Poll Bundle Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation

   composer require bait/poll-bundle
   

   Enable the bundle in config/bundles.php:

   return [
       // ...
       Bait\PollBundle\BaitPollBundle::class => ['all' => true],
   ];
   

2. First Poll Form Define a poll type in config/packages/bait_poll.yaml:

   bait_poll:
       poll_types:
           simple:
               class: Bait\PollBundle\Form\Type\SimplePollType
               options:
                   choices: ['Option 1', 'Option 2']
   

3. Basic Usage in Controller

   use Bait\PollBundle\Form\Type\SimplePollType;
   
   public function newPollAction(Request $request)
   {
       $form = $this->createForm(SimplePollType::class);
       $form->handleRequest($request);
   
       if ($form->isSubmitted() && $form->isValid()) {
           $pollData = $form->getData();
           // Save to DB via Doctrine (see below)
       }
   
       return $this->render('poll/new.html.twig', ['form' => $form->createView()]);
   }
   

4. Doctrine Integration Create an entity (e.g., Poll):

   // src/Entity/Poll.php
   use Doctrine\ORM\Mapping as ORM;
   
   #[ORM\Entity]
   class Poll
   {
       #[ORM\Id, ORM\GeneratedValue]
       private ?int $id = null;
   
       #[ORM\Column]
       private string $question;
   
       #[ORM\Column]
       private array $choices;
   
       // Getters/setters...
   }
   

   Save poll data in the controller:

   $poll = new Poll();
   $poll->setQuestion($pollData['question']);
   $poll->setChoices($pollData['choices']);
   $entityManager->persist($poll);
   $entityManager->flush();
   

Implementation Patterns

Workflow: Creating a Poll

1. Define Poll Type Extend AbstractPollType for custom logic:

   // src/Form/Type/CustomPollType.php
   use Bait\PollBundle\Form\Type\AbstractPollType;
   
   class CustomPollType extends AbstractPollType
   {
       public function configureOptions(OptionsResolver $resolver)
       {
           $resolver->setDefaults([
               'choices' => ['Yes', 'No', 'Maybe'],
               'allow_anonymous' => true,
           ]);
       }
   }
   

2. Register in Config

   bait_poll:
       poll_types:
           custom:
               class: App\Form\Type\CustomPollType
   

3. Render in Twig

   {{ form_start(form) }}
       {{ form_widget(form) }}
       <button type="submit">Vote</button>
   {{ form_end(form) }}
   

4. Handle Submission

   public function voteAction(Request $request, Poll $poll)
   {
       $form = $this->createForm(CustomPollType::class, $poll);
       $form->handleRequest($request);
   
       if ($form->isSubmitted() && $form->isValid()) {
           $pollData = $form->getData();
           $this->pollManager->saveVote($poll, $pollData['choice']);
       }
   }
   

Integration Tips

1. Validation Use Symfony’s validation constraints in your poll type:

   $builder->add('question', TextType::class, [
       'constraints' => [
           new NotBlank(),
           new Length(['min' => 10]),
       ],
   ]);
   

2. Anonymous Votes Enable via config:

   bait_poll:
       poll_types:
           anonymous:
               class: Bait\PollBundle\Form\Type\SimplePollType
               options:
                   allow_anonymous: true
   

   Use AnonymousVoteListener to track votes without user association.

3. Results Display Query results in a controller:

   $results = $entityManager->getRepository(Poll::class)
       ->getResults($poll->getId());
   

   Render in Twig:

   {% for choice, votes in results %}
       {{ choice }}: {{ votes }} votes
   {% endfor %}
   

4. Reusable Poll Components Create a base PollManager service to handle CRUD:

   // src/Service/PollManager.php
   class PollManager
   {
       public function __construct(private EntityManagerInterface $em) {}
   
       public function createPoll(array $data): Poll
       {
           $poll = new Poll();
           $poll->setQuestion($data['question']);
           $poll->setChoices($data['choices']);
           $this->em->persist($poll);
           $this->em->flush();
           return $poll;
       }
   }
   

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Doctrine Mismatch

   • The bundle assumes Doctrine 2 ORM. If using ODM (MongoDB), expect errors until support is added (see Todo).
   • Fix: Manually map poll data to your preferred storage layer.

2. Form Submission Quirks

   • Anonymous votes may not persist if allow_anonymous is misconfigured.
   • Debug: Check form->isSubmitted() and form->isValid() separately to isolate issues.

3. Poll Type Registration

   • Forgetting to register a custom poll type in bait_poll.yaml will throw UndefinedTypeException.
   • Tip: Validate config with bin/console debug:config bait_poll.

4. Validation Overrides

   • Custom validation constraints in poll types may conflict with bundle defaults.
   • Solution: Override configureOptions fully to avoid inheritance issues.

Debugging

1. Enable Debug Mode Set APP_DEBUG=true in .env to see detailed form errors and Doctrine queries.

2. Log Poll Submissions Add a PostSubmitListener to log votes:

   // src/EventListener/PollListener.php
   class PollListener implements EventSubscriberInterface
   {
       public static function getSubscribedEvents()
       {
           return [
               FormEvents::SUBMIT => 'onPollSubmit',
           ];
       }
   
       public function onPollSubmit(FormEvent $event)
       {
           $form = $event->getForm();
           $data = $event->getData();
           $this->logger->info('Poll submitted', ['data' => $data]);
       }
   }
   

3. Check Database Schema Ensure your Poll entity matches the bundle’s expectations (e.g., choices as an array).

Extension Points

1. Custom Vote Storage Extend Vote entity to add metadata (e.g., IP, timestamp):

   #[ORM\Entity]
   class Vote
   {
       #[ORM\Column]
       private string $ipAddress;
   
       #[ORM\Column]
       private \DateTimeInterface $votedAt;
   }
   

2. Event-Driven Workflows Listen for poll events (once implemented) to trigger actions:

   // Example (hypothetical future event)
   PollEvents::VOTE_SUBMITTED => 'onVoteSubmitted',
   

3. CLI Poll Creation Until the command-line utility is added, create a custom command:

   bin/console make:command CreatePoll
   

   // src/Command/CreatePollCommand.php
   class CreatePollCommand extends Command
   {
       protected function configure(): void
       {
           $this->setName('app:create-poll')
                ->addArgument('question', InputArgument::REQUIRED)
                ->addArgument('choices', InputArgument::IS_ARRAY);
       }
   
       protected function execute(InputInterface $input, OutputInterface $output): int
       {
           $pollData = [
               'question' => $input->getArgument('question'),
               'choices' => $input->getArgument('choices'),
           ];
           $this->pollManager->createPoll($pollData);
           $output->writeln('Poll created!');
           return Command::SUCCESS;
       }
   }
   

Configuration Quirks

1. Poll Type Inheritance Child poll types inherit parent options unless explicitly overridden in configureOptions.

2. Anonymous Votes

   • If allow_anonymous: true, votes are stored without user association.
   • Note: This may require custom Vote entity mapping.

3. Choice Format The bundle expects choices as an array of strings. For complex options (e.g., objects), override the form type’s buildForm method.

Performance Tips

1. Batch Processing For high-traffic polls, use Doctrine batch inserts:

   $em->getConnection()->beginTransaction();
   $conn->executeStatement('INSERT INTO votes (...) VALUES (...)', $params);
   $em->getConnection()->commit();
   

2. Caching Results Cache poll results with