CakePHP 2.3 getting error when using internationalization in AppModel - cakephp

Question

I'm trying to define some status constants in my AppModel to be available in every model. To get the string values of them I want to store them in an array, but when I try to internationalize the string it causes the following error:
Fatal error: Call to undefined function AppModel() in /home/dev/www/test/lib/Cake/Utility/ClassRegistry.php on line 181
My code:
class AppModel extends Model {
const STATUS_INACTIVE = 0;
const STATUS_ACTIVE = 1;
public $statuses = array(
self::STATUS_INACTIVE => __('Inactive'),
self::STATUS_ACTIVE => __('Active')
);
}
I had a look in the core and found that the following line fires up the error:
$instance = new $appModel($settings);
The $appModel($settings) statement causes it, I tried to debug it and got the same error.
Any help or idea to head to the right direction to solve this is appreciated.

Answer 1

I don't think you can define $statuses like that in PHP. The problem is that you cannot define a class property using the result of a function.
http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.oop5.properties.php
Class member variables are called "properties". You may also see them referred to using other terms such as "attributes" or "fields", but for the purposes of this reference we will use "properties". They are defined by using one of the keywords public, protected, or private, followed by a normal variable declaration. This declaration may include an initialization, but this initialization must be a constant value--that is, it must be able to be evaluated at compile time and must not depend on run-time information in order to be evaluated.
If you want to set the property with translated labels, move it to your constructor, which is meant for initialisation of Objects;
class AppModel extends Model {
const STATUS_INACTIVE = 0;
const STATUS_ACTIVE = 1;
public $statuses;
public function __construct($id = false, $table = null, $ds = null) {
parent::__construct($id, $table, $ds);
$this->statuses = array(
self::STATUS_INACTIVE => __('Inactive'),
self::STATUS_ACTIVE => __('Active')
);
}
}
Or move it to another method so that is is only generated when actually used, like this;
public function getStatusOptions()
{
return array(
self::STATUS_INACTIVE => __('Inactive'),
self::STATUS_ACTIVE => __('Active')
);
}
On another note; a nice trick to define class constants and make them re-usable, without adding them to the AppModel is by using an interface;
interface ActiveInactive {
const STATUS_INACTIVE = 0;
const STATUS_ACTIVE = 1;
}
interface FooBar {
const HELLO = 'world';
}
class MyModel extends AppModel implements ActiveInactive, FooBar {
public function test()
{
echo self::STATUS_INACTIVE; // outputs '1'
echo self::HELLO; // outputs 'world'
}
}
class MyHelper extends Helper implements ActiveInactive, FooBar {
public function test()
{
echo self::STATUS_INACTIVE; // outputs '1'
echo self::HELLO; // outputs 'world'
}
}
This way you can re-use those constants anywhere; in Helpers, Models, Controllers. And you can 'combine' those constants :)