Architecture Documentation - TinyQC
Overview
TinyQC follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern as defined by the CodeIgniter 4 framework. This document provides a detailed analysis of the application's architecture, components, and design patterns.
Architecture Pattern
MVC (Model-View-Controller)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ HTTP Request │
└────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Front Controller │
│ (public/index.php) │
└────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Router │
│ (app/Config/Routes.php) │
└────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌────────────────────┼────────────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
┌───────────────┐ ┌───────────────┐ ┌───────────────┐
│ Controller │ │ Filter │ │ Middleware │
│ (Handles │ │ (Auth, │ │ (Pre/post │
│ request) │ │ CSRF) │ │ processing)│
└───────┬───────┘ └───────────────┘ └───────────────┘
│ │
▼ │
┌───────────────┐ │
│ Model │◄────────────────────────────────────┘
│ (Data & │ Business Logic
│ Business │
│ Logic) │
└───────┬───────┘
│
▼
┌───────────────┐
│ View │
│ (Template) │
└───────┬───────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ HTTP Response │
│ (HTML, JSON, Redirect) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Component Details
1. Models Layer
The Models layer handles all data operations using CodeIgniter's Model class.
Base Model (BaseModel.php)
- Provides automatic camelCase/snake_case conversion
- Extends
CodeIgniter\Model with custom functionality
- Standardized data handling across all models
Dictionary Models
| Model |
Table |
Purpose |
DictDeptModel.php |
dict_dept |
Department master data |
DictTestModel.php |
dict_test |
Test/parameter master data |
DictControlModel.php |
dict_control |
Control master data |
Entity Models
| Model |
Table |
Purpose |
DeptModel.php |
dept |
Department CRUD |
TestModel.php |
test |
Test CRUD |
ControlModel.php |
control |
Control CRUD |
ControlTestModel.php |
control_test |
Control-test relationships |
Result Models
| Model |
Table |
Purpose |
ResultModel.php |
results |
Result data |
DailyResultModel.php |
daily_results |
Daily QC entries |
MonthlyCommentModel.php |
monthly_comments |
Monthly comments |
ResultCommentModel.php |
result_comments |
Result annotations |
2. Controllers Layer
Controllers handle HTTP requests, interact with models, and return responses.
Page Controllers
| Controller |
Base Class |
Responsibilities |
BaseController.php |
\CodeIgniter\BaseController |
Common controller setup |
Dashboard.php |
BaseController |
Dashboard rendering |
Dept.php |
BaseController |
Department management UI |
Test.php |
BaseController |
Test management UI |
Control.php |
BaseController |
Control management UI |
Entry.php |
BaseController |
Entry forms (daily/monthly) |
Report.php |
BaseController |
Report generation UI |
PageController.php |
BaseController |
Generic page handling |
API Controllers
All API controllers extend base functionality and return JSON responses.
| Controller |
Endpoints |
Format |
DeptApiController.php |
GET/POST/PUT/DELETE /api/dept |
JSON |
TestApiController.php |
GET/POST/PUT/DELETE /api/test |
JSON |
ControlApiController.php |
GET/POST/PUT/DELETE /api/control |
JSON |
EntryApiController.php |
POST /api/entry/* |
JSON |
3. Views Layer
Views use PHP templates with TailwindCSS and DaisyUI for styling.
View Structure
app/Views/
├── layout/
│ └── form_layout.php # Main layout template
├── dashboard.php # Dashboard view
├── dept/
│ ├── index.php # Department list
│ └── dialog_form.php # Department form dialog
├── test/
│ ├── index.php # Test list
│ └── dialog_form.php # Test form dialog
├── control/
│ ├── index.php # Control list
│ └── dialog_form.php # Control form dialog
├── entry/
│ ├── daily.php # Daily entry form
│ └── monthly.php # Monthly entry form
├── report/
│ ├── index.php # Report selection
│ └── view.php # Report display
└── errors/ # Error page templates
Frontend Stack
- TailwindCSS: Utility-first CSS framework
- Alpine.js: Lightweight JavaScript framework
- DaisyUI: TailwindCSS component library
- FontAwesome 7: Icon library
Data Architecture
Database (SQL Server)
The application uses SQL Server as its primary database with the following schema pattern:
Core Tables
dict_dept - Department dictionarydict_test - Test/parameter dictionarydict_control - Control dictionarydept - Department datatest - Test datacontrol - Control datacontrol_test - Control-test relationships
Result Tables
results - Result storagedaily_results - Daily QC datamonthly_comments - Monthly commentsresult_comments - Result annotations
Naming Convention
- Dictionary tables:
dict_*
- Data tables: Singular lowercase
- Junction tables:
*_test (noun-noun)
API Design
RESTful Endpoints
Department API (/api/dept)
| Method |
Endpoint |
Description |
| GET |
/api/dept |
List all departments |
| GET |
/api/dept/:id |
Get department by ID |
| POST |
/api/dept |
Create department |
| PUT |
/api/dept/:id |
Update department |
| DELETE |
/api/dept/:id |
Delete department |
Test API (/api/test)
| Method |
Endpoint |
Description |
| GET |
/api/test |
List all tests |
| GET |
/api/test/:id |
Get test by ID |
| POST |
/api/test |
Create test |
| PUT |
/api/test/:id |
Update test |
| DELETE |
/api/test/:id |
Delete test |
Control API (/api/control)
| Method |
Endpoint |
Description |
| GET |
/api/control |
List all controls |
| GET |
/api/control/:id |
Get control by ID |
| POST |
/api/control |
Create control |
| PUT |
/api/control/:id |
Update control |
| DELETE |
/api/control/:id |
Delete control |
Entry API (/api/entry)
| Method |
Endpoint |
Description |
| GET |
/api/entry/controls |
Get controls for entry |
| GET |
/api/entry/tests |
Get tests for entry |
| POST |
/api/entry/daily |
Save daily result |
| POST |
/api/entry/monthly |
Save monthly entry |
| POST |
/api/entry/comment |
Save comment |
Configuration Management
Environment Configuration
- File:
env (copy to .env)
- Database settings in
app/Config/Database.php
- Route definitions in
app/Config/Routes.php
Database Configuration
database.default.hostname = localhost
database.default.port = 1433
database.default.database = tinyqc
database.default.username = sa
database.default.password = your_password
database.default.DBDriver = SQLSRV
Development Workflow
Code Organization
- Models in
app/Models/ - Data access
- Controllers in
app/Controllers/ - Request handling
- Views in
app/Views/ - UI templates
- Routes in
app/Config/Routes.php - URL mapping
Adding New Features
- Create model in
app/Models/
- Create API controller in
app/Controllers/Api/
- Add routes in
app/Config/Routes.php
- Create views in
app/Views/[module]/
- Add menu item in layout if needed
Security Considerations
- Input Validation: CodeIgniter 4 Validation library
- CSRF Protection: Built-in CodeIgniter CSRF filter
- SQL Injection: Parameterized queries via Query Builder
- XSS Protection: Output escaping in Views
- Session Management: CodeIgniter Session library
Performance Considerations
- Caching: CodeIgniter 4 cache system available
- Database: SQL Server with optimized queries
- Assets: Static files served from
public/
- Debugbar: Debug toolbar in development mode
