processwire-page-classes

Custom page classes let you extend ProcessWire's Page with template-specific methods and properties. Every page using a given template becomes an instance of your custom class.

Quick Setup

1. Enable in /site/config.php:

$config->usePageClasses = true;

2. Create class in /site/classes/ matching the template name:

| Template | Class | File | |----------|-------|------| | home | HomePage | HomePage.php | | blog-post | BlogPostPage | BlogPostPage.php | | basic-page | BasicPagePage | BasicPagePage.php |

Rule: PascalCase the template name + append Page.

3. Minimal class:

<?php namespace ProcessWire;
class HomePage extends Page {}

Essential Pattern — Custom Properties via get()

public function get($key) {
    if($key === 'authorName') return $this->getAuthorName();
    return parent::get($key);
}

This makes $page->authorName work as a virtual property.

API Access Inside Classes

// Correct — always use wire()
$this->wire()->pages->find('template=blog-post');
$this->wire()->sanitizer->text($value);

// Works but NOT preferred — not multi-instance safe
$this->pages;
pages()->find('template=product');

Property Access Gotcha

Inside the class, $this->property accesses the property directly, bypassing the get() method's lazy loading. For example, $this->template may return null, while $page->template (external) returns a Template object. Use $this->get('property') for consistent behavior.

Reference Files

• Setup and naming conventions — config options, naming rules, directory structure
• Core patterns — methods, PHPDoc, output formatting, admin labels
• Inheritance and code reuse — inheritance, abstract classes, interfaces, traits
• Advanced features — helper classes, hookable methods, repeaters, DefaultPage, field classes
• Best practices — do's, don'ts, common pitfalls
• Complete examples — full working class implementations