php-qml/README.md

# php-qml

A framework for building native desktop applications with a Symfony / FrankenPHP backend and a Qt/QML frontend, packaged as a single distributable per OS.

## Status

**Phase 5 / pre-v0.1.0.** Phases 0–4a are merged: working framework skeleton, reactive models, the headline `make:bridge:*` makers, a real POC (`examples/todo`), Linux AppImage packaging, AppImageUpdate auto-update, performance smoke harness, release CI on `v*` tags. Full design lives in [PLAN.md](PLAN.md) and the per-version log in [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).

What's not done yet: macOS and Windows packaging (Phase 4b/4c).

## What it is

php-qml lets a PHP developer write a desktop application using ordinary Symfony on the backend and ordinary QML on the frontend. The two halves run as a process pair inside one bundled binary:

- A Qt/QML host process owns the window, input, and rendering.
- A bundled FrankenPHP child runs a Symfony application in worker mode.
- They communicate over a local socket — HTTP for commands and queries, Mercure SSE for state push.

The framework provides the lifecycle, transport, reactive models, and scaffolding so application code stays idiomatic on both sides.

## What it is not

Not a PHP↔Qt language binding. It does not embed PHP into a Qt event loop and it does not generate Qt classes from PHP. The two languages run in separate processes; the bridge is a wire protocol, not an FFI layer.

If you've watched php-gtk and php-qt go quiet, that is the failure mode this project deliberately avoids — the framework owns the boring parts (lifecycle, transport, conventions) so it doesn't depend on a single maintainer keeping a language binding alive.

## Tech stack

- **Backend:** PHP 8.4+, Symfony 8, Doctrine ORM 3, FrankenPHP (worker mode), Mercure
- **Frontend:** Qt 6.5+, QML, C++ plugin where required
- **Build:** CMake, Composer
- **CI:** Gitea Actions, Gitea Releases
- **Packaging:** Linux AppImage today; macOS (`.app` + `.dmg`) and Windows (NSIS / MSIX) on the roadmap

## Quick start

Prerequisites: Qt 6.5+ dev packages, CMake, gcc-c++, PHP 8.4+, Composer, [FrankenPHP](https://frankenphp.dev/) on PATH.

```bash
git clone https://gitea.example/<you>/php-qml
cd php-qml

# 1) Scaffold a fresh app (auto-detects this checkout as the framework)
./bin/php-qml-init my-app

# 2) Boot it
cd my-app
make doctor      # bridge:doctor — readiness check
make dev         # FrankenPHP --watch + Qt host
```

`make dev` opens the Qt window, connection state flips to **Online**, and a Ping button round-trips through `/api/ping` and back via Mercure SSE.

Add a reactive resource — entity + REST controller + QML snippet — with one maker:

```bash
cd my-app/symfony
bin/console make:bridge:resource Todo
bin/console make:migration && bin/console doctrine:migrations:migrate -n
```

The QML side gets a `TodoList.qml` whose `ReactiveListModel` does an initial GET, subscribes to `app://model/todo`, and applies diffs as Mercure pushes them. There is no handwritten cross-side glue.

For a non-trivial example with a multi-window test, crash-recovery test, and AppImage packaging, see [`examples/todo/`](examples/todo/README.md).

## Packaging (Linux)

```bash
cd examples/todo
FRANKENPHP=/path/to/frankenphp make appimage
./build/Todo-x86_64.AppImage
```

`make appimage` bundles Qt, the Symfony app, the FrankenPHP binary, and the AppImageUpdate sidecar into one `~150 MB` AppImage that auto-detects bundled mode (no `BRIDGE_URL` set), spawns its own FrankenPHP child, generates a per-session bearer token, and runs first-launch migrations. CI builds this on every `v*` tag and uploads to Gitea Releases with a `latest.json` appcast and zsync metadata for in-place updates. See [PLAN.md §13 Phase 4a](PLAN.md#phase-4a) for the full pipeline.

## Project structure

```text
bin/
  php-qml-init        # bash scaffolder — copies the skeleton into a new project
framework/
  php/                # the Symfony bundle (php-qml/bridge)
  qml/                # the Qt module (PhpQml.Bridge): BackendConnection, ReactiveListModel, …
  skeleton/           # reference application — what php-qml-init copies
examples/
  todo/               # POC todo app exercising every primitive
packaging/linux/      # build-appimage.sh + AppImageUpdate sidecar wiring
.gitea/workflows/     # ci.yml (PR gate) + release.yml (v* tags)
PLAN.md               # design source of truth
CHANGELOG.md          # release log
```

See [PLAN.md §9](PLAN.md#9-project-layout) for the conceptual layout.

## Roadmap

Six phases, each ending with something runnable. Detail in [PLAN.md §13](PLAN.md#13-roadmap-to-poc).

- **Phase 0** ✅ throwaway spike — prove transport on Linux.
- **Phase 1** ✅ framework skeleton, dev mode, single-instance lock, CI quality gate.
- **Phase 2** ✅ reactive models, update semantics, headline maker (`make:bridge:resource`).
- **Phase 3** ✅ POC todo application generated via the makers; testing infrastructure.
- **Phase 4a** ✅ bundled mode, Linux AppImage, release CI, AppImageUpdate auto-update, performance smoke.
- **Phase 4b/4c** ⏳ macOS and Windows packaging.
- **Phase 5** 🚧 DX polish (in progress) — dev console, init script, hot-reload docs, v0.1.0 prep.

## Contributing

Active development happens on the `dev` branch; `main` only carries release commits. Pull requests target `dev`.

Quality gate that CI runs:

```bash
cd framework/php && composer quality   # PHPStan + cs-fixer (check) + PHPUnit
cd examples/todo  && make quality      # adds qmllint + integration test
```

A dedicated `CONTRIBUTING.md` will arrive alongside Phase 5's wrap-up.

## Versioning

[Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/) — `MAJOR.MINOR.BUGFIX`. MAJOR for breaking changes, MINOR for backwards-compatible features, BUGFIX for backwards-compatible fixes. Pre-v1.0.0 minor bumps may break public API.

## License

To be decided before v0.1.0 is tagged. The framework's own code will be permissively licensed; note that Qt is shipped under LGPL and that carries obligations for distributors — see [PLAN.md §12](PLAN.md#12-open-questions-and-risks) (Qt LGPL relinkability).