# System Patterns

This file documents the architectural and design patterns used in the project.
2025-03-25 10:41:00 - Updated with registration and authentication patterns

## Architectural Patterns

### Plugin Architecture
* **Singleton Pattern**
  * Used in Plugin.php for main plugin instance
  * Ensures single point of control
  * Manages plugin lifecycle and hooks

* **Service Container Pattern**
  * Components initialized through Plugin class
  * Dependency management and service location
  * Facilitates testing and modularity

* **MVC-like Structure**
  * Templates (View) in includes/Templates/
  * Controllers in includes/Core/
  * Models represented by WordPress tables and custom tables

### Security Patterns

* **Input Validation**
  * Client-side validation for immediate feedback
  * Server-side validation for security
  * Sanitization following WordPress standards
  * XSS prevention through escaping

* **Authentication Flow**
  * WordPress native authentication
  * Extended with custom role validation
  * Session management through WordPress
  * Remember-me functionality

* **Access Control**
  * Role-based access control (RBAC)
  * Custom capabilities for fine-grained control
  * Capability checking on all actions
  * Integration with The Events Calendar permissions

### Database Patterns

* **Table Structure**
  * Custom tables for trainer-specific data
  * WordPress native tables for core functionality
  * Proper indexing for performance
  * Foreign key relationships where appropriate

* **Data Access**
  * WordPress WPDB for database operations
  * Prepared statements for security
  * Transaction support for data integrity
  * Caching considerations

### Integration Patterns

* **WordPress Integration**
  * Action and filter hooks
  * Custom post types and taxonomies
  * Settings API usage
  * Database schema management

* **The Events Calendar Integration**
  * Extension of core functionality
  * Custom venue creation
  * Event management integration
  * Capability integration

### Form Handling

* **Form Structure**
  * Semantic HTML5 markup
  * Progressive enhancement
  * Accessible form controls
  * Responsive design

* **Validation Strategy**
  * Multi-layer validation
  * Real-time feedback
  * Error message handling
  * Field-specific validation rules

### Asset Management

* **Resource Loading**
  * WordPress enqueue system
  * Conditional loading
  * Version control for cache busting
  * Dependency management

* **CSS Organization**
  * BEM naming convention
  * Modular structure
  * Responsive design patterns
  * Theme compatibility

### JavaScript Patterns

* **Module Pattern**
  * IIFE for encapsulation
  * jQuery plugin architecture
  * Event delegation
  * Form handling modules

* **Error Handling**
  * Graceful degradation
  * User feedback system
  * AJAX error management
  * Console logging for development

### Testing Patterns

* **Test Organization**
  * Unit tests for business logic
  * Integration tests for WordPress integration
  * E2E tests for user flows
  * Test data management

* **Test Implementation**
  * Arrange-Act-Assert pattern
  * Test isolation
  * Mocking and stubbing
  * Snapshot testing

### Development Workflow

* **Version Control**
  * Feature branches
  * Semantic versioning
  * Commit message standards
  * Pull request workflow

* **Deployment Strategy**
  * Environment-specific configurations
  * Database migration handling
  * Asset compilation
  * Cache management

### Documentation Patterns

* **Code Documentation**
  * PHPDoc standards
  * Inline comments for complexity
  * README files for components
  * API documentation

* **User Documentation**
  * Installation guides
  * Configuration documentation
  * User guides
  * Troubleshooting guides

2025-03-25 10:41:00 - Added patterns for registration and authentication implementation