Applications and Context

Application is the entry base point (router) for query to (kernel) core global entities: connection with data sources, managed cache, etc. Also, the application contains global data that belongs to the site itself and do not depend on a specific hit. I.e. the application is an unaltered part not dependent on a specific hit.

Any specific class of application is a successor of the abstract class Bitrix\Main\Application.

The specific class Bitrix\Main\HttpApplication is responsible for a regular http hit on the site.

The application supports the Singleton template. I.e. as a part of the hit there is only one copy of a specific type of application. It can be obtained using the instruction:

$application = Application::getInstance();

Any specific class of a context is a successor of the abstract class Bitrix\Main\Context. Two specific classes of the context are supported – Bitrix\Main\HttpContext and Bitrix\Main\CliContext. The specific class Bitrix\Main\HttpContext is responsible for a regular http hit on the site.

The following code may be used in order to obtain a context of the current hit execution:

$context = Application::getInstance()->getContext();

If the application of the Bitrix\Main\HttpApplication type was initiated, this call will bring an instance of the Bitrix\Main\HttpContext context type.

The context contains a query of the current hit. In order to receive the query the following code may be used:

$context = Application::getInstance()->getContext();
$request = $context->getRequest();

A request is a class instance that is a successor of the Bitrix\Main\Request class. In case of a normal http request the request will be a class instance of Bitrix\Main\HttpRequest that extends Bitrix\Main\Request. This class is a dictionary providing access to “key-value” pairs of incoming parameters.

The following code may be used in order to access an incoming parameter transmitted by the GET or POST methods:

$value = $request->get("some_name");
$value = $request["some_name"];

Other useful query methods:

$value = $request->getQuery("some_name");   // receive GET parameter
$value = $request->getPost("some_name");   // receive POST parameter
$value = $request->getFile("some_name");   // receive downloaded file
$value = $request->getCookie("some_name");   // receive cookie value
$uri = $request->getRequestUri();   // receive an address requested
$method = $request->getRequestMethod();   // receive a request method
$flag = $request->isPost();      // true - POST-request, otherwise false