Keeping track of user role's

Question

I created this class to keep track of a user's role:

class UserRoleHelper extends AppHelper { public $helpers = array('Session'); private $role = NULL; const CUSTOMER = 'customer'; const ASSOCIATE = 'associate'; const MANAGER = 'manager'; const ADMIN = 'admin'; const DEVELOPER = 'developer'; private $score = array( self::CUSTOMER => 0, self::ASSOCIATE => 1, self::MANAGER => 2, self::ADMIN => 3, self::DEVELOPER => 4, ); public function role() { if($this->role == NULL) { $this->role = strtolower($this->Session->read('Auth.User.role')) ?: 'customer'; } return $this->role; } private function is($role) { return $this->score[$this->role()] >= $this->score[$role]; } public function admin() { return $this->is(self::ADMIN); } public function manager() { return $this->is(self::MANAGER); } public function associate() { return $this->is(self::ASSOCIATE); } }

The idea is to be able to have an expression like:

if($this->UserRole->manager()) { //do something }

And have it evaluate true if you are a manager or higher (admin, developer).

I also tried to design it so if there is ever the need to add a level like GENERAL_MANGER = 3 which would shift the values of ADMIN and DEVELOPER up one, it won't effect anything.

I originally had the keys in the $score array as strings, but it seemed redundant when I had constants already defined with the same values. I have never seen an array definition with constants for keys in a class body before. I know variables are not allowed but it seems to work with constants. Still don't know if that is bad or not though.

Is there anything I have missed or can do to make this better?

Sunny · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-05 14:21:03Z

2

Use an enumerator?

And use it like this:

if($this->isInRole(Roles::MANAGER)

answered Aug 5, 2011 at 14:21

Sunny

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\$\begingroup\$ It's still considered experimental -> php.net/manual/en/intro.spl-types.php \$\endgroup\$

Alex
– Alex

2011-08-07 08:54:12 +00:00
Commented Aug 7, 2011 at 8:54

Add a comment |

palacsint · Accepted Answer · 2011-11-03 19:42:18Z

It looks fine, the internal logic is encapsulated.

Maybe this number comparison based role logic will not work if you have VIP_CUSTOMER and VIP_MANAGER roles and VIP_MANAGER's can't manage non-VIP CUSTOMERs/functions and simple MANAGER's can't manager VIP_CUSTOMERs/functions. In this case you can change implementation without any change in the client code to support this.

(For example the VIP_MANAGER's score is 3 and MANAGER's score remains 2 then every VIP_MANAGER would be a MANAGER. If MANAGER's score is 3 and VIP_MANAGER's score is 2 then every MANAGER would be a VIP_MANAGER. None of them is good but you can modify the manager (and the imaginary vipManager) method to support this. )

Changing the internal logic also a nice solution when the MANAGERs are not allowed to buy anything, so they shouldn't have the CUSTOMER role. You just change the manager method and it will work.

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