Passing data from CakePHP component to a helper - cakephp

Question

I need to share data between a component and helper. I'm converting my self-made payment service formdata generator to a CakePHP plugin and I'd like to be able to fill in the payment data from the controller(using a component) and use a helper to print out the data.
Everything I've tried so far have felt a little too hacky, so let me ask you: Is there any elegant way to pass data from a component to a helper?
edit:
I solved this particular situation by adding the original formadata class instance to ClassRegistry during the component initialization. This way the helper too can access the instance using ClassRegistry.
However, this only works for objects, so the question remains open.

Answer 1

Having a similar problem, I found this solution to work best for me.
You could use the helper's __construct method in pair with $controller->helpers array.
Since the Helper::_construct() is called after the Component::beforeRender, you can modify the $controller->helpers['YourHelperName'] array to pass the data to your helper.
Component code:
<?php
public function beforeRender($controller){
$controller->helpers['YourHelperName']['data'] = array('A'=>1, 'B'=>2);
}
?>
Helper code:
<?php
function __construct($View, $settings){
debug($settings);
/* outputs:
array(
'data' => array(
'A' => (int) 1,
'B' => (int) 2
)
)
*/
}
?>
I am using CakePHP 2.0, so this solution should be tested for earlier versions.

Answer 2

Is there any elegant way to pass data from a component to a helper?
Yes, the same way you pass any data to the helper. In your view.
Inside your component I would do something like the following. The beforeRender() action is a CakePHP component callback.
public function beforeRender(Controller $controller) {
$yourVars = 'some data';
$goHere = 'other stuff';
$controller->set(compact('yourVars', 'goHere'));
}
Then in your view you can pass the data off to your helpers just like normal.
// view or layout *.ctp file
$this->YourHelper->yourMethod($yourVars);
$this->YourHelper->otherMethod($goHere);

Answer 3

In addition to what #Vanja, you can also do this just prior to instantiating a new view in your controller:
// In your controller method
// must be set prior to instantiating view
$this->helpers['YourHelperName']['paramsOrAnyName'] = ['var' => $passed_var];
$_newView = new View($this);
$return_result = $_newView->render($element_to_view, $layout);