prestashop-module-development

name

prestashop-module-development

description

Complete PrestaShop module development workflow using modern architecture and best practices. Use when: creating new PrestaShop modules, updating legacy modules to modern code, implementing hooks and actions, setting up module configuration pages, adding front office features, handling database operations, implementing security measures, managing translations, or modernizing existing PrestaShop modules from legacy patterns to current standards.

PrestaShop Module Development

When to use

Use this skill for PrestaShop module development tasks such as:

• Creating new modules with modern architecture (Symfony controllers, services, entities)
• Refactoring legacy modules to use modern PrestaShop patterns
• Implementing hooks, actions, and event listeners
• Adding configuration pages (modern Symfony-form approach)
• Creating front office features and widgets
• Setting up database entities and migrations
• Implementing security measures (CSRF, input validation, SQL injection prevention)
• Adding multilingual support and translations
• Converting legacy code patterns (HelperForm, jQuery UI sortable, ObjectModel) to modern equivalents
• Building list pages with the PrestaShop Grid system (filters, pagination, toggle, drag-and-drop position)

Inputs required

• PrestaShop version (target 8.x/9.x for modern development)
• Module scope and functionality requirements
• Existing module path (if updating legacy code)
• Database schema requirements (if applicable)
• Front office integration needs (hooks, widgets, pages)
• Configuration requirements (settings, admin interface)
• Multilingual requirements and supported languages

Procedure

0) Project structure & namespace naming

Read: references/module-structure.md

Key rules:

• Derive PSR-4 namespace from the module name prefix — never use PrestaShop\Module\
• Use the PrestaShop Module Generator to scaffold new modules

1) Main module class & installer

Read: references/module-class-and-installer.md

Key rules:

• Always require_once __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php'; after the _PS_VERSION_ guard
• Never put hook registration, DB queries, or Configuration:: calls directly in install() — delegate to src/Install/Installer.php
• Do NOT add getTabs() to the main module class — manage tabs entirely via Installer::installTabs() / uninstallTabs()
• If using a shared company group tab, check its existence before creating it — never unconditionally create it
• getContent() must only redirect to the Symfony route, never render HTML
• No SQL in the main module class — all database access (including in hooks like hookActionShopDataDuplication and widget methods like getWidgetVariables) must be delegated to the Repository or Manager class via $this->get('service.id')
• Service access: use $this->has() + null check in admin context; use plain $this->get() + null check in front-office context. NEVER use ContainerFinder — it is unnecessary. See references/module-class-and-installer.md → Guard patterns section.

2) Modern configuration pages

Read: references/configuration-page.md

Key rules:

• Do NOT use HelperForm — use Symfony form components + FrameworkBundleAdminController
• Four classes: DataConfiguration, FormDataProvider, FormType, Controller
• Wire everything in config/components/ sub-folders (imported by config/admin/services.yml) and config/routes.yml

3) Database operations & entities

Read: references/database-and-entities.md
For translatable entities with Grid: read references/entity-doctrine.md

• Always use Doctrine ORM (Entity + LangEntity + Repository + Manager) for any entity that has a Grid list page or translatable fields
• ObjectModel is legacy — do not use in new or modernised modules
• Entity class name = table name without _DB_PREFIX_ — PS adds the prefix globally; use @ORM\Table() with no name= parameter
• Prefix table names with a consistent company or module prefix (e.g. prefix_mymodule_items, prefix_mymodule_items_lang) — to group tables together and avoid conflicts with PS core tables
• Lang entity property types must match the DB column nullability: columns declared NOT NULL DEFAULT '' use string $field = ''; columns declared NULL use ?string $field = null
• TranslatableType returns null for languages the user did not fill in — in the Manager, always coerce null to '' for NOT NULL string fields: $row->setName((string) ($value ?? '')). Never pass the raw form value directly to a setter on a NOT NULL column
• Do NOT create MetadataListener or Doctrine event listeners for table naming
• Always sanitize raw DBAL SQL: cast IDs with (int), use bound parameters
• No raw SQL (Db::getInstance(), pSQL(), _DB_PREFIX_ string concatenation) outside Repository and Manager classes. This applies everywhere: main module class, Installer, FixturesInstaller, hooks, widget methods. The only exception is Installer SQL schema queries (CREATE TABLE, DROP TABLE) which have no Repository equivalent.
• FixturesInstaller must use Db::getInstance() raw SQL — SymfonyContainer::getInstance() returns null in the pr:mo Symfony console context (global $kernel is never set). All Doctrine ORM calls silently do nothing at install time. See references/module-class-and-installer.md → FixturesInstaller section.
• Db::getValue() appends LIMIT 1 internally — never write LIMIT 1 in the SQL string passed to it; causes a MariaDB syntax error.

Services split & components architecture

Read: references/services-split.md

Key rules:

• Do NOT create config/services.yml — only config/admin/services.yml and config/front/services.yml are needed; a root-level config/services.yml is never required and should not exist
• config/admin/services.yml is loaded by admin kernel only — import ../common.yml + admin components (never common.yml without the ../ prefix)
• Repository services only in config/common.yml components (Doctrine-level, no PrestaShopBundle deps)
• All PrestaShopBundle-dependent services go in config/admin/services.yml
• Always split into component sub-folders under config/components/ — never one flat services.yml
• All component yml files must declare _defaults: public: true — required for $this->get('service.id') to work in both front and admin module class contexts
• Services that use parent: (e.g. parent: form.type.translatable.aware) do NOT inherit _defaults: public: true in PrestaShop — always add public: true explicitly on the service definition itself
• Never point config/services.yml at admin/services.yml — this loads admin-only services into the front kernel, breaking container compilation and making all $this->get() calls fail silently

4) Security (mandatory)

Read: references/security.md

• CSRF: handled by Symfony forms automatically; validate manually for raw AJAX endpoints
• SQL injection: (int) + pSQL() on every value, or use DbQuery builder
• File uploads: pass full $_FILES-compatible array (including type, size, error) to ImageManager::validateUpload()

5) Hooks & front office integration

Read: references/hooks-and-front-office.md

• Register hooks in Installer, not in install() directly
• Load assets only for the relevant controller in hookDisplayBackOfficeHeader
• Implement WidgetInterface for front office widgets

5b) Theme template injection (widget call on install)

Read: references/theme-template-injection.md

• PS8 does not support theme overrides from modules — use marker-based file patching instead
• Two-class design: ThemeTemplateInjector (service, reusable) + ThemeTemplateInstaller (install orchestrator)
• Never use Theme::getThemes() in install context — legacy class, not autoloaded in Symfony console; use scandir(_PS_ALL_THEMES_DIR_) instead
• Wrap install/uninstall calls in try/catch returning true — theme injection must never block module install

6) Translations

Read: references/translations.md

• FrameworkBundleAdminController::trans() signature is trans($id, $domain, $parameters = []) — NOT Symfony's order — always call as $this->trans('Text', 'Modules.Mymodule.Admin') (never $this->trans('Text', [], 'Domain') — passing [] as domain and a string as $parameters causes a fatal type error)
• Use 'Text'|trans({}, 'Modules.Mymodule.Admin') in Twig
• Declare isUsingNewTranslationSystem(): true in the module class

7) Legacy code conversion

Read: references/legacy-conversion.md

Common conversions: HelperForm → Symfony form, jQuery UI sortable → Grid PositionColumn, ModuleAdminController → FrameworkBundleAdminController.

8) Services & dependency injection

Read: references/services-and-di.md

CRITICAL: Never use legacy static calls in services/controllers:

• ❌ Context::getContext() — inject $context: "@=service('prestashop.adapter.legacy.context').getContext()" instead
• ❌ Configuration::get() / updateValue() — inject @prestashop.adapter.legacy.configuration instead
• ❌ Context::getContext()->getTranslator() — inject @translator instead

Key rules:

• Define services in config/components/ sub-folders (imported by config/admin/services.yml)
• Use $this->get('service.id') in Symfony controllers
• Use Expression Language (@=) for computed constructor arguments (context, language ID, shop ID)
• Always inject dependencies via constructor, never use static accessors

9) Grid system (list pages with drag-and-drop position)

Read: references/grid-system.md

Full pattern for building CRUD list pages with the PS Grid system:

• GridDefinitionFactory — columns (PositionColumn, ToggleColumn, ActionColumn), filters, row actions
• QueryBuilder — Doctrine DBAL query with sorting, pagination, and filters
• Filters — default sort/limit settings
• 5 service definitions in config/components/grid/ (factory, query, data, grid, position) + 1 Twig FilesystemLoader
• Twig FilesystemLoader path is %kernel.project_dir%/modules/mymodule/views — %kernel.project_dir% is the PS root (parent of app/), so modules/ is a direct child. Never use %kernel.project_dir%/../modules/
• 4 routes in routes.yml (index, search, toggle, update-position)
• 4 controller actions (indexAction, searchAction, toggleStatus, updatePositionAction)
• Pre-built JS bundle (copied from ws-entity-grid-skeleton, grid ID replaced via sed)

Verification

• Module installs without PHP errors: php bin/console pr:mo install mymodule
• Configuration saves correctly with proper validation
• Front office features display and function properly
• Translations work in all configured languages

Validation

AI agent rule — NEVER SKIP EITHER STEP. Read references/validation.md for full instructions.

Step 1 — lotr (run from the module root)

vendor/websenso/prestashop-module-devtools/bin/lotr

Expected: 🎉 All commands completed successfully! Executed: 6/6

Step 2 — Install test (run from the PS root)

php bin/console pr:mo install mymodule

Expected: L'action Install sur le module … a réussi.

Failure modes / debugging

Read: references/debugging.md

Common failure areas:

• references/debugging.md — all symptom/cause/fix tables (install, config page, Grid, InputBag, ImageManager, lotr steps)

PrestaShop 9 Core Documentation

The following files are downloaded from the official PrestaShop repository by lotr --install and placed in ps9-core-ai/ next to this SKILL.md. Read them for deep understanding of PS9 core architecture, conventions, and patterns.

• ps9-core-ai/CONTEXT.md — Root AI context for the PS9 codebase: project-wide coding standards, architecture layers (Core/Adapter/Bundle/Legacy), CQRS pattern, branching policy, and the full index of domain and component contexts.
• ps9-core-ai/STRUCTURE.md — Architecture of the .ai/ folder itself: how contexts, skills, and pointer files are organized and how AI tools discover them.

These files are static and bundled with this skill. They may be refreshed locally via lotr --install.

Steering

If your project or organisation defines a steering layer (layered context rules for coding standards, architecture conventions, and project-specific overrides), load the steering files before starting any task.

Finding the resolver — search in this order:

1. steering/resolver.md at the module root (custom installation)
2. vendor/websenso/prestashop-module-devtools/steering/resolver.md — canonical path when the devtools are installed as a Composer package (same package that provides vendor/websenso/prestashop-module-devtools/bin/lotr)
3. Any vendor/*/*/steering/resolver.md — scan all vendor subfolders for a steering/resolver.md file (use the first match found)

If none exists, skip steering silently and apply only the skill defaults.

Typical steering structure (paths relative to wherever the resolver is found):

steering/resolver.md                          ← load order and conflict rules
steering/company/                             ← organisation-wide standards
steering/languages/php/coding-standards.md    ← PHP conventions
steering/frameworks/prestashop/               ← PrestaShop-specific rules

Load steering files from lowest to highest priority (company → language → framework → project). Later layers override earlier ones.

Escalation

• PrestaShop 9 Module Creation
• Module Good Practices
• Official Example Modules
• demosymfonyform — canonical Symfony form config page
• Module Validator
• PrestaShop Developer Slack