XCLASSes (Extending Classes)

Introduction

XCLASSing is a mechanism in TYPO3 to extend classes or overwrite methods from the Core or extensions with one's own code. This enables a developer to easily change a given functionality, if other options like events or hooks, or the dependency injection mechanisms do not work or do not exist.

If you need a hook or event that does not exist, feel free to submit a feature request and - even better - a patch. Consult the TYPO3 Contribution Guide about how to do this.

How does it work?

In general every class instance in the Core and in extensions that stick to the recommended coding guidelines is created with the API call \TYPO3\CMS\Core\Utility\GeneralUtility::makeInstance(). The methods takes care of singletons and also searches for existing XCLASSes. If there is an XCLASS registered for the specific class that should be instantiated, an instance of that XCLASS is returned instead of an instance of the original class.

Limitations

  • Using XCLASSes is risky: neither the Core, nor extensions authors can guarantee that XCLASSes will not break if the underlying code changes (for example during upgrades). Be aware that your XCLASS can easily break and has to be maintained and fixed if the underlying code changes. If possible, you should use a hook instead of an XCLASS.
  • XCLASSes do not work for static classes, static methods, abstract classes or final classes.
  • There can be only one XCLASS per base class, but an XCLASS can be XCLASSed again. Be aware that such a construct is even more risky and definitely not advisable.
  • A small number of Core classes are required very early during bootstrap before configuration and other things are loaded. XCLASSing those classes will fail if they are singletons or might have unexpected side-effects.

Declaration

The $GLOBALS['TYPO3_CONF_VARS']['SYS']['Objects'] global array acts as a registry of overloaded (XCLASSed) classes.

The syntax is as follows and is commonly located in an extension's ext_localconf.php file:

EXT:some_extension/ext_localconf.php
use TYPO3\CMS\Backend\Controller\NewRecordController;

$GLOBALS['TYPO3_CONF_VARS']['SYS']['Objects'][NewRecordController::class] = [
    'className' => \MyVendor\SomeExtension\Xclass\NewRecordController::class
];
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In this example, we declare that the \TYPO3\CMS\Backend\Controller\NewRecordController class will be overridden by the \T3docs\Examples\Xclass\NewRecordController class, the latter being part of the "examples" extension .

When XCLASSing a class that does not use namespaces, use that class name in the declaration.

Coding practices

The recommended way of writing an XCLASS is to extend the original class and overwrite only the methods where a change is needed. This lowers the chances of the XCLASS breaking after a code update.

The example below extends the new record wizard screen. It first calls the original method and then adds its own content:

EXT:my_extension/Classes/Xclass/NewRecordController.php
class NewRecordController extends \TYPO3\CMS\Backend\Controller\NewRecordController
{
    protected function renderNewRecordControls(ServerRequestInterface $request): void
    {
        parent::renderNewRecordControls($request);
        $ll = 'LLL:EXT:examples/Resources/Private/Language/locallang.xlf'
        $label = $GLOBALS['LANG']->sL($ll . ':help');
        $text = $GLOBALS['LANG']->sL($ll . ':make_choice');
        $str = '<div><h2 class="uppercase" >' .  htmlspecialchars($label)
            . '</h2>' . $text . '</div>';
        $this->code .= $str;
    }
}
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The result can be seen here:

A help section is added at the bottom of the new record wizard

The object-oriented rules of PHP, such as rules about visibility, apply here. As you are extending the original class you can overload or call methods marked as public and protected but not private or static ones. Read more about visibility and inheritance at php.net