Base Controller Usage with Flexi Auth

Hi All,

I have already been able to get Flexi Auth working on my codeigniter 3 application however I would like to increase code reuse within my application and reduce duplicate code.

As such I was hoping to move the following code contained within my controllers __construct function to a base controller that would be called by each subsequent controller requiring it through extends.

The existing code that works is:
Controllers except Login.php:

PHP Code:

function __construct() {
 parent::__construct();
 // IMPORTANT! This global must be defined BEFORE the flexi auth library is loaded!
 // It is used as a global that is accessible via both models and both libraries, without it, flexi auth will not work.
 $this->auth = new stdClass;

 // Load 'standard' flexi auth library by default.
 $this->load->library('flexi_auth');

 // Check user is logged in as an admin.
 // For security, admin users should always sign in via Password rather than 'Remember me'.
 if (! $this->flexi_auth->is_logged_in_via_password() || ! $this->flexi_auth->is_admin())
 {
 // Set a custom error message.
 $this->flexi_auth->set_error_message('You must login as an admin to access this area.', TRUE);
 $this->session->set_flashdata('message', $this->flexi_auth->get_messages());
 redirect('login/index');
 }
 // Define a global variable to store data that is then used by the end view page.
 $this->data = null; 


Login.php

PHP Code:

function __construct() {
 parent::__construct();
 // IMPORTANT! This global must be defined BEFORE the flexi auth library is loaded!
 // It is used as a global that is accessible via both models and both libraries, without it, flexi auth will not work.
 $this->auth = new stdClass;

 // Load 'standard' flexi auth library by default.
 $this->load->library('flexi_auth');
 // Redirect users logged in via password (However, not 'Remember me' users, as they may wish to login properly).
 if ($this->flexi_auth->is_logged_in_via_password() && uri_string() != 'login/logout')
 {
 // Preserve any flashdata messages so they are passed to the redirect page.
 if ($this->session->flashdata('message')) { $this->session->keep_flashdata('message'); }

 // Redirect logged in admins (For security, admin users should always sign in via Password rather than 'Remember me'.
 if ($this->flexi_auth->is_admin())
 {
 redirect('site/admin');
 }
 else
 {
 redirect('site/public');
 }
 }

 // Define a global variable to store data that is then used by the end view page.
 $this->data = null;
} 


My New Base controller located in the application/core directory:

PHP Code:

class MY_Controller extends CI_Controller {
 function __contruct() {
 parent::__construct();
 }
 function is_logged_in_user_admin() {
 if (!$this->flexi_auth->is_logged_in_via_password() || !$this->flexi_auth->is_admin()) {
 // Set a custom error message.
 $this->flexi_auth->set_error_message('You must login as an admin to access this area.', TRUE);
 $this->session->set_flashdata('message', $this->flexi_auth->get_messages());
 redirect('login/index');
 }
 }

 function is_logged_in_user() {
 // Redirect users logged in via password (However, not 'Remember me' users, as they may wish to login properly).
 if ($this->flexi_auth->is_logged_in_via_password() && uri_string() != 'login/logout')
 {
 // Preserve any flashdata messages so they are passed to the redirect page.
 if ($this->session->flashdata('message')) { $this->session->keep_flashdata('message'); }

 // Redirect logged in admins (For security, admin users should always sign in via Password rather than 'Remember me'.
 if ($this->flexi_auth->is_admin())
 {
 redirect('site/admin');
 }
 else
 {
 redirect('site/public');
 }
 }
 }
} 


New Base Controller being called by another controller that extends MY_Controller:

PHP Code:

function __construct() {

parent::__construct();
// IMPORTANT! This global must be defined BEFORE the flexi auth library is loaded!
// It is used as a global that is accessible via both models and both libraries, without it, flexi auth will not work.
$this->auth = new stdClass;
$this->load->library('flexi_auth');
parent::is_logged_in_user_admin();
$this->data = NULL;
} 


Could someone please help me with pointing me in the direction of where I can read up about extending the CI_Controller in Codeigniter 3 and how I should be doing this sort of thing.

If anyone has any ideas on what I have done wrong with the above please let me know as I have been trying to look at this for sometime and am still stumped at what I might be missing.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I should add that the errors I am currently getting when trying to run the application are on the login/index page: errors have been truncated:

Code:

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: Creating default object from empty value

Filename: models/Flexi_auth_lite_model.php

Line Number: 46

Backtrace:

File: /home/itconstr/public_html/develop/application/models/Flexi_auth_lite_model.php
Line: 46
Function: _error_handler

File: /home/itconstr/public_html/develop/application/libraries/Flexi_auth_lite.php
Line: 43
Function: model

File: /home/itconstr/public_html/develop/application/libraries/Flexi_auth.php
Line: 38
Function: library

File: /home/itconstr/public_html/develop/application/controllers/Login.php
Line: 9
Function: library

File: /home/itconstr/public_html/develop/index.php
Line: 292
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Notice

Message: Undefined property: stdClass::$session_name

Filename: libraries/Flexi_auth_lite.php

Line Number: 191

Backtrace:

File: /home/itconstr/public_html/develop/application/libraries/Flexi_auth_lite.php
Line: 191
Function: _error_handler

File: /home/itconstr/public_html/develop/application/core/MY_Controller.php
Line: 24
Function: is_logged_in_via_password

File: /home/itconstr/public_html/develop/application/controllers/Login.php
Line: 12
Function: is_logged_in_user

File: /home/itconstr/public_html/develop/index.php
Line: 292
Function: require_once

and Message: Undefined property: stdClass::$session_data

Try changing this:

Code:

parent::is_logged_in_user_admin();

to this:

Code:

$this->is_logged_in_user_admin();

Additionally, if you're going to need the auth property defined before loading the flexi_auth library, you might as well define it in your base controller. I would also move loading the library into the base controller, but you might want to put it into a method (possibly along with the definition of the auth property). Then you could call the method conditionally, depending on whether you are using authentication in the current controller.

Bonfire

Practical CodeIgniter 3
CodeIgniter Testing Guide

Hi MWhitney,

Thank you very much for your response it has fixed this issue!

The additional note is also very helpful and I will take a look at my code to see which approach is more beneficial at this stage.