how to use cakedc/search plugin for searching across 3 different tables with 1 search bar? - cakephp

I am using CakePHP2.4 and the search plugin https://github.com/CakeDC/search
I have the following
Employee hasOne EmployeeProfile
Employee hasMany Qualification
So I have a single search bar.
the search bar will search using LIKE through the following fields
Employee.name
EmployeeProfile.email
Qualification.title
how do I configure the model Employee->filterArgs for this search?
This is a cross-posting of the original issue here

The documentation includes an example.
'username' => array('type' => 'like', 'field' => array('User.username', 'UserInfo.first_name')),
You just have to make sure the models you're calling are available in your find() call. In the example the find will do a like on the users table username and on the user_infos first_name field at the same time.

I'd like to expand on this as I've been trying to setup a search on a hasMany relationship for a few hours and couldn't find anything. Mark mentionned "custom bindModel (as hasOne) for hasMany relationship (Qualification)". Here's how it's done :
$this->Employee->bindModel(array(
'hasOne' => array(
'Qualification' => array(
'foreignKey' => false,
'conditions' => array('Employee.id = Qualification.employee_id')
)
)
), false);
Just bind it before your paginate and add Qualification.title in your field list in your filterArgs

Related

CakePHP conditions clause on associations when using Model::find()

I just confused because of a find() result. This is my configurations:
First, users can have different User.role values: student, admin, and some others.
// Book
public $belongsTo = array(
'Student' => array(
'className' => 'User',
'foreignKey' => 'student_id'
'conditions' => array('User.role' => 'student')
);
);
When I chain Models like $this->Book->Student->find('list'); I was expecting to get only users whose role are 'student', but instead, it gets all users. What is going on here, what is conditions for on association definition, where can it and cannot be used. Any lead would help, thanks.
PS: I am aware that I could put conditions on find(), that's not the issue
There is a difference between associated data and accessing an associated model object. If you access $this->Book->Student you're accessing the Student model and work in it's scope. The conditions in the defined associations work only in the context of the accessed object.
So if you do a find on the Book and list the students for that book:
$this->Book->find('first', array('contain' => array('Student'));
Your code will work correctly. It will find the book plus the first user who has the role stundent. BUT your association is wrong then: It should be hasMany. because why would you filter a book by role if the book just belongsTo one student?
If you want to filter users by their role you can implement a query param that is checked in beforeFind(), pseudocode: if isset roleFilter then add contention to filter by that role from roleFilter.
Or, if you don't need to paginate just create a getStudents() method in the user model that will return a find('list') that has the conditions.
Or Student extends User and put the filter in the beforeFind() and use that model instead of the User model in your Book association.
If you want to filter on model level or per model I think the last one is a good option. Don't forget to set $useTable and $name or the inherited model will cause problems.
you have miss , inside your model.
try this:
public $belongsTo = array(
'Student' => array(
'className' => 'User',
'foreignKey' => 'student_id', //<------ miss
'conditions' => array('User.role' => 'student')
);
);
Yoi can debug your query to check what is the real query that you make.
Personally I have never use this approach, I prefer to use foreign key with another table for examples Rolesand User.role_id.
Is better for me to use this approach to have more flexibility inside your app.
After I prefer to use a conditions where inside controller to check well the query, because in your way every query you search always for student role not for the other and can be a problem for the rest of role, because inside controller you see a find without conditions but it doesn't take right value because in your model there is a particular conditions.
For me the good way is to create a new table, use foreign key and where conditions inside action of the controller to view well what are you doing.
For default all relations are "left join", you must set the parameter "type" with "inner" value
// Book
public $belongsTo = array(
'Student' => array(
'className' => 'User',
'foreignKey' => 'student_id'
'conditions' => array('Student.role' => 'student'), // <-- Fix That (field name)
'type' => 'inner', // <-- add that
);
);

CakePHP 2.4.4 How can I structure this find() with Containable?

Tables
User(id)
Profile(id, *user_id*, type)
Attribute(id, *attribute_name_id*, value)
AttributeName(id, name)
ProfileAttribute(id, *profile_id*, *attribute_id*)
Relationships
The relationships are set up correctly (and go both ways, hasMany/belongsTo).
User hasMany Profile
Profile hasMany ProfileAttribute
Attribute hasMany ProfileAttribute
(could be written Profile hasMany Attribute through ProfileAttribute)
AttributeName hasMany Attribute
Goal
For a specified User id, with a find() in the User model, I only want the following fields, laid out as such:
$results[Profile.type][AttributeName.name][Attribute.value]
Is it even possible to retrieve results arranged like this? I've been playing around with Find and Containable for hours, but, first time trying to do anything complicated like this with Cake, I can't get the hang of it.
Thanks!
EDIT
I'm getting these results now, all that I need, but nowhere near the desired format above -can it be done as part of the find, or does it need to be sorted after?
Yep, it's possible. You just have to specify fields on containable:
$this->User->find('all', array(
'conditions' => array('User.id' => $id),
'fields' => array('id'),
'contain' => array(
'Profile' => array(
'fields' => array('id','type'),
'ProfileAttribute' => array(
'fields' => array('id'),
'AttributeName' => array(
'fields' => array('id','name'),
'Attribute' => array(
'fields' => array('id','value')
)
)
)
)
)
);
Be wary that when you use contain and fields options, you have to specify the id so it can make the association (check the docs)
EDIT: I don't know if you can group contained data as the docs didn't say anything about that, but probably you can, as they accept some parameters as in the main query. You can try it, adding group to any contained data that you want to group

CakePHP - Retrieving a list of options from another table, to use with form helper/ before Instering

Here is Yet another cakePHP question! I have table called blood_groups which has blood_group_id and group fields.. Then I have another table called donors, which has several fields such as name, surname etc. Another field included inside this table is the foreign key 'blood_group_id' which will need to map to the blood_group table on retrieval. in the donor registration view, i want to be able to retrieve the values from the blood_groups table, and display them using the formHelper (with their respective id's).
I have gone through CAKE doc, and I understand that I would need to create the association between my models, but I am struggling to figure this one out. Should I create $hasOne association inside the Donor Model (considering that the Donor table has the fk of the other table). And how would I go about retrieving the options of blood_groups from the blood_groups Model?
Should It work like this?(and are any other prerequisites involved?) :
In my DonorController -
$this->set('blood_groups', $this->Donor->Blood_Group->find('all'));
in Views/Donor/add.ctp
echo $this->Form->input('blood_group_id');
Accessing data through associations is fine. But for radios or checkboxes you want to do a find('list). Your model and variable name does not match the CakePHP convention, there should be no underscore.
Properly named this should be already enough to populate the input.
// controller
$this->set('bloodGroups', $this->Donor->BloodGroup->find('list'));
// view
echo $this->Form->input('blood_group_id');
If you don't follow the conventions for some reason:
echo $this->Form->input('blood_group_id', array(
'options' => $bloodGroups
));
See:
Linking Models Together
The Form Helper
Create one function in BloodGroup Model
function getDonors(){
$options = array(
// 'conditions' => array('Donor.blood_group_id'=>$id),
'joins' => array(
array(
'alias' => 'Donor',
'table' => 'donors',
'type' => 'LEFT',
'conditions' => array(
'Donor.blood_group_id = BloodGroup.blood_group_id',
),
)
),
'fields' => array('Donor.name','Donor.surname','Donor.blood_group_id',
'BloodGroup.blood_group_id')
);
$returnData = $this->find('all',$options);
return $returnData;
}
Now from controller call this function
App::import('model','BloodGroup');
$BloodGroup = new BloodGroup;
$donorList = $BloodGroup->getDonors();
$this->set('donorList',$donorList);
In view file you will get list of donors in $donorList.

cakephp: find statement with 'contain'

the following User model function is from MilesJones forum plugin. Can someone tell me on what is the use of 'contain' in the find stmt. I couldn't find any example with contain in the cakephp cookbook. Any helps is appreciated.
public function getProfile($id) {
return $this->find('first', array(
'conditions' => array('User.id' => $id),
'contain' => array(
'Access' => array('AccessLevel'),
'Moderator' => array('ForumCategory')
)
));
}
By default when a find statement executes cake pulls all the data from the model on which the find function is executing plus all the data from the models that are associated with the model. Most of the time you don't need that extra data, Cake has containable behaviour for exactly that purpose. You can specify which associated model's data you want in your result.
In the above example find statement will fetch the first record from the User model plus associated data from Access and Moderator models.
Here is the link from cakephp book http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/core-libraries/behaviors/containable.html
Here is cakephp documentation about contain

CakePHP: the very basics of Containable

I read much about how great containable is. Honestly I have read all docs, I have it working in my Users controller, but some things are not clear:
Do I have to use it in All actions or only in Index()?
Do I have to define it in every controller index() function or is it enough to it once in the Users controller
What about if e.g. Country_ID is a FK connected to both user and a related model? For example:
function index() {
$this->paginate = array(
'limit'=>10,
'order'=>'User.created DESC',
'fields'=>array('User.id','User.name', 'User.country_id', 'User.email'),
'contain'=>array(
'Post',
'Company' => array(
'Country' => array(
'fields' => array('id', 'country')
)
),
'Position' => array(
'Profession'
),
'Preference',
'Country',
'Type'
),
);
$this->set('users',$this->Paginate('User'));
}
Country is both connected to User and Company. How to define this without creating duplicates?
Many thanks!
You seem to have the wrong idea about containable. It "allows you to filter and limit model find operations". You use it whenever you need include (or exclude) specific related model data in your find().
For example, a User hasOne Profile, hasMany Roles, which belongsTo a Company. And you need to get all the roles and related companies for a user, but you don't need the profile, you can use $this->User->find('first',array('conditions'=>...,'contain'=>array('Role'=>array('Company'))))
It has nothing to do with index() or users_controller.
Country is both connected to User and Company. How to define this without creating duplicates? What duplicates?

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