Create a Controller

Controllers define the logic for handling requests in WNCMS. Depending on your use case, you’ll extend one of WNCMS’s built-in base controllers for the correct context.

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Choosing the right base

Use case	Extend from	Namespace	View / Response
Backend (admin CRUD pages)	Wncms\Http\Controllers\Backend\BackendController	App\Http\Controllers\Backend	backend.{model_plural}.*
Frontend (theme pages)	Wncms\Http\Controllers\Frontend\FrontendController	App\Http\Controllers\Frontend	frontend.theme.{theme}.*
API (JSON endpoints)	Wncms\Http\Controllers\Api\V1\ApiController	App\Http\Controllers\Api\V1	JSON responses
Custom base (rare)	Wncms\Http\Controllers\Controller	App\Http\Controllers	Choose any

Avoid extending the base Controller directly unless you’re creating a new controller layer or a specialized abstraction.

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Example: Backend controller

namespace App\Http\Controllers\Backend;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Wncms\Http\Controllers\Backend\BackendController;

class PostController extends BackendController
{
    public function index(Request $request)
    {
        $query = $this->modelClass::query();

        if ($keyword = $request->get('keyword')) {
            $query->where('title', 'like', "%{$keyword}%");
        }

        $posts = $query->orderByDesc('id')->paginate(20);

        return $this->view("backend.{$this->plural}.index", [
            'page_title' => __('wncms::word.model_management', ['model_name' => __('wncms::word.' . $this->singular)]),
            'posts' => $posts,
        ]);
    }
}

---

Example: Frontend controller

namespace App\Http\Controllers\Frontend;

use Wncms\Http\Controllers\Frontend\FrontendController;

class PageController extends FrontendController
{
    public function show(string $slug)
    {
        $page = wncms()->getModelClass('page')::where('slug', $slug)->first();

        abort_unless($page, 404);

        return $this->view("frontend.theme.{$this->theme}.pages.show", compact('page'));
    }
}

---

Example: API controller

namespace App\Http\Controllers\Api\V1;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Wncms\Http\Controllers\Api\V1\ApiController;

class LinkController extends ApiController
{
    public function index(Request $request)
    {
        $links = wncms()->link()->getList([
            'status' => 'active',
            'page_size' => (int) $request->input('page_size', 20),
        ]);

        return response()->json([
            'status' => 'success',
            'data' => $links,
        ]);
    }
}

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Naming and routes

• Use plural route prefixes (e.g. posts, links).

• Match route names with plural convention (posts.index, links.edit, frontend.links.single).

• Register in the correct route file:

  • routes/backend.php for backend controllers.
  • routes/frontend.php for frontend controllers.
  • routes/api.php for API controllers.

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Summary

1. Decide context — backend, frontend, or API.
2. Extend the appropriate base controller.
3. Follow naming conventions for route names and view folders.
4. Use WNCMS helpers such as wncms()->getModelClass(), wncms()->cache(), and wncms()->view().
5. Keep controllers thin — move business logic into Managers or Resources when possible.