Composer Installation¶
Composer can be used in several ways to install CodeIgniter4 on your system.
The first two techniques describe creating a skeleton project using CodeIgniter4, that you would then use as the base for a new webapp. The third technique described below lets you add CodeIgniter4 to an existing webapp,
Note: if you are using a Git repository to store your code, or for
collaboration with others, then the vendor folder would normally
be "git ignored". In such a case, you will need to do a composer udpate
when you clone the repository to a new system.
App Starter¶
The CodeIgniter 4 app starter repository holds a skeleton application, with a composer dependency on the latest released version of the framework.
This installation technique would suit a developer who wishes to start a new CodeIgniter4 based project.
Installation¶
In the folder above your project root:
composer create-project codeigniter4/appstarter -s beta
Setup¶
The command above will create an "appstarter" folder. Feel free to rename that for your project.
Upgrading¶
Whenever there is a new release, then from the command line in your project root:
composer update
Read the upgrade instructions, and check designated app/Config folders for affected changes.
Pros¶
Simple installation; easy to update
Cons¶
You still need to check for app/Config changes after updating
Structure¶
Folders in your project after setup:
- app, public, writable
- vendor/codeigniter4/framework/system
- vendor/codeigniter4/codeigniter4/app & public (compare with yours after updating)
Dev Starter¶
Installation¶
The CodeIgniter 4 dev starter repository holds a skeleton application, just like the appstarter above, but with a composer dependency on the develop branch (unreleased) of the framework. It can be composer-installed as described here.
This installation technique would suit a developer who wishes to start a new CodeIgniter4 based project, and who is willing to live with the latest unreleased changes, which may be unstable.
The development user guide is accessible online. Note that this differs from the released user guide, and will pertain to the develop branch explicitly.
In the folder above your project root:
composer create-project codeigniter4/devstarter -s dev
Setup¶
The command above will create a "devstarter" folder. Feel free to rename that for your project.
Upgrading¶
composer update whenever you are ready for the latest changes.
Check the changelog to see if any recent changes affect your app, bearing in mind that the most recent changes may not have made it into the changelog!
Pros¶
Simple installation; easy to update; bleeding edge version
Cons¶
This is not guaranteed to be stable; the onus is on you to upgrade.
You still need to check for app/Config changes after updating.
Structure¶
Folders in your project after setup:
- app, public, writable
- vendor/codeigniter4/codeigniter4/system
- vendor/codeigniter4/codeigniter4/app & public (compare with yours after updating)
Adding CodeIgniter4 to an Existing Project¶
The same CodeIgniter 4 framework repository described in "Manual Installation" can also be added to an existing project using Composer.
Develop your app inside the app folder, and the public folder
will be your document root.
In your project root:
composer require codeigniter4/framework @beta
Setup¶
Copy the app, public and writable folders from vendor/codeigniter4/framework
to your project root
Copy the env, phpunit.xml.dist and spark files, from
vendor/codeigniter4/framework to your project root
You will have to adjust paths to refer to vendor/codeigniter/framework``,
- the $systemDirectory variable in app/Config/Paths.php
Upgrading¶
Whenever there is a new release, then from the command line in your project root:
composer update
Read the upgrade instructions, and check designated
app/Config folders for affected changes.
Pros¶
Relatively simple installation; easy to update
Cons¶
You still need to check for app/Config changes after updating
Structure¶
Folders in your project after setup:
- app, public, writable
- vendor/codeigniter4/framework/system
Translations Installation¶
If you want to take advantage of the system message translations, they can be added to your project in a similar fashion.
From the command line inside your project root:
composer require codeigniter4/translations @beta
These will be updated along with the framework whenever you do a composer update.