The UI is decoupled from the domain, but the UI should try its best to never allow the user to issue commands that are sure to fail. Consider the following example (pseudo-code):
DiscussionController
@Security(is_logged)
@Method('POST')
@Route('addPost')
addPostToDiscussionAction(request)
discussionService.postToDiscussion(
new PostToDiscussionCommand(request.discussionId, session.myUserId, request.bodyText)
)
@Method('GET')
@Route('showDiscussion/{discussionId}')
showDiscussionAction(request)
discussionWithAllThePosts = discussionFinder.findById(request.discussionId)
canAddPostToThisDiscussion = ???
// render the discussion to the user, and use `canAddPostToThisDiscussion` to show/hide the form
// from which the user can send a request to `addPostToDiscussionAction`.
renderDiscussion(discussionWithAllThePosts, canAddPostToThisDiscussion)
PostToDiscussionCommand
constructor(discussionId, authorId, bodyText)
DiscussionApplicationService
postToDiscussion(command)
discussion = discussionRepository.get(command.discussionId)
author = collaboratorService.authorFrom(discussion.Id, command.authorId)
post = discussion.createPost(postRepository.nextIdentity(), author, command.bodyText)
postRepository.add(post)
DiscussionAggregate
// originalPoster is the Author that started the discussion
constructor(discussionId, originalPoster)
// if the discussion is closed, you can't create a post.
// *unless* if you're the author (OP) that started the discussion
createPost(postId, author, bodyText)
if (this.close && !this.originalPoster.equals(author))
throw "Discussion is closed."
return new Post(this.discussionId, postId, author, bodyText)
close()
if (this.close)
throw "Discussion already closed."
this.close = true
isClosed()
return this.close
- The user goes to
/showDiscussion/123and he see the discussion with the<form>from which he can submit a new post, but only if the discussion is not closed or the current user is who started that discussion. - Or, the user goes to
/showDiscussion/123where it's presented as a REST-as-in-HATEOAS API. A hypermedia link to/addPostwill be provided, only if the discussion is not closed or the authenticated user is who started that discussion.
How can I provide that knowledge into the UI?
I could code that into the read model,
canAddPostToThisDiscussion = !discussionWithAllThePosts.discussion.isClosed
&& discussionWithAllThePosts.discussion.originalPoster.id == session.currentUserId
but then I need to maintain that logic and keep it in sync with the write model. This is a fairly simple example, but as the states transitions of an aggregate become more complex, it may become really hard to do. I'd like to image my aggregates as state machines, with their workflows (like the RESTBucks example). But I don't like the idea to move that business logic outside my domain model, and put it in a service that both the read side and write side can use.
Maybe this isn't the best example, but as an aggregate root is basically a consistency boundary, we know that we need to prevent invalid state transitions in its life cycle, and in each transitions to a new state some operations may become illegal and vice versa. So, how can the user interface know what is allowed or not? What are my alternative? How should I approach to this problem? Do you have any example to provide?