View dependency

I'm creating an application that communicate via JSON protocol. Or AMF for example. Should I use hierarchical template structure? Or maybe catch output buffering? I think no. The phalcon developers do not think so. I have no way to replace default implementation of view logic. Is this a CMS or a framework? So...

Maybe you'd better examine in greater detail Phalcon. For example, I have application on Phalcon in real. In this application I request form from Ajax. Form is created by Volt template engine and transmitted to browser via Ajax post request with CSRF protection from Phalcon as JSON. And all works.. Example :

public function signupAction()
    {
        $this->view->disable();
        $signupform = new \FM\Apps\Forms\SignUpForm();
        $form_html = [
            'signupform' => $signupform->renderform()
        ];
        echo json_encode($form_html);
    }

Class SignUpForm compile form (popup window) from view/form/signup.volt and action return JSON string with form.

Oleg, mate!

You are absolutly right! But I want to emphasize that you can solve this problem using standard phalcon implementation.

But! This way is not optimize and a little out of OOP and SOLID principles. Whats look more reasonably?

public function signupAction()
    {
        $this->view->disable();
        $signupform = new \FM\Apps\Forms\SignUpForm();
        $form_html = [
            'signupform' => $signupform->renderform()
        ];
        echo json_encode($form_html);
    }

or

public function signupAction()
    {
        $signupform = new \FM\Apps\Forms\SignUpForm();
        $this->view->signupform = $signupform->renderform();        
    }

Current realisation of view is a bit excessive... Separate view give to us more flexible configuration and remove useless parts.

Nothing prevents you to inject any class to view, if you need :) With magic methods (__call)

Maybe my explanation isn't clean as I think. Let me try again.

In your case you should disable addition functionality what you don't need.

$this->view->disable();

and add operand echo and json_encode to manipulate output in each method also

echo json_encode($form_html);

So right now Phalcon View isn't help you and you should make manipulation with it like at procedure style.

What I suggest

1) View should only contain data to output

 $signupform = new \FM\Apps\Forms\SignUpForm();
$this->view->signupform = $signupform->renderform();   

2) Mechanic of output should be realized in RenderEngine

class JSONRenderEngine implements RenderEngineInterface
{
    public function render(ViewInterface $view)
    {
       echo json_encode($view->getData());
    }
}

3) You can set engine in three ways: default in application, default in controller, custom in method. Let choose default in controller for example, so your example should be like this:

class Controller extendes \Phalcon\Controller
{
    public function __construct(DependencyInjectionInterface $di)
    {
       $this->di = $di;
       $this->setRenderEngine($di->getShared('renderEngine');

    }

    public function signupAction()
    {        
        $signupform = new \FM\Apps\Forms\SignUpForm();
        $this->view->form_html = [
            'signupform' => $signupform->renderform()
        ];
        $this->render();
    }

    protected function render()
    {
        $render = $di->getShared('render');
        $render->process($this->view, $this->renderEngine);
    }
}

Where Render is simplest class like this:

class Render implements RenderInterface
{
    public function process($view, $engine)
    {
        $engine->render($view);
    }
}

Maybe.

But I don't need view render, when I need JSON response. And Phalcon give me direct access to Volt Compiler. So I get the result quickly. Without unnecessary layer. This is not right, maybe. I can't open code. but it have only a few rows :) However, it has greater speed. :)

I like Phalcon, because I can always have a coding at a low level, if need. And make my code faster. I waited Phalcon a long time :)

but it have only a few rows

With my way your code will be more simplest and clean.

And make my code faster

This is no affect application speed but if it is affect it give a possitive result!

Thanks. But I'll stay with my code style :)