How should named and unnamed parameters be passed and referenced in custom controllers?

Environment:

Oracle B2C Service, all supported versions

Resolution:

When building a custom controller, you can either create a new one or add a function to the existing controller cp/customer/development/controllers/AjaxCustom.php.

Parameters can be passed when calling the controller as unnamed parameters or named parameters.

1. Unnamed parameters:
The the following URL would pass an unnamed parameters with the value of 42 when calling the function 'getDataForId' in the controller named 'data':
http://sitename/cc/data/getDataForId/42

You would use the unnamed parameter in the controller like this:

function getDataForId($unnamedParam)
{
    // use the $unnamedParam in your code
}

2. Named parameters:
The following URL would pass a parameter named "meaning" and its associated value of 42 when calling the function 'getDataForId' in the controller named 'data':
http://sitename/cc/data/getDataForId/meaning/42

You would use the named parameter in the controller ("data", in example above) like this:

function getDataForId()
{
    echo getUrlParm('meaning');
}

You would then reference the parameter like this:

function getDataForId()
{
    $namedParam = $this->input->post('meaning');
    // use the $namedParam in your code
}
 

For more information please consult the technical documentation linked below:
Answer ID 5169: Technical Documentation and Sample Code