how to make chained model auto read the conditions? - php

Question

I have two models called Batch and User
Batch has the following
public $belongsTo = array(
'Customer' => array(
'className' => 'User',
'foreignKey' => 'customer_id',
'conditions' => array('Customer.group_id' => CUSTOMERS),
'fields' => '',
'order' => '',
),
);
When I do the following:
$customers = $this->Batch->Customer->find('list');
I fully expected to get back just the users whose group_id matches CUSTOMERS. It returns ALL the records in the users table.
However, I actually have to write
$customers = $this->Batch->Customer->find('list', array('conditions' => array('Customer.group_id' => CUSTOMERS)));
Is there a way so that the chained model User knows that it is called as Customer by Batch and therefore automatically reads the correct conditions in the associations found in Batch model?
I want to make my code more readable hence the motivation for this question.
I want to write simply
$customers = $this->Batch->Customer->find('list');
or something similarly straightforward.
Of course, I realized that if I do the following:
$batches = $this->Batch->find('all');
The condition stated in the associations will be used. But I don't want to find batches. I want to find just customers.
I am using CakePHP 2.4

Answer 1

I think you can't
but you can create custom find types in User model file
public $findMethods = array('customer' => true); //this enable a custom find method named 'customer'
protected function _findCustomer($state, $query, $results = array()) {
if ($state === 'before') {
$query['conditions'] = array('group_id' => CUSTOMERS);
}
return parent::_findList($state, $query, $results);
}
and in BatchesController
$this->Batch->Customer->find('customer');

Answer 2

There are several ways to do this.
1)
do nothing.
Continue to use code like
$customers = $this->Batch->Customer->find('list', array('conditions' => array('Customer.group_id' => CUSTOMERS)));
2)
create a custom find method as suggested by arilia.
3)
write a getCustomers method inside Batch model
where it looks something like this:
public function getCustomers($type, $query = array()) {
if (empty($query['conditions'])) {
$query['conditions'] = array();
}
$query['conditions'] = array_merge($query['conditions'], array('Customer.group_id' => CUSTOMERS));
return $this->Customer->find($type, $query);
}
then you can call
$customers = $this->Batch->getCustomers('list');
UPDATE:
I have written a Plugin that helps with this kind of behavior, utilizing the 3rd solution.
class Batch extends AppModel {
public $name = 'Batch';
public $actsAs = array('UtilityBehaviors.GetAssoc');
public $belongsTo = array(
'Customer' => array(
'className' => 'User',
'foreignKey' => 'customer_id',
'conditions' => array('Customer.group_id' => 7),
'fields' => '',
'order' => '',
),
);
}
You can fetch just the customer data when you are in BatchesController this way:
$customers = $this->Batch->getAssoc('Customer', 'list');
$customers = $this->Batch->getAssoc('Customer', 'all');
$customerCount = $this->Batch->getAssoc('Customer', 'count');
This behavior has tests at travis and you can read about the tests written at github.