API Reference

This section provides comprehensive API documentation for Maho's core classes and methods that developers use to interact with the system. It covers the public interfaces for configuration access, object instantiation, data retrieval, and system interaction.

For information about creating custom extensions, see Extension Development. For architectural patterns and system design, see Core Architecture.

Overview

Maho's API is organized into several layers, each providing specific functionality:

API Layer	Primary Classes	Purpose
Static Hub	Mage	Factory methods, registry, global utilities app/Mage.php18
Configuration	Mage_Core_Model_Config	XML config access, store-scoped settings app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Config.php13
Data Models	Mage_Core_Model_Abstract	Business logic, data persistence app/code/core/Mage/Tag/Model/Tag.php38
Web API (REST)	Mage_Api2_Model_Resource	Abstract resource for RESTful API interactions app/code/core/Mage/Api2/Model/Resource.php27
Layouts	Mage_Core_Model_Layout	Management of blocks and layout XML app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Layout.php13
Helpers	Mage_Core_Helper_Abstract	Utility functions, formatting, translation app/code/core/Mage/Payment/Helper/Data.php13
Application	Mage_Core_Model_App	Application lifecycle, store/area management app/Mage.php71

Sources: app/Mage.php18-19 app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Config.php13-14 app/code/core/Mage/Tag/Model/Tag.php38-39 app/code/core/Mage/Api2/Model/Resource.php27-28 app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Layout.php13-14 app/code/core/Mage/Payment/Helper/Data.php13-14

Core API Patterns

Factory Pattern and Object Instantiation

The factory pattern is the primary way to instantiate objects in Maho, allowing for class rewrites and singleton management via the global registry.

Natural Language to Code Entity Space: Factory Resolution

Sources: app/Mage.php57-58 app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Config.php114-127

Event-Driven API (Observers)

Maho uses a sophisticated event system where observers can be registered via XML or modern PHP Attributes. The Maho\Config\Observer attribute allows defining the event, area, and instantiation type directly in the class method.

Natural Language to Code Entity Space: Event Dispatch

Sources: app/code/core/Mage/CatalogInventory/Model/Observer.php121-122 app/code/core/Maho/AdminActivityLog/Model/Observer.php133-134 app/code/core/Mage/GiftMessage/Model/Observer.php20-21 app/code/core/Mage/Tag/Model/Tag.php194-196

Mage Static Class API

The Mage class is the central hub for the application. It is a final class containing only static methods and properties.

Key Static Methods

Method	Return Type	Purpose
getVersion()	string	Returns current version (e.g., '26.5.0') app/Mage.php118-121
getStoreConfig($path)	mixed	Retrieves configuration value for current store app/Mage.php277-280
register($key, $value)	void	Adds variable to global registry app/Mage.php147-156
registry($key)	mixed	Retrieves variable from global registry app/Mage.php179-182
unregister($key)	void	Removes variable from registry app/Mage.php163-171
getBaseDir($type)	string	Returns absolute path for directory types app/Mage.php253-256
objects($key)	\Maho\DataObject\Cache	Accesses the internal object cache app/Mage.php236-245
app()	Mage_Core_Model_App	Returns the application model instance app/Mage.php71

For details, see Mage Static Class.

Sources: app/Mage.php118-121 app/Mage.php147-182 app/Mage.php236-256 app/Mage.php277-280

Configuration API

The configuration system manages XML merging from config.xml, local.xml, and the core_config_data database table.

Configuration Hierarchy

1. Mage_Core_Model_Config_Base: Basic XML loading and XPath access.
2. Mage_Core_Model_Config: Core logic for merging modules, DB settings, and cache management app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Config.php13-14

Common Methods

• getOptions(): Returns Mage_Core_Model_Config_Options containing system paths app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Config.php247-250
• init($options): Initializes the core configuration app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Config.php272-274
• getResourceModel(): Retrieves the configuration resource for DB operations app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Config.php234-240

For details, see Configuration API.

Sources: app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Config.php13-14 app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Config.php234-240 app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Config.php247-250 app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Config.php272-274

Block and Layout API

Blocks are responsible for rendering HTML via templates. They interact with the Mage_Core_Model_Layout object to manage child relationships and output.

Layout Management

• generateXml(): Processes layout updates into a SimpleXML object app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Layout.php135-136
• generateBlocks(): Recursively creates block objects from the XML hierarchy app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Layout.php177-182
• addBlock($type, $name): Programmatically adds a block to the layout app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Layout.php223

Block Lifecycle

• _construct(): Internal constructor for block initialization.
• _prepareLayout(): Hook for layout-related setup.

For details, see Block API and Layout and Template API.

Sources: app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Layout.php135-223

Database and Model API

Maho uses a separation between Models (Business Logic) and Resource Models (SQL Logic).

Model Operations

• Mage_Core_Model_Abstract: The base class for all business models, implementing the _construct() pattern app/code/core/Mage/Tag/Model/Tag.php38-74
• afterCommitCallback(): Hook for logic that must run after a DB transaction is committed, often used for triggering reindexing app/code/core/Mage/Tag/Model/Tag.php82-91
• Mage_Core_Model_App_Area: Manages the initialization of different application scopes like adminhtml or frontend app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/App/Area.php13-17

For details, see Database Adapter Interface.

Sources: app/code/core/Mage/Tag/Model/Tag.php38-91 app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/App/Area.php13-17

REST API (API2)

Maho provides a RESTful API framework via the Mage_Api2 module.

Core Components

• Mage_Api2_Model_Server: The main entry point for REST requests app/code/core/Mage/Api2/Model/Server.php13
• Mage_Api2_Model_Resource: Abstract base for API resources, defining operations like _create, _retrieve, and _update app/code/core/Mage/Api2/Model/Resource.php27
• dispatch(): Processes the request based on action type (entity vs collection) and operation app/code/core/Mage/Api2/Model/Resource.php180-182

Sources: app/code/core/Mage/Api2/Model/Server.php13-14 app/code/core/Mage/Api2/Model/Resource.php27-41 app/code/core/Mage/Api2/Model/Resource.php180-182

Helper API

Helpers provide utility functions for common tasks like formatting, translation, and HTML escaping.

Common Helper Methods

• __(): The standard translation function provided by Mage_Core_Helper_Abstract.
• escapeHtml($data): Securely escapes HTML entities.
• getMethodInstance($code): Specific helper method in Mage_Payment_Helper_Data to instantiate payment methods app/code/core/Mage/Payment/Helper/Data.php38-46

For details, see Helper Classes.

Sources: app/code/core/Mage/Payment/Helper/Data.php38-46

Child Pages Reference

Page	Description
Mage Static Class	Reference for Mage:: static methods, factory pattern, and global functions.
Configuration API	Reference for Mage_Core_Model_Config methods, getStoreConfig, and XML node access.
Block API	Reference for Mage_Core_Block_Abstract, rendering lifecycle, and caching methods.
Helper Classes	Reference for Mage_Core_Helper_Data and common helper patterns.
Database Adapter Interface	Reference for database abstraction, query building, and transaction handling.
Layout and Template API	Reference for layout XML syntax, block methods, and template variables.
Email Template Directives	Reference for email template syntax, variables, and directive parsing.

Sources: app/Mage.php app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Config.php app/code/core/Mage/Core/Model/Layout.php app/code/core/Mage/Api2/Model/Resource.php