Collection API - PHP SDK Documentation

Overview

The Collection API provides endpoints for managing collections (Base, Auth, and View types). All operations require superuser authentication and allow you to create, read, update, and delete collections along with their schemas and configurations.

Key Features:

List and search collections
View collection details
Create collections (base, auth, view)
Update collection schemas and rules
Delete collections
Truncate collections (delete all records)
Import collections in bulk
Get collection scaffolds (templates)

Backend Endpoints:

GET /api/collections - List collections
GET /api/collections/{collection} - View collection
POST /api/collections - Create collection
PATCH /api/collections/{collection} - Update collection
DELETE /api/collections/{collection} - Delete collection
DELETE /api/collections/{collection}/truncate - Truncate collection
PUT /api/collections/import - Import collections
GET /api/collections/meta/scaffolds - Get scaffolds

Note: All Collection API operations require superuser authentication.

Authentication

All Collection API operations require superuser authentication:

<?php
require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

use BosBase\BosBase;

$pb = new BosBase('http://127.0.0.1:8090');

// Authenticate as superuser
$pb->collection('_superusers')->authWithPassword('admin@example.com', 'password');

List Collections

Returns a paginated list of collections with support for filtering and sorting.

// Basic list
$result = $pb->collections->getList(1, 30);

echo $result['page'];        // 1
echo $result['perPage'];     // 30
echo $result['totalItems'];  // Total collections count
print_r($result['items']);   // Array of collections

Advanced Filtering and Sorting

// Filter by type
$authCollections = $pb->collections->getList(1, 100, [
    'filter' => 'type = "auth"',
]);

// Filter by name pattern
$matchingCollections = $pb->collections->getList(1, 100, [
    'filter' => 'name ~ "user"',
]);

// Sort by creation date
$sortedCollections = $pb->collections->getList(1, 100, [
    'sort' => '-created',
]);

// Complex filter
$filtered = $pb->collections->getList(1, 100, [
    'filter' => 'type = "base" && system = false && created >= "2023-01-01"',
    'sort' => 'name',
]);

Get Full List

// Get all collections at once
$allCollections = $pb->collections->getFullList([
    'sort' => 'name',
    'filter' => 'system = false',
]);

Get First Matching Collection

// Get first auth collection
$authCollection = $pb->collections->getFirstListItem('type = "auth"');

View Collection

Retrieve a single collection by ID or name:

// By name
$collection = $pb->collections->getOne('posts');

// By ID
$collection = $pb->collections->getOne('_pbc_2287844090');

// With field selection
$collection = $pb->collections->getOne('posts', [
    'fields' => 'id,name,type,fields.name,fields.type',
]);

Create Collection

Create a new collection with schema fields and configuration.

Note: If the created and updated fields are not specified during collection initialization, BosBase will automatically create them. These system fields are added to all collections by default and track when records are created and last modified. You don’t need to include them in your field definitions.

Create Base Collection

$baseCollection = $pb->collections->create([
    'name' => 'posts',
    'type' => 'base',
    'fields' => [
        [
            'name' => 'title',
            'type' => 'text',
            'required' => true,
            'min' => 10,
            'max' => 255,
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'content',
            'type' => 'editor',
            'required' => false,
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'published',
            'type' => 'bool',
            'required' => false,
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'author',
            'type' => 'relation',
            'required' => true,
            'collectionId' => '_pbc_users_auth_',
            'maxSelect' => 1,
        ],
    ],
    'listRule' => '@request.auth.id != ""',
    'viewRule' => '@request.auth.id != "" || published = true',
    'createRule' => '@request.auth.id != ""',
    'updateRule' => 'author = @request.auth.id',
    'deleteRule' => 'author = @request.auth.id',
]);

Create Auth Collection

$authCollection = $pb->collections->create([
    'name' => 'users',
    'type' => 'auth',
    'fields' => [
        [
            'name' => 'name',
            'type' => 'text',
            'required' => false,
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'avatar',
            'type' => 'file',
            'required' => false,
            'maxSelect' => 1,
            'maxSize' => 2097152, // 2MB
            'mimeTypes' => ['image/jpeg', 'image/png'],
        ],
    ],
    'listRule' => null,
    'viewRule' => '@request.auth.id = id',
    'createRule' => null,
    'updateRule' => '@request.auth.id = id',
    'deleteRule' => '@request.auth.id = id',
    'manageRule' => null,
    'authRule' => 'verified = true', // Only verified users can authenticate
    'passwordAuth' => [
        'enabled' => true,
        'identityFields' => ['email', 'username'],
    ],
    'authToken' => [
        'duration' => 604800, // 7 days
    ],
]);

Create View Collection

$viewCollection = $pb->collections->create([
    'name' => 'published_posts',
    'type' => 'view',
    'listRule' => '@request.auth.id != ""',
    'viewRule' => '@request.auth.id != ""',
    'viewQuery' => "
        SELECT 
            p.id,
            p.title,
            p.content,
            p.created,
            u.name as author_name,
            u.email as author_email
        FROM posts p
        LEFT JOIN users u ON p.author = u.id
        WHERE p.published = true
    ",
]);

Create from Scaffold

Use predefined scaffolds as a starting point:

// Get available scaffolds
$scaffolds = $pb->collections->getScaffolds();

// Create base collection from scaffold
$baseCollection = $pb->collections->createBase('my_posts', [
    'fields' => [
        [
            'name' => 'title',
            'type' => 'text',
            'required' => true,
        ],
    ],
]);

// Create auth collection from scaffold
$authCollection = $pb->collections->createAuth('my_users', [
    'passwordAuth' => [
        'enabled' => true,
        'identityFields' => ['email'],
    ],
]);

// Create view collection from scaffold
$viewCollection = $pb->collections->createView('my_view', 'SELECT id, title FROM posts', [
    'listRule' => '@request.auth.id != ""',
]);

Accessing Collection ID After Creation

When a collection is successfully created, the returned array includes the id property, which contains the unique identifier assigned by the backend. You can access it immediately after creation:

// Create a collection and access its ID
$collection = $pb->collections->create([
    'name' => 'posts',
    'type' => 'base',
    'fields' => [
        [
            'name' => 'title',
            'type' => 'text',
            'required' => true,
        ],
    ],
]);

// Access the collection ID
echo $collection['id']; // e.g., "_pbc_2287844090"

// Use the ID for subsequent operations
$pb->collections->update($collection['id'], [
    'listRule' => '@request.auth.id != ""',
]);

// Store the ID for later use
$collectionId = $collection['id'];

Update Collection

Update an existing collection’s schema, fields, or rules:

// Update collection name and rules
$updated = $pb->collections->update('posts', [
    'name' => 'articles',
    'listRule' => '@request.auth.id != "" || status = "public"',
    'viewRule' => '@request.auth.id != "" || status = "public"',
]);

// Add new field
$collection = $pb->collections->getOne('posts');
$collection['fields'][] = [
    'name' => 'tags',
    'type' => 'select',
    'options' => [
        'values' => ['tech', 'science', 'art'],
    ],
];
$pb->collections->update('posts', $collection);

// Update field configuration
$collection = $pb->collections->getOne('posts');
foreach ($collection['fields'] as &$field) {
    if ($field['name'] === 'title') {
        $field['max'] = 200;
        break;
    }
}
$pb->collections->update('posts', $collection);

Delete Collection

Delete a collection (including all records and files):

// Delete by name
$pb->collections->delete('old_collection');

// Delete by ID
$pb->collections->delete('_pbc_2287844090');

// Using deleteCollection method (alias)
$pb->collections->deleteCollection('old_collection');

Warning: This operation is destructive and will:

Delete the collection schema
Delete all records in the collection
Delete all associated files
Remove all indexes

Note: Collections referenced by other collections cannot be deleted.

Truncate Collection

Delete all records in a collection while keeping the collection schema:

// Truncate collection (delete all records)
$pb->collections->truncate('posts');

// This will:
// - Delete all records in the collection
// - Delete all associated files
// - Delete cascade-enabled relations
// - Keep the collection schema intact

Warning: This operation is destructive and cannot be undone. It’s useful for:

Clearing test data
Resetting collections
Bulk data removal

Note: View collections cannot be truncated.

Import Collections

Bulk import multiple collections at once:

$collectionsToImport = [
    [
        'name' => 'posts',
        'type' => 'base',
        'fields' => [
            [
                'name' => 'title',
                'type' => 'text',
                'required' => true,
            ],
            [
                'name' => 'content',
                'type' => 'editor',
            ],
        ],
        'listRule' => '@request.auth.id != ""',
    ],
    [
        'name' => 'categories',
        'type' => 'base',
        'fields' => [
            [
                'name' => 'name',
                'type' => 'text',
                'required' => true,
            ],
        ],
    ],
];

// Import without deleting existing collections
$pb->collections->importCollections($collectionsToImport, false);

// Import and delete collections not in the import list
$pb->collections->importCollections($collectionsToImport, true);

Import Options

deleteMissing: false (default): Only create/update collections in the import list
deleteMissing: true: Delete all collections not present in the import list

Warning: Using deleteMissing: true will permanently delete collections and all their data.

Get Scaffolds

Get collection templates for creating new collections:

$scaffolds = $pb->collections->getScaffolds();

// Available scaffold types
print_r($scaffolds['base']);   // Base collection template
print_r($scaffolds['auth']);   // Auth collection template
print_r($scaffolds['view']);   // View collection template

// Use scaffold as starting point
$baseTemplate = $scaffolds['base'];
$newCollection = array_merge($baseTemplate, [
    'name' => 'my_collection',
    'fields' => array_merge($baseTemplate['fields'], [
        [
            'name' => 'custom_field',
            'type' => 'text',
        ],
    ]),
]);

$pb->collections->create($newCollection);

Complete Examples

Example 1: Setup Blog Collections

<?php
require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

use BosBase\BosBase;

$pb = new BosBase('http://localhost:8090');
$pb->collection('_superusers')->authWithPassword('admin@example.com', 'password');

// Create posts collection
$posts = $pb->collections->create([
    'name' => 'posts',
    'type' => 'base',
    'fields' => [
        [
            'name' => 'title',
            'type' => 'text',
            'required' => true,
            'min' => 10,
            'max' => 255,
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'slug',
            'type' => 'text',
            'required' => true,
            'options' => [
                'pattern' => '^[a-z0-9-]+$',
            ],
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'content',
            'type' => 'editor',
            'required' => true,
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'featured_image',
            'type' => 'file',
            'maxSelect' => 1,
            'maxSize' => 5242880, // 5MB
            'mimeTypes' => ['image/jpeg', 'image/png'],
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'published',
            'type' => 'bool',
            'required' => false,
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'author',
            'type' => 'relation',
            'collectionId' => '_pbc_users_auth_',
            'maxSelect' => 1,
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'categories',
            'type' => 'relation',
            'collectionId' => 'categories',
            'maxSelect' => 5,
        ],
    ],
    'listRule' => '@request.auth.id != "" || published = true',
    'viewRule' => '@request.auth.id != "" || published = true',
    'createRule' => '@request.auth.id != ""',
    'updateRule' => 'author = @request.auth.id',
    'deleteRule' => 'author = @request.auth.id',
]);

// Create categories collection
$categories = $pb->collections->create([
    'name' => 'categories',
    'type' => 'base',
    'fields' => [
        [
            'name' => 'name',
            'type' => 'text',
            'required' => true,
            'unique' => true,
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'slug',
            'type' => 'text',
            'required' => true,
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'description',
            'type' => 'text',
            'required' => false,
        ],
    ],
    'listRule' => '@request.auth.id != ""',
    'viewRule' => '@request.auth.id != ""',
]);

// Access collection IDs immediately after creation
echo 'Posts collection ID: ' . $posts['id'] . "\n";
echo 'Categories collection ID: ' . $categories['id'] . "\n";

echo 'Blog setup complete!' . "\n";

Error Handling

try {
    $pb->collections->create([
        'name' => 'test',
        'type' => 'base',
        'fields' => [],
    ]);
} catch (\BosBase\Exceptions\ClientResponseError $error) {
    if ($error->getStatus() === 401) {
        echo 'Not authenticated' . "\n";
    } else if ($error->getStatus() === 403) {
        echo 'Not a superuser' . "\n";
    } else if ($error->getStatus() === 400) {
        echo 'Validation error: ' . json_encode($error->getData()) . "\n";
    } else {
        echo 'Unexpected error: ' . $error->getMessage() . "\n";
    }
}

Best Practices

Always Authenticate: Ensure you’re authenticated as a superuser before making requests
Backup Before Import: Always backup existing collections before using import with deleteMissing: true
Validate Schema: Validate collection schemas before creating/updating
Use Scaffolds: Use scaffolds as starting points for consistency
Test Rules: Test API rules thoroughly before deploying to production
Document Schemas: Keep documentation of your collection schemas
Version Control: Store collection schemas in version control for migration tracking

Limitations

Superuser Only: All operations require superuser authentication
System Collections: System collections cannot be deleted or renamed
View Collections: Cannot be truncated (they don’t store records)
Relations: Collections referenced by others cannot be deleted
Field Modifications: Some field type changes may require data migration

Collections Guide - Working with collections and records
API Records - Record CRUD operations
API Rules and Filters - Understanding API rules