XenForo and CodeIgniter Integration

Background 

For a current project I am experimenting with XenForo and integrating CI (CodeIgniter) to build some extra functionality.

They are other areas of the site (not form specific). I just needed to be sure that the user (Visitor in XenForo terminology) was logged in, and if they were a super admin; while having access to libraries and the MVC of CI.

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XenForo

The set up for XenForo is fairly minor, there is none. Just install it and you're done, for this example it's installed in :

/var/www/xenforo

URL being :

http://www.example.com/xenforo/

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CodeIgniter

I've installed (a default 1.7.3) in a separate directory for the moment just for ease of example (structure you site as needed, as always):

/var/www/ci

Example URL being :

http://www.example.com/ci/

Browsing to, gives us the obligatory all OK from the CI welcome controller :

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xF_auth

I've shared the CI libary on gitHub : https://github.com/JeremyHutchings/xF_auth

As with any CI libary, download that and put the config/xf_auth.php config file in :

/var/www/ci/system/application/config/

and the library/xf_auth.php in :

/var/www/ci/system/application/library/

The two config settings in there being the URL for the forum and the path for the XenForo install, only the file path is used at the moment, so :

$config['xfAuth']['fileDir'] = '/var/www/ci';

No harm is setting the forum URL, I've just not written the functions to use it yet.

xF_auth is a wrapper for the XenForo_Visitor class, which is part of the XenForo core. It handles getting an instance of the Visitor and checking permissions for various actions and access.

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Hello World

With CI, XenForo and xF_auth all installed and configured, time to test CI.


The default welcome controller for CI is :

/var/www/ci/system/application/controllers/welcome.php

Edit this file and add the library load to the constructor :

class Welcome extends Controller 
{
    function Welcome()
    {
        parent::Controller();
        $this->load->library('xf_auth');
    }
     ...

And then for the sake of testing, echo some debug from the controller opposed to creating a new view. That can be done once you get into development.

    ...

    function index()
    {
        if($this->xf_auth->isLoggedIn())
        {
            echo "You're logged in to XenForo !" .
            " User id :: " . $this->xf_auth->getUserId() .
            " username :: " . $this->xf_auth->get('username') .
            " email :: " . $this->xf_auth->get('email');
        }
        else
        {
            echo "You are not logged in";
        }
        $this->load->view('welcome_message');
    }
}

/* End of file welcome.php */
/* Location: ./system/application/controllers/welcome.php */

Now you will see :

(as long as you've logged into XF that is!)

You have now bootstrapped XF in another environment and can build functionality else where on the site using familiar CI MVC techniques.

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Future Development

XenForo at time of writing is in beta, and approaching RC. Though having a library abstract the bootstrapping means that any changes can be hidden from a CI application and implementation.

Usergroups - The next functions to be added will check what usergroups and permissions the user/Visitor has so the C of MVC in CI can build the views correctly.

Templates - Being able to call XF templates within CI (view integration), though using the XF context and phrasing is a goal.


@JeremyHutchings