Programming Paradigm

The eQual framework philosophy focuses on application logic and the systematic description of manipulated entities and their behaviors.

eQual straddles the line between Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and procedural programming, with a stronger emphasis on entity description rather than pure object-oriented principles.

Focus on Description

eQual relies on an Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) that implements the Active Record pattern but prioritizes describing relationships and interactions between entities. This ensures the capability to validate, adapt, and export collections of objects.

Unlike traditional OOP, eQual:

• Uses static methods for most operations.
• Describes class members via getColumns() instead of directly defining them.
• Manipulates objects in bulk using collections.

This hybrid approach provides flexibility while maintaining simplicity in entity modeling and management.

Key Differences from Traditional OOP

Traditional OOP	eQual Approach
Classes inherit from various base classes	All classes inherit from \equal\orm\Model
Members defined directly in class	Members described using getColumns()
Instance methods using $this	Mostly static methods
Direct object modification	Use create, update, and delete methods
Single object manipulation	Bulk manipulation using collections

Terminology

eQual uses specific terminology that differs from traditional OOP:

OOP Term	eQual Term
Class	Entity
Object	Instance
Member	Property / Column

eQual entities can be manipulated as PHP objects (stdClass) or plain PHP arrays.

Example: Working with Entities

Here's an example of how to retrieve and manipulate entities:

<?php
use core\User;

$users = User::search()->read(['id', 'name']);
foreach ($users as $id => $user) {
    echo $user->id;
    echo PHP_EOL;
    echo $user['name'];
}

In this example:

• User::search() retrieves a collection of User entities.
• read(['id', 'name']) specifies the columns to fetch.
• Each entity can be accessed as an object ($user->id) or an array ($user['name']).

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