codeigniter-development

name	codeigniter-development
description	Use when: setting up a new CodeIgniter project or following development best practices. Provides a quick checklist for installation, configuration, and MVC structure.

CodeIgniter Development Skill

This skill guides you through setting up a new CodeIgniter project and adhering to best practices.

Quick Checklist

1. Install CodeIgniter

   • Use Composer: composer create-project codeigniter4/appstarter project-name
   • Or download from the official website

2. Configure Environment

   • Copy env to .env in the project root
   • Set app.baseURL, database credentials, and other environment variables

3. Set Up Database

   • Create a database in your MySQL/PostgreSQL/etc. (default to SQLite for simplicity)
   • Run migrations if available: php spark migrate

4. Follow MVC Structure

   • Place controllers in app/Controllers/
   • Models in app/Models/
   • Views in app/Views/
   • Routes in app/Config/Routes.php

5. Integrate Front-End with Bootstrap

   • Follow the bootstrap-frontend skill for setting up Bootstrap 5
   • Add Bootstrap CSS/JS to views (e.g., in app/Views/layout.php)
   • Use Bootstrap components in templates

6. Implement User Management

   • Set up authentication (use Shield or custom)
   • Create admin user with username/password (min 8 chars)
   • Implement login/logout functionality
   • Allow users to change preferred language

7. Add Multi-Language Support

   • Create language files in app/Languages/ (e.g., en/ for English)
   • Use lang() helper in views and controllers
   • Allow users to switch languages via session/config

8. Best Practices

   • Use CodeIgniter's built-in security features (CSRF, XSS protection)
   • Validate user inputs with validation library
   • Use prepared statements or Query Builder for database queries
   • Follow PSR-4 autoloading and naming conventions
   • Use entities for data representation

9. Test the Setup

   • Start the development server: php spark serve
   • Access the app at http://localhost:8080
   • Verify login, Bootstrap styling, and language switching work

This checklist is for CodeIgniter 4. Adjust for version 3 if needed.