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Quick Start Guide

This guide will walk you through creating your first route, controller, and view in the TinyMVC framework.

Note: Make sure you've completed the installation steps before beginning

Or, just run the following command:

composer create-project tinymvc/tinymvc myapp

1. Create Your First Route

Routes define the entry points to your application. Let's create a simple route that welcomes users by name.

Open the file routes/web.php and add:

<?php
use Spark\Http\Route;
use App\Http\Controllers\HomeController;

// Simple GET route with a name parameter
Route::get('/hello/{name}', [HomeController::class, 'index']);
Route Parameters: The {name} in the URL is a dynamic parameter that will be passed to your controller.

2. Generate a Controller

Controllers handle the application logic. Let's create one using the Spark CLI:

php spark make:controller HomeController

This will create a new controller at app/Http/Controllers/HomeController.php.

Edit the controller to add our welcome method:

<?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

class HomeController extends Controller
{
    /**
     * Welcome a user by name
     *
     * @param string $name The name to welcome
     * @return \Spark\Http\Response
     */
    public function index(string $name)
    {
        return view('greet', ['name' => $name]);
    }
}
About Controllers:
  • Method parameters are automatically injected from route parameters
  • The view() helper renders templates with the provided data

3. Create a View

Views handle the presentation layer. Let's generate and customize one:

First, create the view file using Spark CLI:

php spark make:view greet

This creates resources/views/greet.blade.php. Edit it to display our welcome message: 

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Welcome to My App</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Welcome, {{ $name }}!</h1>
    
    @if ($name === 'admin')
        <p class="alert">Special message for admin users</p>
    @endif
</body>
</html>
View Best Practices:
  • Always escape output with {{ }} or {{ __() }} to prevent XSS
  • Keep complex logic in controllers, not views
  • Use partials for reusable view parts. (header, footer)
  • Use components for encapsulating reusable UI elements

4. Test Your Application

Start the development server:

php spark serve

Visit your route in the browser:

http://localhost:8000/hello/YourName

You should see the welcome message with your name!

Next Steps

Now that you have a basic route working, consider exploring:

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

Issue Solution
Route not found Check routes/web.php exists and has correct syntax
Controller not found Verify namespace in controller matches file location
View not found Ensure view file exists in resources/views/
Server not starting Check if port 8000 is available or specify another: php spark serve --port=8080
Development Tip: Use php spark route:list to see all registered routes with their name, and allowed methods.