cake populate a dropdown from model

Question

I am trying to populate a dropdpwn with some options. I am trying to have a dropdown with name title and country list for my input form.

For example:

Titles I need 'Mr', 'Mrs', 'Miss'

I have tried to ways:

Model

// Built a list of search options (unless you have this list somewhere else)
public function __construct($id = false, $table = null, $ds = null) {
$this->titles = array(
             0 => __('Mr', true),
             1 => __('Mrs', true),
            2 => __('Miss', true));
 parent::__construct($id, $table, $ds);
 }

Controller

public function add() {
    if ($this->request->is('post')) {
        $this->Member->create();
        if ($this->Member->save($this->request->data)) {
            $this->Session->setFlash(__('The member has been saved'));
            $this->redirect(array('action' => 'index'));
        } else {
            $this->Session->setFlash(__('The member could not be saved. Please, try again.'));
        }
    }
}

View

<?php echo $this->Form->input('title',array('class' => 'span10', 'options' => $titles   )); ?>

I get the error Undefined variable: titles

I have also tried in the model

public $validate = array(
    'member_no' => array(
        'notempty' => array(
            'rule' => array('notempty'),
            //'message' => 'Your custom message here',
            //'allowEmpty' => false,
            //'required' => false,
            //'last' => false, // Stop validation after this rule
            //'on' => 'create', // Limit validation to 'create' or 'update' operations
        ),
    ),
    'title' => array(
        'titlesValid' => array(
            'rule' => array('multiple', array(
                'in'  => array('Mr', 'Mrs', 'Miss'),
                'min' => 1
            )),

What I am missing and what would be the best solution for a longer list such as countries, it is only on form so i didnt think I would nees a title and countries table and link ids?

Nunser · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-30 15:02:37Z

3

I find really weird that you have to create a variable in a construct of a model for a dropdown. Specially if you're only going to use it once.

But first things first. You're getting that error because you haven't set the variable to the view. In your controller, there needs to be something like this:

public function add() {
    $this->set('titles', $your_titles_array);
    if ($this->request->is('post')) {

    //etc

Now, please please get the dropdown array away from there. There are two possible nicer places to put that. I'm not going to get picky and say you need to have this values as a table in you database. If you say it's just for one place and you want to have it hardcode, so be it.

One option is to put it in one model, like

class YourModel extends AppModel {
    //all your other definitions

    public function getTitles() {
        return array(
         0 => __('Mr', true),
         1 => __('Mrs', true),
        2 => __('Miss', true));
    }
}

And in the controller do

    public function add() {
    $this->set('titles', $this->YourModel->getTitles());
    if ($this->request->is('post')) {

    //etc

But, I don't think you have an appropriate model to add that function. Where did you plan to add it? User model maybe? It can't be like Post model, for example, that wouldn't make any sense... So, give it a thought, if there's a logical place in a model you can put that function, then go ahead.

Otherwise, and if it's just for one form in one place just that one time, why not hardcode it to the view or the controller?

For larger lists, my recommendation is to do it in a model like I showed (but I insist, put it in the model where is logical to have it). Well, I rather have a table and reference the values, but it's not mandatory (though give it a thought, is really not that much work, is it? for larger lists, I mean).

edited May 30, 2013 at 15:02

answered May 30, 2013 at 14:34

Nunser

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3 Comments

Joe Bergevin Over a year ago

Wow, good education Nunser! I always like to hear about different peoples preferences with structuring in CakePHP. Good answer.

Keith Power Over a year ago

Yes thanks for the detailed reply. I really appreciate it. The dropdowns are going to used in a model called members(very much like users). I had seen a youtube video and a tutorial that used the model constructor but did not fully explain it.

Nunser Over a year ago

It's a weird approach from my point of view, maybe if I saw the tutorial I'll see the light and find they have all the reason in the world. But the way you describe your problem, I think it's an overkill to have something like that in the constructor, if it's going to be used just once.

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