4

Is there a best practice in getting data from multiple database tables using Zend? I would like to know rather than end up wanting to refactor the code I write in the near future. I was reading the Zend documentation and it said that:

"You can not specify columns from a JOINed tabled to be returned in a row/rowset. Doing so will trigger a PHP error. This was done to ensure the integrity of the Zend_Db_Table is retained. i.e. A Zend_Db_Table_Row should only reference columns derived from its parent table."

I assume I therefore need to use multiple models -- is that correct? If, for example, I want to get out all orders for a particular user id where the date is in between two dates what would I do?

I know that it would be possible to access the two different models from a controller and then combine their respective data in the action but I would not feel happy doing this since I have been reading survivethedeepend.com and it tells me that I shouldn't do this...

Where, why, and how? :)

Thanks!

Improve this question

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
5

If you're reading ZFSTDE, in chapter 9 (http://www.survivethedeepend.com/zendframeworkbook/en/1.0/implementing.the.domain.model.entries.and.authors) this problem is addressed by using a data mapper.

Also, you can join 2 tables, just be sure to first call on the select object the setIntegrityCheck(false) method. The docs say that a row should reference a parent table, doesn't mean it can not :)

Improve this answer
Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

Comments

1

Stop thinking about Zend_Db_Table as your "model".

You should write your own, rich, domain-centric model classes to sit between your controllers (and views), and your persistence logic (anything that uses Zend_Db/Zend_Db_Table/Zend_Db_Select) to load/store data from the database.

Improve this answer

3 Comments

Are you suggesting that the model would access further classes that are extended from Zend_Db_Table_Abstract?
@Ihnz no, he's suggesting that the Model is your application, while your Controllers and Views are just an interface to it.
@lhnz - actually, yes, but everything else Gordon just said is true too. You might have some persistence/data-mapper classes that your more domain-centric model classes use, but your model should be more than just a database abstraction. If you find yourself using classes that extend Zend_Db_anything directly in your controllers, that's a big red flag that you need to create a richer model.
1

Sure, you can query several db tables at the same time. Take a look at the official ZF docs here http://framework.zend.com/manual/en/zend.db.select.html#zend.db.select.building.join

As for your example with getting all orders of a single user, table relationships are the answer http://framework.zend.com/manual/en/zend.db.table.relationships.html

Improve this answer

Comments

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Start asking to get answers

Find the answer to your question by asking.

Ask question

Explore related questions

See similar questions with these tags.