I am trying to implement the "Edit Application Settings" feature. After a bit of thinking, my configuration values are stored in the DB with key -> value structure, like this:
id
key
value
1
logo_path
img/logo.png
As you can see, for each setting, there is only a key & value column. I made an App Service provider to cache them forever, and a helper function (config('setting_key')) to get the value, but now I'd like to update it in the most efficient way.
The user interface consists of the <form action="post" ...> and input with a corresponding name, like this: <input name="setting_key_name" ... />. As you can see, the name attribute here has the value of the key column value and the actual value of the input would be the value column value (a bit of confusion here).
First thing that came to my mind, was to make a foreach loop and find & update every row in DB, but IMHO it is very unoptimized way, cause if the page has a form with 10 values, it is 10 SQL queries. But till now, this is what I've done:
$keys = collect($request->except('_token'))->keys()->toArray();
// get all settings if the key name matches the request's input name
$setting = Setting::whereIn('key', $keys)->get();
$logo = self::GENERAL_APP_LOGO; // contant with a key-name (general_application_logo);
if($request->has(self::GENERAL_APP_LOGO) && $request->$logo) {
// Processing uploaded image here;
$this->uploadLogo($image, self::LOGO_IMAGE_PATH, $name); // Using an upload trait
$setting->where('key', $logo)->value = self::LOGO_IMAGE_PATH . $name; // just a try to update the DB this way
}
foreach ($keys as $key) {
$setting->where('key', $key)->value = $request->$key; // putting all request's input values to corresponding key
}
$setting->save(); // saving the DB.
As you can see, this won't work and will throw an Exception, like Call to undefined method ...\Eloquent\Builder::save(). I tried the same code with an update, but the difficult part here is to update it multiple times (since the if section should have the update as well, for the logo), as well as binding the key to value.
So, a little bit of your help would be appreciated - what the logic should be here? How can I update a DB rows with corresponding column's value? I mean - like this (update where key = 'general_app_name' set value, 'some_setting_value'), but using the optimized and clear way?
Working solution
As #miken32 stated in his answer, I used hid version of code, but with slight changes:
// Changed the $request->settings->keys() to PHP native method array_keys():
$settings = Settings::whereIn('key', array_keys($request->settings))->get()->groupBy('id');
// Also, here I changed the `whereIn('id', ...)` to `whereIn('key', ...)`, since it was my primary index.
foreach ($request->settings as $k=>$v) {
if ($k === self::GENERAL_APP_LOGO_ID) {
// not sure about this one, but I think this is
// how you'd access a file input in an array
$image = $request->file('settings')[$k];
$this->uploadLogo($image, self::LOGO_IMAGE_PATH, $name);
$v = self::LOGO_IMAGE_PATH . $name;
}
// take the Setting object out of the list we pulled
// Here I added the ->first() to get the first element from the retrieved collection;
$setting = $settings->get($k)->first();
$setting->value = $v;
$setting->save();
}
Since I was fetching the configuration values via helper, that only returns the value of the current key (and no id column), I changed the id to key and made the key as my PK in a model. Works like a charm!
With each setting in a separate row, there's no way to avoid multiple database queries – one to get the current values for all settings, and other to update each one. Looking up items by primary key is more efficient, so I'd recommend putting the contents of the id column in your blade view, like this:
<label for="setting_{{$setting->id}}">{{$setting->key}}</label>
<input name="settings[{{$setting->id}}]" id="setting_{{$setting->id}}" value="{{$setting->value}}"/>
Now in your controller, $request->settings will be an array you can loop through. You can continue treating your file upload separately, but now you've got the id column to look up, so change your constant to that.
$settings = Settings::whereIn('id', $request->settings->keys())->get()->groupBy('id');
foreach ($request->settings as $k=>$v) {
if ($k === self::GENERAL_APP_LOGO_ID) {
// not sure about this one, but I think this is
// how you'd access a file input in an array
$image = $request->file('settings')[$k];
$this->uploadLogo($image, self::LOGO_IMAGE_PATH, $name);
$v = self::LOGO_IMAGE_PATH . $name;
}
// take the Setting object out of the list we pulled
$setting = $settings->get($k);
$setting->value = $v;
$setting->save();
}
Note that Laravel does offer methods to bulk-update multiple models at once, but they are doing separate queries to the database in the background. IIRC, the save() method doesn't do anything if the value hasn't changed, which will spare you some hits.
You could try creating a text field, or a json field if your database supports it, and storing all of your settings as a JSON string in that field.
id
settings
1
{ "logo_path" : "img/logo.png", "foo" : "bar", "thing_count" : 17 }
2
{ "logo_path" : "img/logo2.png", "foo" : "baz", "thing_count" : 4 }
In your Laravel model, you can cast it as an array
protected $casts = ["settings" => "array"];
and then use it from the model
echo $theModel->settings['logo'];
echo $theModel->settings['foo'];
or you can cast it as a fully fledged object if you need to using value object casting.
One gotcha that can be confusing for people is the setting of the values in the array to update it. This will not work:
$theModel->settings['foo'] = "boz";
The reason is due to the way the Laravel mutators work. Instead, you make a value copy of the settings, change that, and reassign it to the model:
$settings = $theModel->settings;
$settings['foo'] = "boz";
$theModel->settings = $settings;
This approach has the capacity to infinitely expandable in the future as you just add new keys to your json. Be sure to do checks on the settings array to ensure fields you are looking for are set (which is why value objects can be very handy to do validation).
It also solves your database query problem - it's only ever one.
You don't need to put
$setting->where('key', $logo)->value = ...;
Just call
$setting->where('key', $logo)->update($request->toArray());
$setting->save(); called when you instantiated setting class like :
$setting = new Setting();
Or
$setting = Setting::whereIn('key', $keys)->get()->first();
Then
$setting->val = ...;
$setting->save(); // then it work's
I'm working on a PHP project and would love to get some help on variables.
I have a function that looks like this:
function custom_get_tour_nearest_booking_dates( $tour_id, $limit = 2, $exclude_booked_tickets = false ) {
$result = array();
if ( $tour_id < 1 ) {
return $result;
}
The database holds a set of products, each of these with a unique ID made up by numeric values, like 1233,2355,6532 and so on.
If I want to display the characteristics of one of these products, how do I link the ID to the variable $tour_id?
Somewhere you call that method: custom_get_tour_nearest_booking_dates(4);
Like the example above, 4 is the tour_id. Besides that, your method is kinda useless.
I know it is possible to use optional arguments as follows:
function doSomething($do, $something = "something") {
}
doSomething("do");
doSomething("do", "nothing");
But suppose you have the following situation:
function doSomething($do, $something = "something", $or = "or", $nothing = "nothing") {
}
doSomething("do", $or=>"and", $nothing=>"something");
So in the above line it would default $something to "something", even though I am setting values for everything else. I know this is possible in .net - I use it all the time. But I need to do this in PHP if possible.
Can anyone tell me if this is possible? I am altering the Omnistar Affiliate program which I have integrated into Interspire Shopping Cart - so I want to keep a function working as normal for any places where I dont change the call to the function, but in one place (which I am extending) I want to specify additional parameters. I dont want to create another function unless I absolutely have to.
No, in PHP that is not possible as of writing. Use array arguments:
function doSomething($arguments = array()) {
// set defaults
$arguments = array_merge(array(
"argument" => "default value",
), $arguments);
var_dump($arguments);
}
Example usage:
doSomething(); // with all defaults, or:
doSomething(array("argument" => "other value"));
When changing an existing method:
//function doSomething($bar, $baz) {
function doSomething($bar, $baz, $arguments = array()) {
// $bar and $baz remain in place, old code works
}
Have a look at func_get_args: http://au2.php.net/manual/en/function.func-get-args.php
Named arguments are not currently available in PHP (5.3).
To get around this, you commonly see a function receiving an argument array() and then using extract() to use the supplied arguments in local variables or array_merge() to default them.
Your original example would look something like:
$args = array('do' => 'do', 'or' => 'not', 'nothing' => 'something');
doSomething($args);
PHP has no named parameters. You'll have to decide on one workaround.
Most commonly an array parameter is used. But another clever method is using URL parameters, if you only need literal values:
function with_options($any) {
parse_str($any); // or extract() for array params
}
with_options("param=123&and=and&or=or");
Combine this approach with default parameters as it suits your particular use case.
I've written a PHP function that can accept 10 parameters, but only 2 are required. Sometimes, I want to define the eighth parameter, but I don't want to type in empty strings for each of the parameters until I reach the eighth.
One idea I had was to pass an abstracted function with an array of parameters which passes it along to the real function.
Is there a better way to set up the function so I can pass in only the parameters I want?
What I have done in this case is pass an array, where the key is the parameter name, and the value is the value.
$optional = array(
"param" => $param1,
"param2" => $param2
);
function func($required, $requiredTwo, $optional) {
if(isset($optional["param2"])) {
doWork();
}
}
Make the function take one parameter: an array. Pass in the actual parameters as values in the array.
Edit: the link in Pekka's comment just about sums it up.
To accomplish what you want, use an array Like Rabbot said (though this can become a pain to document/maintain if used excessively). Or just use the traditional optional args.
//My function with tons of optional params
function my_func($req_a, $req_b, $opt_a = NULL, $opt_b = NULL, $opt_c = NULL)
{
//Do stuff
}
my_func('Hi', 'World', null, null, 'Red');
However, I usually find that when I start writing a function/method with that many arguments - more often than not it is a code smell, and can be re-factored/abstracted into something much cleaner.
//Specialization of my_func - assuming my_func itself cannot be refactored
function my_color_func($reg_a, $reg_b, $opt = 'Red')
{
return my_func($reg_a, $reg_b, null, null, $opt);
}
my_color_func('Hi', 'World');
my_color_func('Hello', 'Universe', 'Green');
You can just set the default value to null.
<?php
function functionName($value, $value2 = null) {
// do stuff
}
In PHP 5.6 and later, argument lists may include the ... token to denote that the function accepts a variable number of arguments. The arguments will be passed into the given variable as an array; for example:
Example Using ... to access variable arguments
<?php
function sum(...$numbers) {
$acc = 0;
foreach ($numbers as $n) {
$acc += $n;
}
return $acc;
}
echo sum(1, 2, 3, 4);
?>
The above example will output:
10
Variable-length argument lists PHP Documentation
NOTE: This is an old answer, for PHP 5.5 and below. PHP 5.6+ supports default arguments
In PHP 5.5 and below, you can achieve this by using one of these 2 methods:
using the func_num_args() and func_get_arg() functions;
using NULL arguments;
How to use
function method_1()
{
$arg1 = (func_num_args() >= 1)? func_get_arg(0): "default_value_for_arg1";
$arg2 = (func_num_args() >= 2)? func_get_arg(1): "default_value_for_arg2";
}
function method_2($arg1 = null, $arg2 = null)
{
$arg1 = $arg1? $arg1: "default_value_for_arg1";
$arg2 = $arg2? $arg2: "default_value_for_arg2";
}
I prefer the second method because it's clean and easy to understand, but sometimes you may need the first method.
Starting with PHP 8 you are able to use named arguments:
function namedParameters($paramOne, $paramTwo, $paramThree = 'test', $paramFour = null)
{
dd($paramOne, $paramTwo, $paramThree, $paramFour);
}
We can now call this function with the required params and only the optinal params, that we want to differ from the default value which we specified in the function.
namedParameters('one', 'two', paramFour: 'four');
Result:
// "one", "two", "test", "four"
I think, you can use objects as params-transportes, too.
$myParam = new stdClass();
$myParam->optParam2 = 'something';
$myParam->optParam8 = 3;
theFunction($myParam);
function theFunction($fparam){
return "I got ".$fparam->optParam8." of ".$fparam->optParam2." received!";
}
Of course, you have to set default values for "optParam8" and "optParam2" in this function, in other case you will get "Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$optParam2"
If using arrays as function parameters, I like this way to set default values:
function theFunction($fparam){
$default = array(
'opt1' => 'nothing',
'opt2' => 1
);
if(is_array($fparam)){
$fparam = array_merge($default, $fparam);
}else{
$fparam = $default;
}
//now, the default values are overwritten by these passed by $fparam
return "I received ".$fparam['opt1']." and ".$fparam['opt2']."!";
}
If only two values are required to create the object with a valid state, you could simply remove all the other optional arguments and provide setters for them (unless you dont want them to changed at runtime). Then just instantiate the object with the two required arguments and set the others as needed through the setter.
Further reading
Martin Fowler on Constructor vs Setter Injection and
Dependency injection through constructors or property setters?
I know this is an old post, but i was having a problem like the OP and this is what i came up with.
Example of array you could pass. You could re order this if a particular order was required, but for this question this will do what is asked.
$argument_set = array (8 => 'lots', 5 => 'of', 1 => 'data', 2 => 'here');
This is manageable, easy to read and the data extraction points can be added and removed at a moments notice anywhere in coding and still avoid a massive rewrite. I used integer keys to tally with the OP original question but string keys could be used just as easily. In fact for readability I would advise it.
Stick this in an external file for ease
function unknown_number_arguments($argument_set) {
foreach ($argument_set as $key => $value) {
# create a switch with all the cases you need. as you loop the array
# keys only your submitted $keys values will be found with the switch.
switch ($key) {
case 1:
# do stuff with $value
break;
case 2:
# do stuff with $value;
break;
case 3:
# key 3 omitted, this wont execute
break;
case 5:
# do stuff with $value;
break;
case 8:
# do stuff with $value;
break;
default:
# no match from the array, do error logging?
break;
}
}
return;
}
put this at the start if the file.
$argument_set = array();
Just use these to assign the next piece of data use numbering/naming according to where the data is coming from.
$argument_set[1][] = $some_variable;
And finally pass the array
unknown_number_arguments($argument_set);
function yourFunction($var1, $var2, $optional = Null){
... code
}
You can make a regular function and then add your optional variables by giving them a default Null value.
A Null is still a value, if you don't call the function with a value for that variable, it won't be empty so no error.
As of PHP 7.1.0, type declarations can be marked nullable by prefixing the type name with a question mark (?). This signifies that the value can be of the specified type or null
<?php
function name(?string $varname){
echo is_null($varname);
}
name();
name('hey');
?>
for more info: Click here
If you are commonly just passing in the 8th value, you can reorder your parameters so it is first. You only need to specify parameters up until the last one you want to set.
If you are using different values, you have 2 options.
One would be to create a set of wrapper functions that take different parameters and set the defaults on the others. This is useful if you only use a few combinations, but can get very messy quickly.
The other option is to pass an array where the keys are the names of the parameters. You can then just check if there is a value in the array with a key, and if not use the default. But again, this can get messy and add a lot of extra code if you have a lot of parameters.
PHP allows default arguments (link). In your case, you could define all the parameters from 3 to 8 as NULL or as an empty string "" depending on your function code. In this way, you can call the function only using the first two parameters.
For example:
<?php
function yourFunction($arg1, $arg2, $arg3=NULL, $arg4=NULL, $arg5=NULL, $arg6=NULL, $arg7=NULL, $arg8=NULL){
echo $arg1;
echo $arg2;
if(isset($arg3)){echo $arg3;}
# other similar statements for $arg4, ...., $arg5
if(isset($arg8)){echo $arg8;}
}
Just set Null to ignore parameters that you don't want to use and then set the parameter needed according to the position.
function myFunc($p1,$p2,$p3=Null,$p4=Null,$p5=Null,$p6=Null,$p7=Null,$p8=Null){
for ($i=1; $i<9; $i++){
$varName = "p$i";
if (isset($$varName)){
echo $varName." = ".$$varName."<br>\n";
}
}
}
myFunc( "1", "2", Null, Null, Null, Null, Null, "eight" );
func( "1", "2", default, default, default, default, default, "eight" );
I have a sequence of number like follows
1 -> 25,
2 -> 60,
3 -> 80,
4 -> 100
and so on
which means that if input is 1 output will be 25 and so on...I need to store it in global array.I would like to use it in multiple pages also.In codeigniter where i can declare a global array and store all these?
I am trying like as follows in constants.php
$CONFIDENCEVALUE = array();
$CONFIDENCEVALUE[] = array('1'=>25,'2'=>'60','3'=>80,'4'=>100);
If it is correct how can access these array value in required pages.Help me please.I am not an expert with codeignitor.
If I were you I'd look at adding a custom config file (see https://www.codeigniter.com/user_guide/libraries/config.html).
So in eg. application/config/confidencevalue.php add the following
$CONFIDENCEVALUE = array('1'=>25,'2'=>'60','3'=>80,'4'=>100);
$config['confidencevalue'] = $CONFIDENCEVALUE;
Add the config file to your application/config/autoload.php and you'll then be able to access your array through the config class using $this->config->item('1', 'confidencevalue'); (replacing the 1 for the value you're looking for).
Store the array in a session variable:
$this->session->set_userdata('cvarray', $CONFIDENCEVALUE);
To access the array later:
$this->session->userdata('cvarray');
CodeIgniter Session Class
One way of doing this is by adding a function to a helper file that you make available globally.
I have a helper file application/helpers/main_helper.php in which I load a number of generic, common functions which are used throughout my application.
If you add the following function to the main_helper file:
/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Function to retrieve Static Variables used Globally
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/
function get_var($var = 'CONFIDENCEVALUE', $KEY = NULL) {
$r = false;
switch ($var) {
case 'CONFIDENCEVALUE':
$r = array('1'=>25,'2'=>'60','3'=>80,'4'=>100);
if($KEY !== NULL) $r = $r[$KEY];
break;
}
return $r;
}
This file is auto-loaded by editing the file application/config/autoload.php and editing the line:
$autoload['helper'] = array('main_helper');
Whenever this array (or a value from the array) is needed, call the function instead. eg.:
$CONFIDENCE = get_var('CONFIDENCEVALUE', 2);
If you include the $KEY when calling get_var(), then only the value is returned, otherwise the whole array is returned.
To make additional variables available, just add them to the switch and call them as needed.
Feedback welcome :).