passing arrays from the view to the controller cakephp - php

Question

Here is a part of my view(a javascript method that is executed on a button click):
function assign()
{
var links_list1 = [];
var links1 = document.getElementById('moderatorUsers').getElementsByTagName('a');
for(var a in links1) {
if(typeof links1[a] == undefined) continue;
links_list1.push(links1[a].innerHTML);} var str1 =links_list1.toString();
var moderators = str1.split(',');
var links_list2 = [];
var links2 = document.getElementById('editorUsers').getElementsByTagName('a');
for(var a in links2) {
if(typeof links2[a] == undefined) continue;
links_list2.push(links2[a].innerHTML);} var str2 =links_list2.toString();
var editors = str2.split(',');
var links_list3 = [];
var links3 = document.getElementById('jEditorUsers').getElementsByTagName('a');
for(var a in links3) {
if(typeof links3[a] == undefined) continue;
links_list3.push(links3[a].innerHTML);} var str3 =links_list3.toString();
var jEditors = str3.split(',');
}
Here is the controller method i need to call using the 3 arrays from the javascript(moderators, editors,jEditors):
function insertPos($moderators,$editors,$jEditors){
$account = new Account();
$account->insertPos($moderators,$editors,$jEditors);
}
I need to know how to execute the controller method insertPos($moderators,$editors,$jEditors) using the 3 arrays in the javascript method...
I used this to send the arrays in the javascript like you told me:
$.post('http://localhost/cakephp/Accounts/insertPos', {
data: {
'moderators': moderators,
'editors': editors,
'jEditors': jEditors
}
});
and in the controller i try to access my arrays like this:
public function insertPos() {
if (!empty($this->request->data)){
print_r($this->request->data);
$moderators = $this->request->data['moderators'];
$editors = $this->request->data['editors'];
$jEditors = $this->request->data['jEditors'];
$account = new Account();
$account->assignPos($moderators,$editors,$jEditors);
}
}
the part inside the if(!empty($this->request->data)) is never executed so that means the arrays have not been sent to the controller.... where is the problem?
thank you....

Answer 1

It looks like you're trying to access a controller class directly. This is not how CakePHP works. You have to go through the dispatch process. Please read: http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/getting-started/a-typical-cakephp-request.html
That said, the way you would POST to a CakePHP url is thusly:
// POST to the AccountsController's insertPos method
$.post('/accounts/insertPos');
To pass data, pass it in the data option as specified with jQuery, prefixed with 'data', like data[moderators] so it ends up in Cake's data variable.
$.post('/accounts/insertPos', {
data: {
'data[moderators]': moderators,
'data[editors]': editors,
'data[jEditors]': jEditors
}
});
The data will now end up in $this->request->data in Cake.
Looking at your insertPost() method, though, you are passing them simply as parameters, so instead you would write your ajax like so
// POST is unnecessary here, since you aren't POSTing data
$.get('/accounts/insertPos/'+moderators+'/'+editors+'/'+jEditors);
You will probably need to stringify your JavaScript arrays and use json_decode in your inserPos method to convert them to PHP objects, since you can't just pass arrays from JavaScript to PHP.

Answer 2

don't use array notation in data parameter; just use keys like this:
$.post('/accounts/insertPos', {
data: {
'moderators': moderators,
'editors': editors,
'jEditors': jEditors
}
});
and in your controller access it as $this->request->data[key] not $this->request->data->data[key]
in the view replace your assign function with the following:
var moderators, editors, jEditors;
function assign()
{
var links_list1 = [];
var links1 = document.getElementById('moderatorUsers').getElementsByTagName('a');
for(var a in links1) {
if(typeof links1[a] == undefined) continue;
links_list1.push(links1[a].innerHTML);} var str1 =links_list1.toString();
moderators = str1.split(',');
var links_list2 = [];
var links2 = document.getElementById('editorUsers').getElementsByTagName('a');
for(var a in links2) {
if(typeof links2[a] == undefined) continue;
links_list2.push(links2[a].innerHTML);} var str2 =links_list2.toString();
editors = str2.split(',');
var links_list3 = [];
var links3 = document.getElementById('jEditorUsers').getElementsByTagName('a');
for(var a in links3) {
if(typeof links3[a] == undefined) continue;
links_list3.push(links3[a].innerHTML);} var str3 =links_list3.toString();
jEditors = str3.split(',');
}
Good luck