Which operations should a developer implement within a controller?

Generating data and creating plain JavaScript objects within a controller is essential in the context of Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Controllers are responsible for handling requests and managing the flow of data between the model and the view. By generating data, controllers can prepare the necessary information that will be passed to the view for rendering. Creating plain JavaScript objects allows for better data manipulation, storage, and transmission between various components of the application.

When it comes to MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture, controllers primarily serve to handle the business logic that bridges models (data) to views (UI). By focusing on generating and structuring data appropriately, developers can ensure that their applications are efficient and maintainable. This approach also promotes the separation of concerns, which is crucial for clean and manageable code.

Other operations, such as generating HTML and modifying middleware, are typically more aligned with the view layer and middleware configurations rather than core controller functions. Similarly, logging and session management might be part of broader application responsibilities but would not solely fall under the controller's primary duties. Returning raw data and performing calculations can occur in various contexts but again may be better handled in the model or service layers rather than directly within a controller.