Scopes

The scope system is php-via's killer feature. A scope determines which clients share a signal. Change one line and state that was private becomes multiplayer.

Scope types

Scope	Shared with	Use case
`Scope::TAB`	Nobody — this tab only	Personal UI state, form input
`Scope::ROUTE`	Every user on same URL	Live feeds, shared boards, todo lists
`Scope::SESSION`	All of this user's tabs	User preferences, auth state
`Scope::GLOBAL`	Every connected client, every route	Site-wide banners, system notifications
`'room:lobby'`	Clients you add to this custom scope	Chat rooms, collaborative documents, teams

Setting a scope

// Set the context's primary scope
$c->scope(Scope::ROUTE);

// Add a secondary scope (this context belongs to both)
$c->addScope('room:lobby');

Calling $c->scope() with Scope::ROUTE expands to the actual route path automatically. So on /blog/post-1, it becomes route:/blog/post-1.

Broadcasting

When signals change inside an action, clients in the same scope get updated automatically. To push updates from outside an action (e.g., a timer):

// Push to all clients on this route
$app->broadcast(Scope::routeScope('/'));

// Push to a custom scope
$app->broadcast('room:lobby');

▶ TAB vs ROUTE — feel the difference

Open a second tab, then increment both sides. One is private to you; one goes to everyone.

TAB scope

Only you see this counter.

ROUTE scope

119

Everyone on this page shares this.

Custom scopes

You can create any custom scope string. Clients that share the same scope string receive each other's broadcasts:

$roomId = $request->getQueryParam('room');
$roomScope = 'room:' . $roomId;

$c->addScope($roomScope);

// All clients in this room get the update
$app->broadcast($roomScope);

See the chat room example for a full implementation.