Adding multiple records to a relations table with symfony - symfony1

Question

I have setup 3 tables in symfony:
A flipbook table, A Skills table, and a relations table, to connect each skill id with each flipbook id.
WHen I built the model, symfony constructed everything correctly, and by default gave a drop-down menu for the skills, which had all skills from the skills table as options. You can select an option and it creates the appropriate relationships.
This is working (sort of). When you submit the form, it does not add the skill_id to the record. It just adds the auto-increment id to the skills relations table and neither the flipbook_id or skill_id. Aaaaaand, if you click more than one checkbox, you get this nice message:
invalid parameter number number of bound variables does not match number of tokens
Whaaaat does that mean? This has got to be a schema issue eh?
How about some code? yes.please.
Schema:
Flipbook:
tableName: flipbook
inheritance:
extends: SvaGeneric
type: concrete
columns:
title: { type: string(255) }
career_associations: { type: clob }
skills: { type: string(255) }
skills_associations: { type: clob }
program: { type: string(255) }
program_associations: { type: clob }
draft_id: { type: integer(10) }
FlipbookSkills:
tableName: flipbook_skills
columns:
title: { type: string(255) }
relations:
Flipbook:
foreignAlias: flipbook_skills
alias: skills
local: title
onDelete: SET NULL
FlipbookSkillRelations:
tableName: flipbook_skill_relations
actAs:
SoftDelete: ~
options:
columns:
flipbook_id: { type: integer(10), notnull: false }
skill_id: { type: integer(10), notnull: false }
relations:
Flipbook:
foreignAlias: flipbook_skills_flipbook
alias: flipbook
local: flipbook_id
onDelete: CASCADE
FlipbookSkills:
foreignAlias: flipbook_skills_skills
alias: flipbookskills
local: skill_id
onDelete: CASCADE
FlipbookSkillsRelationsForm.class.php:
$this->widgetSchema['flipbook_id'] = new sfWidgetFormInputText(array(), array('class' => 'text size-500'));
$this->widgetSchema['skill_id'] = new sfWidgetFormSelectCheckbox(array('choices' => "**WHAT GOES HERE??**"), array('class' => 'text size-500'));
$useFields = array(
'flipbook_id',
'skill_id',
);
$this->useFields($useFields);
Let me know if I should provide further code or explanation.
Here is the FlipbookSkillsTable.class generated in the model:
<?php
/**
* FlipbookSkillsTable
*
* This class has been auto-generated by the Doctrine ORM Framework
*/
class FlipbookSkillsTable extends Doctrine_Table
{
/**
* Returns an instance of this class.
*
* #return object FlipbookSkillsTable
*/
public static function getInstance()
{
return Doctrine_Core::getTable('FlipbookSkills');
}
public function retrieveForFilter()
{
$res = $this->createQuery('s')
->select('s.id, s.name')
->orderBy('s.name ASC')
->execute(array(), Doctrine_Core::HYDRATE_NONE);
// if you want an empty line
$rets = array('' => '');
foreach ($res as $ret)
{
$rets[$ret[0]] = $ret[1];
}
return $rets;
}
public function getAllFlipbookSkills() {
$allSkills = Doctrine_Query::create()
->from('FlipbookSkills')
->orderBy('title ASC')
->execute();
return $allSkills;
}
}
UPDATE
I believe the issue is it is trying to bind the multiple values in the same record. It should make a new record for each skill chosen, like this:
id flipbook_id skill_id
1 2 1
2 2 2
3 2 3
SO I still don't have the schema nailed down correctly, otherwise Doctrine would know how to handle the data correct? Should I explicitly put one to many relationship?
Also, when submitted, it is only adding the flipbook_id value to the record. The skill_id record is 0
FLipbookRelationsForm:
class FlipbookSkillRelationsForm extends BaseFlipbookSkillRelationsForm
{
public function configure()
{
$this->widgetSchema['skill_id'] =
new sfWidgetFormDoctrineChoice(array('model' =>
$this->getRelatedModelName('flipbookskills'),
'expanded' => true, 'multiple' => true, 'add_empty' => false));
$useFields = array(
'flipbook_id',
'skill_id',
);
$this->useFields($useFields);
}
}

Answer 1

Multiple issues (maybe this post can help: Embedded forms in symfony 1.4 not saving propperly)
Your n-m relations doesn't look well defined. Your entities should looks like:
FlipbookSkill:
tableName: flipbook_skill
columns:
title: { type: string(255) }
relations:
Flipbooks:
class: Flipbook
refClass: FlipbookSkillRelation
local: skill_id
foreign: flipbook_id
/* Not foreignAlias and onDelete behaviour defined */
Flipbook:
tableName: flipbook
inheritance:
extends: SvaGeneric
type: concrete
columns:
title: { type: string(255) }
career_associations: { type: clob }
skills: { type: string(255) } # why this????
skills_associations: { type: clob } # why this????
program: { type: string(255) }
program_associations: { type: clob }
draft_id: { type: integer(10) }
relations:
Skills:
class: FlipbookSkill
refClass: FlipbookSkillRelation
local: flipbook_id
foreign: skill_id
FlipbookSkillRelation:
tableName: flipbook_skill_relation
actAs:
SoftDelete: ~
options:
columns:
flipbook_id: { type: integer(10), notnull: false }
skill_id: { type: integer(10), notnull: false }
relations:
Flipbook:
foreignAlias: FlipbookSkills
local: flipbook_id
foreign: id
onDelete: CASCADE
FlipbookSkill:
foreignAlias: FlipbookSkills
local: skill_id
foreign: id
onDelete: CASCADE
Then, you methods/join allowed are:
$flipbookObject->getSkills(); Because flipbook entity n-m relation name "Skills", wich returns a FlipbookSkill DoctrineCollection. Or in query ('f.innerJoin Skills s')
$flipbookObject->getFlipbookSkills(); Because flipbookSkillRelation 1-n foreignAlias name, but probably you will never use this (because you don't really care about relations inself, instead you care about related skills).
... etc
If you have a well defined schema.yml, then your forms should work properly.
Plus:
why are you using and text input widget for an id field (flipbook_id) ????
And why are you using a sfWidgetFormSelectCheckbox if you are working with doctrine entities? You should use sfWidgetFormDoctrineChoice like the BaseEntity defines.
I hope this can help you.

Answer 2

Where are your validators ? Symfony forms don't work properly with missing validators or inappropriate ones. If your validator accept 1-1 relationship, and you send multiple values, it won't work.
Try this :
$this->validatorSchema->setOption('allow_extra_fields' , true);
$this->validatorSchema->setOption('filter_extra_fields' , false);
If your error disappear, then you have a problem with validators. Otherwise you can try to use a the sfEmbedded forms, you render an sfForm, and add multiple time your FlipbooSkillForm with selects. If i remeber well there is some tutorials showing how to add them in js.
http://nacho-martin.com/dynamic-embedded-forms-in-symfony