how to save belongsToMany for edit action in CakePHP 3.x?

Question

Products belongsToMany ProductCircles through ProductsInCircles.

ProductsInCirclesTable.php

public function initialize(array $config)
{
    $this->table('products_in_circles');
    $this->displayField('id');
    $this->primaryKey('id');
    $this->belongsTo('Products', [
        'foreignKey' => 'product_id'
    ]);
    $this->belongsTo('ProductCircles', [
        'foreignKey' => 'product_circle_id'
    ]);
}

ProductsTable.php

public function initialize(array $config)
{
    $this->table('products');
    $this->displayField('name');
    $this->primaryKey('id');
    $this->belongsToMany('ProductCircles', [
        'through' => 'ProductsInCircles',
    ]);
}

When I edit a Product via products/edit/{id}, I will provide the following data from $this->request->data

Array
(
    [name] => Piuma
    [attributes_in_json] => {"size":"large"}
    [rooms] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2
        )

    [styles] => Array
        (
            [0] => 15
            [1] => 16
        )

    [materials] => Array
        (
            [0] => 27
        )

    [product_circles] => Array
        (
            [_ids] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 2
                    [1] => 15
                    [2] => 16
                    [3] => 27
                )

        )

    [associated] => Array
        (
            [0] => ProductCircles
        )

)

The following code did not save the associated data into products_in_circles table

$product = $this->Products->patchEntity($product, $this->request->data);
$product->dirty('product_circles', true);
if ($this->Products->save($product)) {

I have also tried

$product = $this->Products->patchEntity($product, $this->request->data, ['associated' => ['ProductCircles']]);
if ($this->Products->save($product)) {

AND

$product = $this->Products->patchEntity($product, $this->request->data);
if ($this->Products->save($product, ['associated' => ['ProductCircles']])) {

AND

$product = $this->Products->patchEntity($product, $this->request->data, ['ProductCircles']);
if ($this->Products->save($product)) {

How do I save and persist these into the products_in_circles table properly?

I definitely want to use the append option as well instead of replace.

I have looked at the docs and the example is clearer for creating new entity. Mine is for editing an existing entity.

Also, I cannot find out where I turn on the append option. See http://book.cakephp.org/3.0/en/orm/saving-data.html#saving-belongstomany-associations

I suspect I made a mistake in the way the data is structured.

Please advise.

EDIT

Product Entity

class Product extends Entity
{

    /**
     * Fields that can be mass assigned using newEntity() or patchEntity().
     *
     * @var array
     */
    protected $_accessible = [
        'name' => true,
        'attributes_in_json' => true,
        'created_by' => true,
        'modified_by' => true,
        'prices' => true,
    ];
}

is the product_circles property accessible in your Product entity class? — José Lorenzo Rodríguez
added Product Entity code. Nope, I do not have product_circles as accessible property. Is that crucial? — Kim Stacks

Kim Stacks Kim Stacks · Accepted Answer · 2015-04-06T03:12:27

Need to add product_circles as the accessible property in the Product entity class.

class Product extends Entity
{

    /**
     * Fields that can be mass assigned using newEntity() or patchEntity().
     *
     * @var array
     */
    protected $_accessible = [
        'name' => true,
        'attributes_in_json' => true,
        'created_by' => true,
        'modified_by' => true,
        'prices' => true,
        'product_circles' => true,
    ];
}

Credit goes to Jose Lorenzo in the comments section.

how to save belongsToMany for edit action in CakePHP 3.x?

1 Answers