Custom MODX Snippets: Fast PHP Solutions with pdoTools

Typical snippet is unoptimized copy-paste

Imagine your MODX product catalog takes 5 seconds to load, and every category click feels like an eternity. The cause: unoptimized snippets that make dozens of database queries. Typical scenario: a developer copied the first code they found, without thinking about caching. Result: N+1 queries, performance drop, and poor user experience. How to fix it? Use correct patterns.

MODX snippet development often starts with copying the first example from the documentation. The result: N+1 queries, no caching, and vulnerabilities that turn a simple task into a site-wide bottleneck. We use proven architectural patterns: single query, caching, and strict parameter typing. Over 5 years of experience and more than 50 projects on MODX allow us to create snippets that withstand thousands of requests without performance loss.

How to avoid N+1 queries in MODX?

The N+1 problem occurs when you retrieve a collection of resources and then for each one load TV values via getTVValue in a loop. With 100 resources, that's 101 SQL queries. The solution: use JOIN or pdoFetch. The native MODX API allows manual JOIN, but pdoTools does it automatically and faster. More about the problem at N+1 query problem.

Why is snippet caching important?

Caching reduces database load and speeds up pages. Without cache, every snippet call means an SQL query. On a project with a 5000-item catalog, the original snippet took 4 seconds. After adding caching, the time dropped to 0.2 seconds for subsequent requests. Cache should be invalidated when data changes or set a TTL, e.g., 30 minutes.

Snippet structure with safe querying

Native query with JOIN

<?php
// Snippet ProductList
// Call: [[!ProductList? &category=`5` &limit=`12` &sort=`price`]]

// Get parameters (with defaults)
$categoryId = (int)($scriptProperties['category'] ?? 0);
$limit      = (int)($scriptProperties['limit'] ?? 10);
$offset     = (int)($scriptProperties['offset'] ?? 0);
$sortField  = $scriptProperties['sort'] ?? 'menuindex';
$sortDir    = $scriptProperties['sortdir'] ?? 'ASC';
$tpl        = $scriptProperties['tpl'] ?? 'productCard';

// Query to resources via MODX API
$c = $modx->newQuery('modResource');
$c->where([
    'parent' => $categoryId,
    'published' => 1,
    'deleted'   => 0,
    'class_key' => 'modDocument',
]);

// Get TV values via Join
$c->innerJoin('modTemplateVarResource', 'TVPrice', [
    'TVPrice.tmplvarid' => $modx->getObject('modTemplateVar', ['name' => 'price'])->id,
    'TVPrice.contentid = modResource.id',
]);
$c->select('modResource.*, TVPrice.value AS price');

$c->sortby($sortField, $sortDir);
$c->limit($limit, $offset);

$resources = $modx->getCollection('modResource', $c);

if (empty($resources)) return '';

$output = '';
foreach ($resources as $resource) {
    $data = array_merge($resource->toArray(), [
        'price'       => $resource->get('price'),
        'link'        => $modx->makeUrl($resource->id, '', '', 'full'),
        'image'       => $resource->getTVValue('product_image'),
    ]);

    // Chunk for card output
    $output .= $modx->getChunk($tpl, $data);
}

return $output;

Snippet with pdoTools

<?php
// Snippet ProductSearch with pdoTools
if (!$modx->loadClass('pdoFetch', MODX_CORE_PATH . 'components/pdotools/model/pdotools/', false, true)) {
    return 'pdoTools is not installed';
}

$pdoFetch = new pdoFetch($modx, $scriptProperties);

$pdoFetch->addWhere([
    'modResource.parent' => (int)($scriptProperties['category'] ?? 0),
    'modResource.published' => 1,
]);

// TV join
$pdoFetch->addTVs('price,product_image,short_description');

$result = $pdoFetch->run();

return $result;

Caching results

<?php
// Cache result for 30 minutes
$cacheKey = 'products_' . md5(json_encode($scriptProperties));
$cacheOptions = [xPDO::OPT_CACHE_KEY => 'default', xPDO::OPT_CACHE_EXPIRES => 1800];

$cached = $modx->cacheManager->get($cacheKey, $cacheOptions);
if ($cached !== null) return $cached;

// ... query ...
$output = generateOutput($resources);

$modx->cacheManager->set($cacheKey, $output, 1800, $cacheOptions);
return $output;

Integration with external API

<?php
// Snippet WeatherWidget — weather from OpenWeatherMap
$city    = $scriptProperties['city'] ?? 'Moscow';
$apiKey  = $modx->getOption('weather_api_key');
$tpl     = $scriptProperties['tpl'] ?? 'weatherWidget';

$cacheKey = 'weather_' . $city;
$cached = $modx->cacheManager->get($cacheKey, [xPDO::OPT_CACHE_EXPIRES => 1800]);

if ($cached !== null) {
    return $modx->getChunk($tpl, $cached);
}

$url = "https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q={$city}&appid={$apiKey}&units=metric&lang=ru";

$response = file_get_contents($url);
if (!$response) return '';

$data = json_decode($response, true);
if (!$data || $data['cod'] !== 200) return '';

$weather = [
    'city'        => $data['name'],
    'temp'        => round($data['main']['temp']),
    'feels_like'  => round($data['main']['feels_like']),
    'description' => $data['weather'][0]['description'],
    'icon'        => "https://openweathermap.org/img/wn/{$data['weather'][0]['icon']}@2x.png",
    'humidity'    => $data['main']['humidity'],
];

$modx->cacheManager->set($cacheKey, $weather, 1800);
return $modx->getChunk($tpl, $weather);

Which parameters to pass to a snippet?

[[!ProductList?
    &category=`[[*id]]`
    &limit=`12`
    &tpl=`productCardTpl`
    &sort=`price`
    &sortdir=`ASC`
]]

! before the name — uncached call (dynamic content). Without ! — cached (static block, same for all).

Approach comparison table

Typical snippet parameters table

Common mistakes in snippet development

• N+1 queries: getting TV via getTVValue in a loop. Solution: JOIN or pdoFetch.
• Lack of input filtering: parameters without type casting (category as string instead of int).
• Ignoring caching: each snippet call loads the DB, even if data hasn't changed.
• Hardcoded resource IDs: use placeholders and parameters.

What's included in the work

• Snippet source code with comments.
• Documentation: parameter descriptions, call examples, logic description.
• Caching setup: TTL and key selection.
• Installation instructions: adding the snippet, creating chunks, testing.
• Support guarantee: we'll help with any questions within a month after delivery.

Turnkey snippet development process

1. Analysis: study the requirements, what data to output, from where, filtering conditions.
2. Design: determine query structure, choose method (native or pdoTools), plan caching.
3. Implementation: write PHP snippet code and template chunks.
4. Testing: check edge cases (empty categories, 0 records), measure execution time.
5. Deployment: place on production server, configure cache, provide call documentation.

Timeline and cost

Timeline: from 0.5 day for a simple snippet to 5 days for a complex one with API integration. We provide an accurate estimate after reviewing the project. Cost is calculated individually.

Contact us to discuss your project. Order snippet development right now — get fast and secure code. Over 5 years of experience with MODX. Reach out, and we'll evaluate the task and propose the optimal solution.

Headless CMS: Strapi, Directus, Sanity, Contentful, Drupal

Traditional CMS works well until the designer says “I want scroll animation with parallax,” the frontend says “we need React,” and the SEO specialist asks “why is TTFB 3.4 seconds?” At that point, monolithic architecture starts to hinder everyone. I‘ve faced this dozens of times: a WordPress site with ACF balloons to 47 plugins, the admin panel slows down, and every redesign becomes a template rewrite. Headless CMS separates content management from presentation. Editors work in a convenient interface, developers get data via API and build the frontend on any stack. Sounds simple. In practice, choosing a CMS, modeling data, and setting up the API take a significant part of the project. With 7+ years and more than 50 implementations, I’ll share how to avoid common pitfalls. Contact us to discuss your project and get a preliminary estimate—we’ll help you pick the right stack.

What are the key benefits of headless CMS over monolithic?

Monolithic CMS (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal in classic mode) mixes backend and frontend. Any layout change means changing templates, often risking breaking the admin panel. Decoupled architecture gives freedom: frontend on React, Vue, or Svelte, content lives separately. Result: improved load speed (LCP often drops from 4–6 s to 1–1.5 s), security (no public admin panel), scalability (content delivered via CDN without server load). Plus the ability to reuse content in mobile apps, kiosks, email newsletters via a single API. A client we recently helped saw LCP improve from 6.2 s to 1.1 s — a 5.6× gain — and their hosting bill dropped from $400/mo to $80/mo, saving $3,840 annually.

How to choose a headless CMS for your project?

No universal tool exists. The choice depends on team, content complexity, and infrastructure. Let’s break down the key options.

Strapi — open-source, self-hosted, Node.js. Suitable for teams needing data control and API customization. Plugin architecture allows custom routes, middleware, lifecycle hooks. REST and GraphQL out of the box. Deploys in about an hour — three times faster than Drupal. Weakness: versions v4 and v5 are incompatible, migration is painful. Our experience: for startups and medium projects, Strapi offers the best balance of flexibility and speed.

Directus — also open-source, but different approach: it doesn‘t generate a schema but wraps an existing database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite) into a REST/GraphQL API. If you already have a database, Directus connects without migrations. Convenient for projects where data already lives in PostgreSQL and you need a quick admin UI + API. Saves up to 30% integration time.

Sanity — cloud CMS with real-time editor. Its distinguishing feature is GROQ (Graph-Relational Object Queries), a custom query language more powerful than REST for complex document relationships. Portable Text for structured content. Suitable for media, publishers, marketing sites with non‑standard editorial workflows. Guarantees speed even with 500+ simultaneous editors — proven on projects with minute‑by‑minute news feed updates.

Contentful — enterprise cloud CMS. Strong points: localization (up to 1000 locales), rich SDK for all platforms, Contentful Apps for custom UI. Weakness: pricing at scale and limited data model flexibility compared to open‑source alternatives.

Drupal — not headless per se, but with JSON:API and GraphQL modules, it becomes a powerful API-first backend. Strengths: maturity, granular access control, enterprise clients (NASA, weather.com). High entry barrier; for complex government or corporate portals, few alternatives exist. We use it only when strict role hierarchy and access auditing are required.

Consequences of poor content modeling

Content modeling is critical. Mistakes at this stage are costly. A typical problem: a body field of type rich text for everything. Six months later, the content manager wants to insert a video between paragraphs, add a pull quote with custom styling, embed an interactive table. Rich text can‘t handle that. Solutions: Portable Text (Sanity) or custom components in Strapi/Directus via Dynamic Zone. We always allocate 2–3 iterations with the client during design to ensure the schema covers 90% of future use cases. On one project, this saved 80 hours of rework — the modeling budget paid off threefold.

How we build projects on headless CMS

Frontend for headless CMS almost always uses Next.js (App Router) or Nuxt. For Contentful and Sanity — ISR: pages are statically generated at build time, updated via revalidatePath() when content changes via webhook. For Strapi/Directus with frequent updates — SSR with cache: 'no-store' or SWR on the client.

Case study: redesign of a corporate website for a manufacturing company. Previous site: WordPress with ACF, 200+ pages, 4 languages. Problems: TTFB 3.8 s, editors complained about slow admin. Migrated to Strapi (self-hosted, PostgreSQL), Next.js App Router. Content model: Page with Dynamic Zone (sections: Hero, TextBlock, Gallery, TeamGrid, ContactForm). Localization via Strapi i18n plugin + next-intl on frontend. Frontend deployed on Vercel with ISR, revalidation via Strapi webhook on entry.publish. According to the client: TTFB dropped from 3.8 s to 180 ms (static with CDN) — a 21× improvement. Editors got a clean interface without 47 plugins. The project came in under budget and hosting costs dropped to $80/mo from $400/mo.

Implementation process broken into stages:

1. Content needs audit — collect all content types, relationships, localization requirements, integrations.
2. Data schema design — create models, fields, validation, access roles. Document in Swagger/OpenAPI.
3. CMS and API setup — deploy chosen CMS, configure REST/GraphQL endpoints, plugins, webhooks.
4. Frontend development — connect Next.js/Nuxt, configure ISR/SSR, section components, routing.
5. Content migration (if legacy) — automated loading via API or scripts.
6. Testing — check API endpoints, regression, load testing, Core Web Vitals.
7. Deployment — configure CDN, SSL, CI/CD, monitoring.

How long does implementation take?

The standard path includes all stages. Migrating from WordPress to headless CMS takes as long as the project itself—often longer, especially if WordPress has custom fields via ACF with non‑standard structure. Our typical timelines:

Cost is calculated individually after a brief. Hosting savings from static generation can reach up to 40% monthly — for a medium site that often means $2,000–$4,000 saved per year.

Non‑obvious considerations when choosing a headless CMS

• Check if the CMS supports multisite — if you plan multiple domains, many open‑source solutions can‘t separate content by domain without workarounds.
• Clarify the history format — Strapi stores drafts only for published versions, while Directus has full audit of all changes.
• Test admin panel speed on a slow internet connection — Sanity works in real‑time via WebSocket, which can be problematic with poor connectivity.
• Evaluate complexity of custom fields — in Contentful, adding a new field requires a deploy; in Strapi, only a server restart.
• Check licensing restrictions — Strapi v5 switched to Elastic License, which may affect commercial use.

What is included

• Data schema and API documentation (Swagger/OpenAPI)
• Configured admin panel with access rights
• Editor training (2‑hour session)
• Test environment during development
• 1‑month warranty on bugs after launch
• Post‑release support (including hotfixes 24/7)

Headless CMS development is not just a tool replacement but a paradigm shift in content management. We help make this transition without downtime or data loss. Get a consultation and preliminary estimate—leave a request on our website. Order headless CMS implementation with guaranteed results.