CakePHP save a three-model relationship association

Question

I have the following output which I need to be inserted in the database:

Array
(
[Test] => Array
    (
    )

[Question] => Array
    (
        [0] => Array
            (
                [category_id] => 3
                [answer_style_id] => 2
                [Answer] => Array
                    (
                        [0] => Array
                            (
                                [capital_category_id] => 14
                                [correct] => 1
                            )

                       ...
         ...

Briefly, each Test hasMany Questions, and each Question hasMany Answer, with each associated model having a foreign key which need to be set by Cake (each Question has a test_id, and each Answer has a question_id).

The problem is that when I $this->Test->saveAll($data);, only the Test and the Questions get saved, not the answers.

How can I save all data, with Cake automagically setting the foreign key for each associated model?

Thank you!

Answer 1

I'm not sure but I think it's impossible to save third level relation.

from Cakephp:

Saving related data with saveAll() will only work for directly associated models.

you'll have to retrieve third level data and save it apart from them.

Answer 2

Yes, you can save deep model trees since CakePHP 2.1 this way

$this->SomeModel->saveAll($data, array('deep' => true));

Reference here > http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/appendices/new-features-in-cakephp-2-1.html#model-saveall-model-saveassociated-model-validateassociated

Answer 3

I have three models A, B and C

A hasMany B B hasMany C

$A->saveAll() will save model A & B but not C

Here is a playaround I use:

in model B override afterSave like this

function afterSave($created) {
    if ($created) { // check if we are in save not update
        $this->data['B']['id'] = $this->id;
        $this->data['C'] = $this->data['B']['C'];
        $this->saveAll($this->data);
    }
}