Working safely in code nobody documented
Read before writing
The first days of a customization go to reading. We trace the request path for the screens we will touch: route, controller, the models it calls, the views it renders, any hook that fires along the way. We check whether the application uses a base controller for login checks, whether it relies on a modular extension to split code into modules, and whether models are thin or hold the business logic. We also look at the database for triggers, stored procedures and columns whose meaning is not obvious. A short written map of the affected area goes to you before the estimate is final.
Pick the smallest extension point
CodeIgniter gives several ways to add behavior without rewriting what exists. On CodeIgniter 3 we extend core classes through the MY_ prefix, register hooks for cross-cutting work, and add libraries and helpers of our own. On CodeIgniter 4 the equivalents are events, filters, services and separate namespaces. The rule is simple: never edit the framework, and edit vendor product files only when no extension point exists. When we must change a vendor file, the change is small, marked with a comment and listed in a patch log.
Pin down current behavior first
Undocumented code has no tests, so we create a safety net before changing it. For a pricing function, that means recording its output for a few hundred real orders and replaying them after the change. For a screen, it means a scripted click-through with expected totals. These checks are cheap, and they are how we catch the report that silently depended on the thing you asked us to alter.
Customizing a product you bought
Ready-made CodeIgniter scripts vary a great deal in quality. Before quoting we check that the license allows modification, see how the vendor ships updates, and estimate how far your changes will sit from their code. Sometimes the right answer is a companion module with its own tables that talks to the product through its models. Sometimes the product is so tangled that a fresh build would cost less over the next few years, and we will show you that comparison.
Integrations fail, so plan for it
Third-party services time out, change their responses and send the same webhook twice. Every integration we add logs requests and responses, retries with limits, and handles duplicates safely. Credentials live in configuration outside the repository. For larger integration work across several systems, see our API development and integration service.