Save multiple child models in Yii

Question

NOTE: There are other questions related to this on SO, but none of them really answered it for me. I'm not worried about the server side as there are a lot of ways to handle saving related models info (and plenty examples of how to do this).

What I need to know is: how do I implement the view code to add many child models while creating the parent model?

It, surely, will be something like seen on this page: http://www.yiiframework.com/doc/guide/1.1/en/form.table. Except the code handles an update of a bunch of models, not the insertion of them. Which is what I need.

In short, I have an event form, where the user can add many appointments (each appointment has a day, start_time and end_time). I want to render the appointment fields inside the event form using Yii helpers so I get validation and other framework benefits.

The user will be able to add multiple appointments for the same event while creating the event.

Answer 1

Here is Complete solution, Enjoy the power of yii!

http://scriptbaker.com/how-to-save-multiple-related-models-in-yii-complete-solution/

Table Structure:

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `fathers` (
  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `name` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB  DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1 AUTO_INCREMENT=1 ;

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `children` (
  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `father_id` int(11) NOT NULL,
  `name` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
  `age` int(11) NOT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
  KEY `father_id` (`father_id`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1 AUTO_INCREMENT=1 ;

ALTER TABLE `children`
  ADD CONSTRAINT `children_ibfk_1` FOREIGN KEY (`father_id`) REFERENCES `fathers` (`id`) ON DELETE CASCADE;

Father Model:

/**
 * This is the model class for table "fathers".
 *
 * The followings are the available columns in table 'fathers':
 * @property integer $id
 * @property string $name
 *
 * The followings are the available model relations:
 * @property Children[] $childrens
 */
class Father extends CActiveRecord
{

    /**
     * Returns the static model of the specified AR class.
     * @param string $className active record class name.
     * @return Father the static model class
     */
    public static function model($className=__CLASS__)
    {
        return parent::model($className);
    }

    /**
     * @return string the associated database table name
     */
    public function tableName()
    {
        return 'fathers';
    }

    /**
     * @return array validation rules for model attributes.
     */
    public function rules()
    {
        // NOTE: you should only define rules for those attributes that
        // will receive user inputs.
        return array(
            array('name', 'required'),
            array('name', 'length', 'max' => 255),
            // The following rule is used by search().
            // Please remove those attributes that should not be searched.
            array('id, name', 'safe', 'on' => 'search'),
        );
    }

    /**
     * @return array relational rules.
     */
    public function relations()
    {
        // NOTE: you may need to adjust the relation name and the related
        // class name for the relations automatically generated below.
        return array(
            'children' => array(self::HAS_MANY, 'Child', 'father_id'),
        );
    }

    /**
     * @return array customized attribute labels (name=>label)
     */
    public function attributeLabels()
    {
        return array(
            'id' => 'ID',
            'name' => 'Name',
        );
    }

    /**
     * Retrieves a list of models based on the current search/filter conditions.
     * @return CActiveDataProvider the data provider that can return the models based on the search/filter conditions.
     */
    public function search()
    {
        // Warning: Please modify the following code to remove attributes that
        // should not be searched.

        $criteria = new CDbCriteria;

        $criteria->compare('id', $this->id);
        $criteria->compare('name', $this->name, true);

        return new CActiveDataProvider($this, array(
                    'criteria' => $criteria,
                ));
    }

    public function behaviors()
    {
        return array('ESaveRelatedBehavior' => array(
                'class' => 'application.components.ESaveRelatedBehavior')
        );
    }

}

Child Model:

<?php

/**
 * This is the model class for table "children".
 *
 * The followings are the available columns in table 'children':
 * @property integer $id
 * @property integer $father_id
 * @property string $name
 * @property integer $age
 *
 * The followings are the available model relations:
 * @property Fathers $father
 */
class Child extends CActiveRecord
{

    /**
     * Returns the static model of the specified AR class.
     * @param string $className active record class name.
     * @return Child the static model class
     */
    public static function model($className=__CLASS__)
    {
        return parent::model($className);
    }

    /**
     * @return string the associated database table name
     */
    public function tableName()
    {
        return 'children';
    }

    /**
     * @return array validation rules for model attributes.
     */
    public function rules()
    {
        // NOTE: you should only define rules for those attributes that
        // will receive user inputs.
        return array(
            array('father_id, name, age', 'required'),
            array('father_id, age', 'numerical', 'integerOnly' => true),
            array('name', 'length', 'max' => 255),
            // The following rule is used by search().
            // Please remove those attributes that should not be searched.
            array('id, father_id, name, age', 'safe', 'on' => 'search'),
        );
    }

    /**
     * @return array relational rules.
     */
    public function relations()
    {
        // NOTE: you may need to adjust the relation name and the related
        // class name for the relations automatically generated below.
        return array(
            'father' => array(self::BELONGS_TO, 'Father', 'father_id'),
        );
    }

    /**
     * @return array customized attribute labels (name=>label)
     */
    public function attributeLabels()
    {
        return array(
            'id' => 'ID',
            'father_id' => 'Father',
            'name' => 'Name',
            'age' => 'Age',
        );
    }

    /**
     * Retrieves a list of models based on the current search/filter conditions.
     * @return CActiveDataProvider the data provider that can return the models based on the search/filter conditions.
     */
    public function search()
    {
        // Warning: Please modify the following code to remove attributes that
        // should not be searched.

        $criteria = new CDbCriteria;

        $criteria->compare('id', $this->id);
        $criteria->compare('father_id', $this->father_id);
        $criteria->compare('name', $this->name, true);
        $criteria->compare('age', $this->age);

        return new CActiveDataProvider($this, array(
                    'criteria' => $criteria,
                ));
    }



}

Father Controller:

<?php

class FatherController extends Controller
{

    /**
     * @var string the default layout for the views. Defaults to '//layouts/column2', meaning
     * using two-column layout. See 'protected/views/layouts/column2.php'.
     */
    public $layout = '//layouts/column2';

    /**
     * @return array action filters
     */
    public function filters()
    {
        return array(
            'accessControl', // perform access control for CRUD operations
            'postOnly + delete', // we only allow deletion via POST request
        );
    }

    /**
     * Specifies the access control rules.
     * This method is used by the 'accessControl' filter.
     * @return array access control rules
     */
    public function accessRules()
    {
        return array(
            array('allow', // allow all users to perform 'index' and 'view' actions
                'actions' => array('index', 'view'),
                'users' => array('*'),
            ),
            array('allow', // allow authenticated user to perform 'create' and 'update' actions
                'actions' => array('create', 'update', 'loadChildByAjax'),
                'users' => array('@'),
            ),
            array('allow', // allow admin user to perform 'admin' and 'delete' actions
                'actions' => array('admin', 'delete'),
                'users' => array('admin'),
            ),
            array('deny', // deny all users
                'users' => array('*'),
            ),
        );
    }

    /**
     * Displays a particular model.
     * @param integer $id the ID of the model to be displayed
     */
    public function actionView($id)
    {
        $this->render('view', array(
            'model' => $this->loadModel($id),
        ));
    }

    /**
     * Creates a new model.
     * If creation is successful, the browser will be redirected to the 'view' page.
     */
    public function actionCreate()
    {
        $model = new Father;

        // Uncomment the following line if AJAX validation is needed
        // $this->performAjaxValidation($model);

        if (isset($_POST['Father']))
        {
            $model->attributes = $_POST['Father'];

            if (isset($_POST['Child']))
            {
                $model->children = $_POST['Child'];
                $model->saveWithRelated('children');
            }
            if ($model->save())
                $this->redirect(array('view', 'id' => $model->id));
            else
            {
                //CVarDumper::dump($model->errors,10,1);die;
            }

        }

        $this->render('create', array(
            'model' => $model,
        ));
    }

    /**
     * Updates a particular model.
     * If update is successful, the browser will be redirected to the 'view' page.
     * @param integer $id the ID of the model to be updated
     */
    public function actionUpdate($id)
    {
        $model = $this->loadModel($id);

        // Uncomment the following line if AJAX validation is needed
        // $this->performAjaxValidation($model);

        if (isset($_POST['Father']))
        {
            $model->attributes = $_POST['Father'];
            if (isset($_POST['Child']))
            {
                $model->children = $_POST['Child'];
                $model->saveWithRelated('children');
            }
            if ($model->save())
                $this->redirect(array('view', 'id' => $model->id));
        }

        $this->render('update', array(
            'model' => $model,
        ));
    }

    /**
     * Deletes a particular model.
     * If deletion is successful, the browser will be redirected to the 'admin' page.
     * @param integer $id the ID of the model to be deleted
     */
    public function actionDelete($id)
    {
        $this->loadModel($id)->delete();

        // if AJAX request (triggered by deletion via admin grid view), we should not redirect the browser
        if (!isset($_GET['ajax']))
            $this->redirect(isset($_POST['returnUrl']) ? $_POST['returnUrl'] : array('admin'));
    }

    /**
     * Lists all models.
     */
    public function actionIndex()
    {
        $dataProvider = new CActiveDataProvider('Father');
        $this->render('index', array(
            'dataProvider' => $dataProvider,
        ));
    }

    /**
     * Manages all models.
     */
    public function actionAdmin()
    {
        $model = new Father('search');
        $model->unsetAttributes();  // clear any default values
        if (isset($_GET['Father']))
            $model->attributes = $_GET['Father'];

        $this->render('admin', array(
            'model' => $model,
        ));
    }

    /**
     * Returns the data model based on the primary key given in the GET variable.
     * If the data model is not found, an HTTP exception will be raised.
     * @param integer the ID of the model to be loaded
     */
    public function loadModel($id)
    {
        $model = Father::model()->findByPk($id);
        if ($model === null)
            throw new CHttpException(404, 'The requested page does not exist.');
        return $model;
    }

    /**
     * Performs the AJAX validation.
     * @param CModel the model to be validated
     */
    protected function performAjaxValidation($model)
    {
        if (isset($_POST['ajax']) && $_POST['ajax'] === 'father-form')
        {
            echo CActiveForm::validate($model);
            Yii::app()->end();
        }
    }

    public function actionLoadChildByAjax($index)
    {
        $model = new Child;
        $this->renderPartial('child/_form', array(
            'model' => $model,
            'index' => $index,
        ));
    }

}

Create Father Form:

<?php
/* @var $this FatherController */
/* @var $model Father */
/* @var $form CActiveForm */
?>

<div class="form">

    <?php
    $form = $this->beginWidget('CActiveForm', array(
        'id' => 'father-form',
        'focus' => array($model, 'name'),
        'enableClientValidation' => true,
        'enableAjaxValidation' => true,
            ));
    ?>

    <p class="note">Fields with <span class="required">*</span> are required.</p>

    <?php echo $form->errorSummary($model); ?>

    <div class="row">
        <?php echo $form->labelEx($model, 'name'); ?>
        <?php echo $form->textField($model, 'name', array('size' => 60, 'maxlength' => 255)); ?>
        <?php echo $form->error($model, 'name'); ?>
    </div>

    <?php
    echo CHtml::link('Add Child', '#', array('id' => 'loadChildByAjax'));
    ?>
    <div id="children">
        <?php
        $index = 0;
        foreach ($model->children as $id => $child):
            $this->renderPartial('child/_form', array(
                'model' => $child,
                'index' => $id,
                'display' => 'block'
            ));
            $index++;
        endforeach;
        ?>
    </div>

    <div style="clear:both;"></div>
    <div class="row buttons">
        <?php echo CHtml::submitButton($model->isNewRecord ? 'Create' : 'Save'); ?>
    </div>

    <?php $this->endWidget(); ?>

</div><!-- form -->

<?php
Yii::app()->clientScript->registerCoreScript('jquery');
Yii::app()->clientScript->registerScript('loadchild', '
var _index = ' . $index . ';
$("#loadChildByAjax").click(function(e){
    e.preventDefault();
    var _url = "' . Yii::app()->controller->createUrl("loadChildByAjax", array("load_for" => $this->action->id)) . '&index="+_index;
    $.ajax({
        url: _url,
        success:function(response){
            $("#children").append(response);
            $("#children .crow").last().animate({
                opacity : 1, 
                left: "+50", 
                height: "toggle"
            });
        }
    });
    _index++;
});
', CClientScript::POS_END);
?>

Child form: views\father\child_form.php

<div style="margin-bottom: 20px; display: <?php echo!empty($display) ? $display : 'none'; ?>; width:100%; clear:left;" class="crow">

    <div class="row" style="width:200px;float: left;">
        <?php echo CHtml::activeLabelEx($model, '[' . $index . ']name'); ?>
        <?php echo CHtml::activeTextField($model, '[' . $index . ']name', array('size' => 20, 'maxlength' => 255)); ?>
        <?php echo CHtml::error($model, '[' . $index . ']name'); ?>
    </div>

    <div class="row" style="width:200px;float: left;">
        <?php echo CHtml::activeLabelEx($model, '[' . $index . ']age'); ?>
        <?php echo CHtml::activeTextField($model, '[' . $index . ']age'); ?>
        <?php echo CHtml::error($model, '[' . $index . ']age'); ?>
    </div>
    <div class="row" style="width:100px;float: left;">
        <br />
        <?php echo CHtml::link('Delete', '#', array('onclick' => 'deleteChild(this, ' . $index . '); return false;'));
        ?>
    </div>
</div>

<?php
Yii::app()->clientScript->registerScript('deleteChild', "
function deleteChild(elm, index)
{
    element=$(elm).parent().parent();
    /* animate div */
    $(element).animate(
    {
        opacity: 0.25, 
        left: '+=50', 
        height: 'toggle'
    }, 500,
    function() {
        /* remove div */
        $(element).remove();
    });
}", CClientScript::POS_END);

This solution uses esaverelatedbehavior developed by sluderitz for saving related models, you can download it here

http://www.yiiframework.com/extension/esaverelatedbehavior/

Answer 2

The correct syntax to render what an array of models (doesn't matter if they are child models or not) requires the instantiation of the model in question. So you would have to do something like this in your view:

$child = new ChildModel();
$form->textFieldRow($child,'[]PROPERTY',$dateAtts);

Where PROPERTY is the name of the property you want to render the textbox for.

If you want a single form for both creating and updating the parent model, the only way is to instantiate a mock object just to render the form. In my case, Event has a collection of Appointment, so in my controller action I did:

$event->appointments = array(new Appointment);

Then, in the view

<?php foreach($model->appointments as $id => $item) : ?>
    <div class="appointment">
        <?php echo $form->textFieldRow($item,'[$id]day',$htmlAtts); ?>
    </div>
<?php endforeach; ?>

I'm going to try this extension to save the related models: https://github.com/yiiext/with-related-behavior

Update

If you want to have the child model inside the parent model array in $_POST, you'll have to overwrite the name attribute. Following the question example...

$form->textFieldRow(
            $item,
            '[$id]day', 
            array('name' => "Event[appointments][$id][day]")
       );