Cake Controller Extensions ("Components"), Components in Cake

A Component is a class that aids in controller logic. If you have some logic you want to share between controllers (or applications), a component is usually a good fit. As an example, the core EmailComponent class makes creating and sending emails a snap. Rather than writing a controller method in a single controller that performs this logic, you can package the logic so it can be shared.

Controllers are also fitted with callbacks. These callbacks are available for your use, just in case you need to insert some logic between CakePHP’s core operations. Callbacks available include:

* beforeFilter(), executed before any controller action logic
* beforeRender(), executed after controller logic, but before the view is rendered
* afterFilter(), executed after all controller logic, including the view render. There may be no difference between afterRender() and afterFilter() unless you’ve manually made a call to render() in your controller action and have included some logic after that call.