CakePHP extended model not inheriting attributes - php

Question

I apologize if this ends up being a newbish PHP misunderstanding, but anyway, I have the following Vip.php file:
<?php
class Vip extends AppModel {
public $useTable = 'vips';
public $hasOne = 'VipCredential';
public $belongsTo = array('User', 'MasterExhibitor');
public $validate = array();
}
class InviteVipForm extends Vip {
}
class AccreditVipForm extends Vip {
}
So, both InviteVipForm and AccreditVipForm classes should inherit every model attributes from their parent, right? This doesn't happen. I loaded InviteVipForm in the controller and printed. Everything is empty or set to default (useTable, for example, is set to invite_vip_forms, which is of course a table which doesn't exist).
AppModel Object ( [useDbConfig] => default [useTable] => invite_vip_forms [id] => [data] => Array ( ) [schemaName] => [table] => invite_vip_forms [primaryKey] => id [_schema:protected] => [validate] => Array ( ) [validationErrors] => Array ( ) [validationDomain] => [plugin] => [name] => InviteVipForm [alias] => InviteVipForm [tableToModel] => Array ( [invite_vip_forms] => InviteVipForm ) [cacheQueries] => [belongsTo] => Array ( ) [hasOne] => Array ( ) [hasMany] => Array ( ) [hasAndBelongsToMany] => Array ( ) [actsAs] => [Behaviors] => BehaviorCollection Object ( [modelName] => InviteVipForm [_methods:protected] => Array ( ) [_mappedMethods:protected] => Array ( ) [_enabled:protected] => Array ( ) [_loaded:protected] => Array ( ) [defaultPriority] => 10 ) [whitelist] => Array ( ) [cacheSources] => 1 [findQueryType] => [recursive] => 1 [order] => [virtualFields] => Array ( ) [_associationKeys:protected] => Array ( [belongsTo] => Array ( [0] => className [1] => foreignKey [2] => conditions [3] => fields [4] => order [5] => counterCache ) [hasOne] => Array ( [0] => className [1] => foreignKey [2] => conditions [3] => fields [4] => order [5] => dependent ) [hasMany] => Array ( [0] => className [1] => foreignKey [2] => conditions [3] => fields [4] => order [5] => limit [6] => offset [7] => dependent [8] => exclusive [9] => finderQuery [10] => counterQuery ) [hasAndBelongsToMany] => Array ( [0] => className [1] => joinTable [2] => with [3] => foreignKey [4] => associationForeignKey [5] => conditions [6] => fields [7] => order [8] => limit [9] => offset [10] => unique [11] => finderQuery ) ) [_associations:protected] => Array ( [0] => belongsTo [1] => hasOne [2] => hasMany [3] => hasAndBelongsToMany ) [__backAssociation] => Array ( ) [__backInnerAssociation] => Array ( ) [__backOriginalAssociation] => Array ( ) [__backContainableAssociation] => Array ( ) [__safeUpdateMode] => [_insertID:protected] => [_sourceConfigured:protected] => [findMethods] => Array ( [all] => 1 [first] => 1 [count] => 1 [neighbors] => 1 [list] => 1 [threaded] => 1 ) [_eventManager:protected] => [_validator:protected] => )
Could anybody tell me why this is happening? The classes don't need to be in separate files, do they?

Answer 1

That's not how things work, each model has to be placed in a separate file, otherwise CakePHP might not be able to find/load them, and then you'll end up with an instance of the AppModel class being used, which is what you are experincing.
The AppModel instance of course won't have any of the properties or methods that you've defined on your extending class.
This behavior is also mentioned in the Cookbook, see http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/models.html
CakePHP will dynamically create a model object for you if it cannot find a corresponding file in /app/Model. This also means that if your model file isn’t named correctly (for instance, if it is named ingredient.php or Ingredients.php rather than Ingredient.php), CakePHP will use an instance of AppModel rather than your model file (which CakePHP assumes is missing). If you’re trying to use a method you’ve defined in your model, or a behavior attached to your model, and you’re getting SQL errors that are the name of the method you’re calling, it’s a sure sign that CakePHP can’t find your model and you need to check the file names, your application cache, or both.