Laravel - how to return an array from a Model method?

Question

I have a Model method where I am trying to return a start and end date.

So like this:

public function start_end_date()
    {

        $instances = $this->hasMany(Instance::class, 'instance_id')
            ->where('instance_id', '=', $this->id)
            ->where('weekstart', '>=', time());

        $dates = $instances->pluck('weekstart')->toArray();
        $dates = array_map('strtotime', $dates);
        $startdate = min($dates);
        $enddate = strtotime("+7 day", max($dates));

        return array('startdate' => $startdate, 'enddate' => $enddate);
    }

In my view, I have $courses passed to the view. This object returns courseinstances via its model, as

 public function courseinstances()
    {

        return $this->hasMany(CcoursesInstance::class, 'course_id')
            ->where('startdate', '>=', time());
    }

So in view I can loop over $courses (e.g. @foreach $courses as $course) and also loop over instances (e.g. @foreach $course->courseinstances as @instance) and that works fine. For instance I can access some field or method-returned value as $instance->somedata

But in the view where I have $course->courseinstances->start_end_date->startdate

Laravel says

Relationship method must return an object of type Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\Relation (View:

I just can't figure out how Laravel wants me to return the start and end date and then reference it in the view. I don't want to pass separate variables to the view. I want to just use $courses as passed to the view and then drill down as I do for other pieces of data related to a course.

Ideas?

Thanks, Brian

Brian · Accepted Answer · 2019-09-18 06:52:43Z

1

start_end_date is not a property, it's a method so you need to declare it as a property, also $instances is returning a query builder instance and not a collection that you can pluck from, so append get() to actually retreive records

public function getStartEndDateAttribute()
{
    $instances = $this->hasMany(Instance::class, 'instance_id')
                      ->where('instance_id', '=', $this->id)
                      ->where('weekstart', '>=', time())->get();
}

edited Sep 18, 2019 at 6:52

Brian

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answered Sep 17, 2019 at 13:56

Salim Djerbouh

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5 Comments

Brian Over a year ago

Without using get() the code still works (maybe because I am on Laravel 5.3). But just not sure syntax of the return statement that is needed and what referencing syntax I need to use in the view. Just read here laravel.com/docs/5.3/eloquent-mutators about Mutators, but seems to assume that you are referencing a column name. In my case, there is no column name, as I am generating the start and end date on the fly.

Salim Djerbouh Over a year ago

This is an accessor and doesn't relate to a column name, mutators begins with set instead of get

Brian Over a year ago

In the Laravel 5.3 doc, it says "To define an accessor, create a getFooAttribute method on your model where Foo is the "studly" cased name of the column you wish to access" If I use function name getStart_end_dateAttribute(), and in view use $instance->start_end_date['startdate'], the method is not being called.

Brian Over a year ago

Ok, have it figured out. Needed to rename function getStartEndDateAttribute() - thanks for helping me get this figured out!

Brian Over a year ago

The more I use this approach, the more I realize it is flawed, because on my backend I have angular controllers. Seems for these custom attributes to work in angular I need to use protected appends and that causes weird behavior (like the get attribute method being called when it shouldn't. So now I am back full circle and wondering how I could make a start_end_date() model method return the form of data needed so that in blade or angular controller I can access as $instance->start_end_date or in angular instance.start_end_date

rkg · Accepted Answer · 2019-09-17 13:55:36Z

0

It's an array so you should get the value via it's array index like so:

$course->courseinstances->start_end_date['startdate']

answered Sep 17, 2019 at 13:55

rkg

8816 silver badges17 bronze badges

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