Module support?

I am just finishing a website (quite complicated paid for app) using HMVC for the first time. I really went over the top initially with the modular conception and had to rewrite when quite honestly it became just tedious and long winded. I have since rewritten virtually the entire app to remove much of the HMVC architecture. It seemed like a good idea at the time. However, now the app is nearly complete I am finding myself once again rewriting huge numbers of files as test users provide feedback and I kinda wish I had stuck with pure HMVC in the first place.

Personally, and after this recent experience, I feel that the idea of a controller calling a controller is completely right, justified and in many cases absolutely essential to prevent the duplication of code.

However, in retrospect, I think the entire problem was due to the reality that as much as you think you know and have planned for the specifications of your app, the truth is that goal posts shift, that requirements change, and that users are fickle beasts that cannot be tamed.

So, my next project similar to this will definitely be HMVC all the way, despite the extra legwork involved, despite the lack of immediacy of code responsibility, despite the extra coding, because in the long run, it IS the most efficient and manageable method to code in complex, changing environments.

But, for Codeigniter, and this is not for me to decide, whether to include HMVC or modular architecture by default seems to depend, IMHO, on the target audience. The problems I have encountered do not usually happen in simple online shops, or blogs, or simple CRUD administrative backends. It only really occurs in complex user applications that require a large amount of user flexibility and choice.

Personally, I don't think Codeigniter can work for all audiences. And so perhaps the time has come to define exactly who the target audience is. To say 'everyone' is simply unrealistic. Perhaps for the app I mentioned earlier, CI was not the best choice. Perhaps, knowing who the target audience is, will answer many questions about such things like composer or HMVC.

So who is the target audience for CI4? Currently I have no idea.

Paul.