Question

For example, there’s remote API with the following calls:

getGroupCapacity(group)
setGroupCapacity(group, quantity)
getNumberOfItemsInGroup(group)
addItemToGroup(group, item)
deleteItemFromGroup(group, item)

The task is to add some item to some group. Groups have capacity.
So first we should check if group is not full. If it is, increase capacity, then add item. Something like this (for example API is exposed with SOAP):

function add_item($group, $item) {
   $soap = new SoapClient(...);
   $capacity = $soap->getGroupCapacity($group);
   $itemsInGroup = $soap->getNumberOfItemsInGroup($group);
   if ($itemsInGroup == $capacity) {
       $soap->setGroupCapacity($group, $capacity + 1);
   }
   $soap->addItemToGroup($group, $item);
}

Now what if addItemToGroup failed (item was bad)? We need to rollback group’s capacity.

Now imagine that you have to add 10 items to group and then setup added items with some properties – and all this in a single transaction. That means if it fails somewhere in the middle you must rollback everything to previous state.

Is it possible without bunch of IF’s and spaghetti code? Any library, framework, pattern, or architecture decision which will simplify such operations (in PHP)?

UPD: SOAP is just an example. Solution should fit any service, even raw TCP. The main point of the question is how to organize transactional behavior with underlying non-transactional API.

UPD2: I guess this problem is pretty same in all programming languages. So any answers are welcomed, not only PHP.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

<?php
//
// Obviously better if the service supports transactions but here's
// one possible solution using the Command pattern.
//
// tl;dr: Wrap all destructive API calls in IApiCommand objects and
// run them via an ApiTransaction instance.  The IApiCommand object
// provides a method to roll the command back.  You needn't wrap the
// non-destructive commands as there's no rolling those back anyway.
//
// There is one major outstanding issue: What do you want to do when
// an API command fails during a rollback? I've marked those areas
// with XXX.
//
// Barely tested but the idea is hopefully useful.
//

class ApiCommandFailedException extends Exception {}
class ApiCommandRollbackFailedException extends Exception {}
class ApiTransactionRollbackFailedException extends Exception {}

interface IApiCommand {
    public function execute();
    public function rollback();
}


// this tracks a history of executed commands and allows rollback    
class ApiTransaction {
    private $commandStack = array();

    public function execute(IApiCommand $command) {
        echo "EXECUTING " . get_class($command) . "\n";
        $result = $command->execute();
        $this->commandStack[] = $command;
        return $result;
    }

    public function rollback() {
        while ($command = array_pop($this->commandStack)) {
            try {
                echo "ROLLING BACK " . get_class($command) . "\n";
                $command->rollback();
            } catch (ApiCommandRollbackFailedException $rfe) {
                throw new ApiTransactionRollbackFailedException();
            }
        }
    }
}


// this groups all the api commands required to do your
// add_item function from the original post.  it demonstrates
// a nested transaction.
class AddItemToGroupTransactionCommand implements IApiCommand {
    private $soap;
    private $group;
    private $item;
    private $transaction;

    public function __construct($soap, $group, $item) {
        $this->soap = $soap;
        $this->group = $group;
        $this->item = $item;
    }

    public function execute() {
        try {
            $this->transaction = new ApiTransaction();
            $this->transaction->execute(new EnsureGroupAvailableSpaceCommand($this->soap, $this->group, 1));
            $this->transaction->execute(new AddItemToGroupCommand($this->soap, $this->group, $this->item));
        } catch (ApiCommandFailedException $ae) {
            throw new ApiCommandFailedException();
        }
    }

    public function rollback() {
        try {
            $this->transaction->rollback();
        } catch (ApiTransactionRollbackFailedException $e) {
            // XXX: determine if it's recoverable and take
            //      appropriate action, e.g. wait and try
            //      again or log the remaining undo stack
            //      for a human to look into it.
            throw new ApiCommandRollbackFailedException();
        }
    }
}


// this wraps the setgroupcapacity api call and
// provides a method for rolling back    
class EnsureGroupAvailableSpaceCommand implements IApiCommand {
    private $soap;
    private $group;
    private $numItems;
    private $previousCapacity;

    public function __construct($soap, $group, $numItems=1) {
        $this->soap = $soap;
        $this->group = $group;
        $this->numItems = $numItems;
    }

    public function execute() {
        try {
            $capacity = $this->soap->getGroupCapacity($this->group);
            $itemsInGroup = $this->soap->getNumberOfItemsInGroup($this->group);
            $availableSpace = $capacity - $itemsInGroup;
            if ($availableSpace < $this->numItems) {
                $newCapacity = $capacity + ($this->numItems - $availableSpace);
                $this->soap->setGroupCapacity($this->group, $newCapacity);
                $this->previousCapacity = $capacity;
            }
        } catch (SoapException $e) {
            throw new ApiCommandFailedException();
        }
    }

    public function rollback() {
        try {
            if (!is_null($this->previousCapacity)) {
                $this->soap->setGroupCapacity($this->group, $this->previousCapacity);
            }
        } catch (SoapException $e) {
            throw new ApiCommandRollbackFailedException();
        }
    }
}

// this wraps the additemtogroup soap api call
// and provides a method to roll the changes back
class AddItemToGroupCommand implements IApiCommand {
    private $soap;
    private $group;
    private $item;
    private $complete = false;

    public function __construct($soap, $group, $item) {
        $this->soap = $soap;
        $this->group = $group;
        $this->item = $item;
    }

    public function execute() {
        try {
            $this->soap->addItemToGroup($this->group, $this->item);
            $this->complete = true;
        } catch (SoapException $e) {
            throw new ApiCommandFailedException();
        }
    }

    public function rollback() {
        try {
            if ($this->complete) {
                $this->soap->removeItemFromGroup($this->group, $this->item);
            }
        } catch (SoapException $e) {
            throw new ApiCommandRollbackFailedException();
        }
    }
}


// a mock of your api
class SoapException extends Exception {}
class MockSoapClient {
    private $items = array();
    private $capacities = array();

    public function addItemToGroup($group, $item) {
        if ($group == "group2" && $item == "item1") throw new SoapException();
        $this->items[$group][] = $item;
    }

    public function removeItemFromGroup($group, $item) {
        foreach ($this->items[$group] as $k => $i) {
            if ($item == $i) {
                unset($this->items[$group][$k]);
            }
        }
    }

    public function setGroupCapacity($group, $capacity) {
        $this->capacities[$group] = $capacity;
    }

    public function getGroupCapacity($group) {
        return $this->capacities[$group];
    }

    public function getNumberOfItemsInGroup($group) {
        return count($this->items[$group]);
    }
}

// nested transaction example
// mock soap client is hardcoded to fail on the third additemtogroup attempt
// to show rollback
try {
    $soap = new MockSoapClient();
    $transaction = new ApiTransaction();
    $transaction->execute(new AddItemToGroupTransactionCommand($soap, "group1", "item1")); 
    $transaction->execute(new AddItemToGroupTransactionCommand($soap, "group1", "item2"));
    $transaction->execute(new AddItemToGroupTransactionCommand($soap, "group2", "item1"));
    $transaction->execute(new AddItemToGroupTransactionCommand($soap, "group2", "item2"));
} catch (ApiCommandFailedException $e) {
    $transaction->rollback();
    // XXX: if the rollback fails, you'll need to figure out
    //      what you want to do depending on the nature of the failure.
    //      e.g. wait and try again, etc.
}