Understanding Entity and Model Classes in Concrete CMS

Entity vs. Model in PHP

1. Entity Class
   • Represents a database table in an Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) system (like Doctrine).
   • It is responsible for database persistence.
   • It contains properties that map directly to database columns.
   • Used with ORM frameworks like Doctrine or Eloquent.
2. Model Class
   • Does not necessarily map to a database.
   • Can represent data from API responses, services, or any business logic.
   • Can be used to structure and handle data without persisting it to a database.

Example of an Entity Class (Doctrine ORM in Concrete CMS)

This class represents a User entity that maps to the database.

<?php
namespace MyApp\Entity;

use Doctrine\ORM\Mapping as ORM;

/**
 * @ORM\Entity
 * @ORM\Table(name="users")
 */
class User
{
    /**
     * @ORM\Id
     * @ORM\GeneratedValue
     * @ORM\Column(type="integer")
     */
    private int $id;

    /**
     * @ORM\Column(type="string", length=255)
     */
    private string $name;

    /**
     * @ORM\Column(type="string", unique=true)
     */
    private string $email;

    public function getId(): int
    {
        return $this->id;
    }

    public function getName(): string
    {
        return $this->name;
    }

    public function setName(string $name): void
    {
        $this->name = $name;
    }

    public function getEmail(): string
    {
        return $this->email;
    }

    public function setEmail(string $email): void
    {
        $this->email = $email;
    }
}

• The @ORM\Entity annotation makes this class an Entity.
• @ORM\Table(name="Users") specifies the table name in the database.
• This class is meant to be persisted in the database.

Example of a Model Class (API Response)

This class represents a UserProfile model created from an API response.

<?php
namespace MyApp\Model;

class UserProfile
{
    private string $name;
    private string $email;
    private string $profilePicture;

    public function __construct(array $data)
    {
        $this->name = $data['name'] ?? '';
        $this->email = $data['email'] ?? '';
        $this->profilePicture = $data['profile_picture'] ?? '';
    }

    public function getName(): string
    {
        return $this->name;
    }

    public function getEmail(): string
    {
        return $this->email;
    }

    public function getProfilePicture(): string
    {
        return $this->profilePicture;
    }

    public static function fromApiResponse(array $data): self
    {
        return new self($data);
    }
}

• This does not map to a database.
• Instead, it is used to structure an API response.
• The fromApiResponse() method creates an object from an API response array.

Key Differences