Build a small application

This walkthrough uses the current path-first routing API and App\Plugins imports. It assumes Installation is complete and the local server is running. Application PHP files belong under Project/; there is no requirement to edit framework classes. Steps 1–3 build a working route, page, and validation form. The database step is optional.

1. Add a route without a controller

In Project/Routes/Web.php:

<?php

use App\Plugins\Route;

Route::path('/welcome')->get(function (): void {
    echo 'Welcome';
});

Route is also available as a short global name in an unnamespaced route file. An explicit import makes dependencies clear to editors and readers. A closure may echo output or return a string. Run php squehub route:list, then visit the URL printed by php squehub start with /welcome appended. You can use SqueHub Dev instead for Doctor preflight plus the same local server. Put ordinary application routes in Project/Routes/; the loader reads nested route files too.

2. Add a controller and a view

Create Project/Controllers/WelcomeController.php:

<?php

namespace Project\Controllers;

use App\Plugins\View;

final class WelcomeController
{
    public function show(): void
    {
        View::render('Welcome.Show', ['name' => 'SqueHub']);
    }
}

Create Project/Views/Welcome/Show.squehub.php:

<h1>Welcome, {{ $name }}</h1>

Replace the /welcome closure in Project/Routes/Web.php with the controller route (keep the existing use App\Plugins\Route; import):

use Project\Controllers\WelcomeController;

Route::path('/welcome')->get([WelcomeController::class, 'show'])->named('welcome');

Controllers are ordinary PHP classes resolved through the container. View::render() writes output, and the HTTP dispatcher captures it. {{ }} escapes HTML. Refresh /welcome to see the template. See Routing, HTTP, and Views.

3. Add a form with validation

Create Project/Views/Contact/Create.squehub.php:

<h1>Contact</h1>
<form method="POST" action="{{ route('contact.store') }}">
    @csrf
    <label for="email">Email</label>
    <input id="email" name="email" type="email" value="{{ old('email', '') }}"
           aria-invalid="{{ $errors->has('email') ? 'true' : 'false' }}">
    @error('email')
        <p id="email-error" role="alert">{{ $message }}</p>
    @enderror
    <button type="submit">Continue</button>
</form>

Create Project/Controllers/ContactController.php:

<?php

namespace Project\Controllers;

use App\Plugins\Request;
use App\Plugins\Response;
use App\Plugins\View;

final class ContactController
{
    public function create(): void
    {
        View::render('Contact.Create');
    }

    public function store(Request $request): Response
    {
        $data = $request->validate([
            'email' => 'required|email',
        ]);

        // Pass $data['email'] to your application service when adding delivery.
        return response()->redirect(route('welcome'), 303);
    }
}

Add both routes to Project/Routes/Web.php and import ContactController at the top:

use Project\Controllers\ContactController;

Route::path('/contact')->get([ContactController::class, 'create'])->named('contact.create');
Route::path('/contact')->post([ContactController::class, 'store'])->named('contact.store');

Visit /contact, submit a valid address, and expect a 303 redirect to /welcome. The example validates input but does not store or send it; add that operation at the marked application-service line before using the form for real contact requests. Submit an empty field to see the server-side error after SqueHub redirects back to the safe GET page. The named form action and redirect also work under APP_BASE_PATH. CSRF runs before route middleware and controller code; a missing token returns 403. JSON requests receive structured 422 validation errors. See Forms, Validation, and CSRF.

4. Add database state when needed

Configure a disposable or intended database in .env and check it with php squehub doctor. Generate a migration, then add the title column to its generated up() method:

php squehub make:migration create_notes_table

The generator creates a dated file under Database/Migrations/ with a CreateNotesTable class, an id column, and a matching rollback. The resulting up() method should contain:

public function up(PDO $pdo, Schema $schema): void
{
    $schema->create('notes', static function (Table $table): void {
        $table->id();
        $table->string('title', 190);
    });
}

Keep the generated imports for PDO, Schema, and Table and its down() method. Review the other pending migrations in this source before running php squehub migrate, which applies all pending files against the selected database. Then create Project/Models/Note.php. Modern Models extend App\Plugins\Model:

<?php

namespace Project\Models;

use App\Plugins\Model;

final class Note extends Model
{
    protected string $table = 'notes';
    protected array $fillable = ['title'];
}

After a matching notes table exists:

$note = Note::create(['title' => 'My first note']);
$notes = Note::query()->sort('id', 'desc')->all();

$notes is a ModelCollection; raw db('notes')->all() returns associative row arrays. Model mass assignment is guarded by default, so explicitly name allowed fields. Database connections open on first database use. See Database, Models, and Schema.

Next steps

Use Plugins for short application imports, Middleware for request checks, Authentication and Authorization when identity matters, and v2 status to distinguish available APIs from future plans.