ProcessWire Custom Page Classes

Custom page classes let you extend ProcessWire's Page with template-specific methods and properties. Every page using a given template becomes an instance of your custom class.

Quick Setup

1. •Enable in /site/config.php:

$config->usePageClasses = true;

1. •Create class in /site/classes/ matching the template name:

Rule: PascalCase the template name + append Page.

1. •Minimal class:

<?php namespace ProcessWire;
class HomePage extends Page {}

Essential Pattern — Custom Properties via get()

public function get($key) {
    if($key === 'authorName') return $this->getAuthorName();
    return parent::get($key);
}

This makes $page->authorName work as a virtual property.

API Access Inside Classes

// Correct — always use wire()
$this->wire()->pages->find('template=blog-post');
$this->wire('sanitizer')->text($value);

// WRONG — does not work inside page classes
$this->pages;

Property Access Gotcha

Inside the class, $this->property accesses the property directly, bypassing the get() method's lazy loading. For example, $this->template may return null, while $page->template (external) returns a Template object. Use $this->get('property') for consistent behavior.

Reference Files

• •Setup and naming conventions — config options, naming rules, directory structure
• •Core patterns — methods, PHPDoc, output formatting, admin labels
• •Inheritance and code reuse — inheritance, abstract classes, interfaces, traits
• •Advanced features — helper classes, hookable methods, repeaters, DefaultPage, field classes
• •Best practices — do's, don'ts, common pitfalls
• •Complete examples — full working class implementations