How to select distinct query using symfony2 doctrine query builder?

Question

I have this symfony code where it retrieves all the categories related to a blog section on my project:

$category = $catrep->createQueryBuilder('cc')
    ->Where('cc.contenttype = :type')
    ->setParameter('type', 'blogarticle')
    ->getQuery();

$categories = $category->getResult();

This works, but the query includes duplicates:

Test Content
Business
Test Content

I want to use the DISTINCT command in my query. The only examples I have seen require me to write raw SQL. I want to avoid this as much as possible as I am trying to keep all of my code the same so they all use the QueryBuilder feature supplied by Symfony2/Doctrine.

I tried adding distinct() to my query like this:

$category = $catrep->createQueryBuilder('cc')
    ->Where('cc.contenttype = :type')
    ->setParameter('type', 'blogarticle')
    ->distinct('cc.categoryid')
    ->getQuery();

$categories = $category->getResult();

But it results in the following error:

Fatal error: Call to undefined method Doctrine\ORM\QueryBuilder::distinct()

How do I tell symfony to select distinct?

Answer 1

you could write

select DISTINCT f from t;

as

select f from t group by f;

thing is, I am just currently myself getting into Doctrine, so I cannot give you a real answer. but you could as shown above, simulate a distinct with group by and transform that into Doctrine. if you want add further filtering then use HAVING after group by.

Answer 2

This works:

$category = $catrep->createQueryBuilder('cc')
        ->select('cc.categoryid')
        ->where('cc.contenttype = :type')
        ->setParameter('type', 'blogarticle')
        ->distinct()
        ->getQuery();

$categories = $category->getResult();

Edit for Symfony 3 & 4.

You should use ->groupBy('cc.categoryid') instead of ->distinct()

Answer 3

If you use the "select()" statement, you can do this:

$category = $catrep->createQueryBuilder('cc')
    ->select('DISTINCT cc.contenttype')
    ->Where('cc.contenttype = :type')
    ->setParameter('type', 'blogarticle')
    ->getQuery();

$categories = $category->getResult();

Answer 4

Just open your repository file and add this new function, then call it inside your controller:

 public function distinctCategories(){
        return $this->createQueryBuilder('cc')
        ->where('cc.contenttype = :type')
        ->setParameter('type', 'blogarticle')
        ->groupBy('cc.blogarticle')
        ->getQuery()
        ->getResult()
        ;
    }

Then within your controller:

public function index(YourRepository $repo)
{
    $distinctCategories = $repo->distinctCategories();


    return $this->render('your_twig_file.html.twig', [
        'distinctCategories' => $distinctCategories
    ]);
}

Good luck!