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Exploration: object slugs & slug-based routing (OpenRegister + OpenCatalogi)

Date: 2026-06-17 Status: Exploration only — nothing implemented. Captures findings + the two changes that would make object-slug URLs work, so they're ready to pick up.

Questions​

  1. Does OpenRegister auto-generate slugs on objects, or do we generate them?
  2. Can an object be fetched via /{register-slug}/{schema-slug}/{object-slug} (OpenRegister) and /{catalogue-slug}/{object-slug} (OpenCatalogi)?

Findings​

1. Object slugs are NOT auto-generated​

  • ObjectEntity has a nullable slug field (@self.slug), documented as "unique within register+schema".
  • Nothing populates it. ->setSlug( is called nowhere in OpenRegister lib/, and the save path (Service/Object/SaveObject.php) has no slug logic. There's no slugify helper and no auto-fill from name/title.
  • It CAN be set manually: ObjectEntity::hydrate() maps any input key to its setter, so including 'slug' => '…' in the saved object data calls setSlug() and stores it. Or call $object->setSlug($slug) before persisting.
  • Uniqueness is documented intent only — not generated, not enforced. A caller that sets slugs must ensure uniqueness (and collision handling) itself.

2. Slug routing​

OpenRegister — slug-aware end to end (but see caveat).

  • Route objects#show: GET /index.php/apps/openregister/api/objects/{register}/{schema}/{id} (note the /api/objects/ prefix — it is NOT a bare /{register}/{schema}/{id}).
  • {register} / {schema} → resolved by slug (or id/uuid) via resolveRegisterSchemaIds.
  • {id} → resolved via ObjectService::find(), which matches id OR uuid OR slug (orX(id, uuid, slug)).
  • So …/api/objects/{register-slug}/{schema-slug}/{object-slug} resolves — but only for objects that actually have a slug set (see finding 1). Register/schema slugs are seeded, so those segments work today regardless.

OpenCatalogi — catalog by slug, object by UUID only.

  • Route publications#show: GET /index.php/apps/opencatalogi/api/{catalogSlug}/{id}.
  • {catalogSlug} → by slug ([a-z0-9-]+, getCatalogBySlug).
  • {id} → resolved strictly by UUID: it does searchObjects with a @self.uuid filter (deliberately avoids find() because of a deleted IS NULL condition that trips on objects with deleted: []). Slug is not queried.
  • So /{catalogue-slug}/{object-slug} does NOT work — only /{catalogue-slug}/{object-uuid}.

What it takes to support object-slug URLs​

  1. OpenRegister — add slug generation (the lookup already supports slugs):

    • In the SaveObject path, when no slug is supplied, slugify a source field (e.g. name/title) and ensure uniqueness within register+schema (suffix -2, -3, … on collision). Then /api/objects/{register-slug}/{schema-slug}/{object-slug} works.
    • Decide: generate always, or only when the schema opts in (configuration.objectNameField already exists as a related concept).

  2. OpenCatalogi — make PublicationsController::show() slug-aware:

    • Currently filters @self.uuid = {id}. Add a slug branch (also filter/try @self.slug), or switch to the slug-aware ObjectService::find() — while handling the deleted IS NULL quirk the current code is avoiding.
    • Depends on (1): an object needs a slug before it can be looked up by one.

Source references​

OpenRegister:

  • lib/Db/ObjectEntity.php — slug field (~169), hydrate() (~818)
  • lib/Service/Object/SaveObject.php — no slug logic (confirms not generated)
  • lib/Service/ObjectService.php — "find() supports slugs via orX(id, uuid, slug)" (~444, ~504)
  • lib/Controller/ObjectsController.php — show() (~2093): resolveRegisterSchemaIds + objectService->find(id: $id, …)
  • appinfo/routes.php — objects#show /api/objects/{register}/{schema}/{id} (~630)

OpenCatalogi:

  • appinfo/routes.php — publications#show /api/{catalogSlug}/{id} (~106)
  • lib/Controller/PublicationsController.php — show() (~473) resolves {id} via searchObjects with @self.uuid (UUID-only; comment on avoiding find())

Not decided​

  • Whether/where to add object-slug generation (always vs schema opt-in).
  • Whether OpenCatalogi public URLs should accept slugs at all (SEO-friendly publication URLs) — product decision.