilter]] to the module level or the entire application itself:

return [
    'as modelChange' => [
        'class' => 'yii2tech\modelchange\ModelChangeFilter',
        'modelClasses' => [
            'app\models\Page',
            'app\models\PageContent',
            'app\models\MenuItem',
        ],
        'afterModelChange' => function ($event) {
            Yii::$app->getSession()->set('cacheFlushRequired', true);
        },
    ],
    // ...
];

Then whenever some of the configured models are changed during some controller action, afterModelChange callback will be executed.

Instead of using [[\yii2tech\modelchange\ModelChangeFilter::$afterModelChange]] callback, you can attach an event handler for [[\yii2tech\modelchange\ModelChangeFilter::EVENT_AFTER_MODEL_CHANGE]] event at the filter owner scope. For example: you can create a following controller behavior:

use yii2tech\modelchange\ModelChangeFilter;
use yii\base\Behavior;

class ModelChangeLogBehavior extends Behavior
{
    public function events()
    {
        return [
            ModelChangeFilter::EVENT_AFTER_MODEL_CHANGE => 'afterModelChange'
        ];
    }

    public function afterModelChange(ActionEvent $event)
    {
        $logMessage = 'modelId=' . $event->model->id . ' actionId=' . $event->action->id;
        Yii::info($logMessage);
    }
}

Such behavior then can be attached along with [\yii2tech\modelchange\ModelChangeFilter]] one:

class PageController extends \yii\web\Controller
{
    public function behaviors()
    {
        return [
            'modelChange' => [
                'class' => ModelChangeFilter::className(),
                'modelClasses' => [
                    'app\models\Page'
                ],
            ],
            'modelChangeLog' => [
                'class' => ModelChangeLogBehavior::className(),
            ],
        ];
    }

    // ...
}

Creating Custom Solution

This extension provides [[\yii2tech\modelchange\ModelChangeTrait]] trait, which contains basic functionality needed for creation of your own external model change tracker. For example: you may bind such functionality directly to particular controller class instead of using filter:

class PageController extends \yii\web\Controller
{
    use ModelChangeTrait;

    protected function defaultModelClasses()
    {
        return [
            'app\models\Page'
        ];
    }

    public function beforeAction($action)
    {
        $this->attachModelEventListeners();
        return parent::beforeAction($action);
    }

    public function afterAction($action, $result)
    {
        $result = parent::afterAction($action, $result);
        $this->detachModelEventListeners();
        return $result;
    }

    protected function afterModelChange($event)
    {
        // handle model change
    }
}