Modeling objects with multiple table relationships in Zend Framework

Question

I\'m toying with Zend Framework and trying to use the \"QuickStart\" guide against a website I\'m making just to see how the process would work. Forgive me if this answer is

Answer 1

I would say that the best way to do this with ZF is by using Doctrine.

Answer 2

In a nutshell I would create a model for each table, not one model that accesses all three. I would then define relationships between the tables.

To be honest it seems not very "DRY" to have to create a model for each table but that is what I see done repeatedly in the various examples online and it is what I have done in the handful of projects that I have created with the Zend Framework. If anyone has a better way of handling this I hope the will post it here.

Answer 3

Basically instead of using Zend_Db_Table use more general Zend_Db_Select or Zend_Db_Statement to retrieve data.

BTW. You might want to access password data not directly in User model, but rather in your User auth class derived from Zend_Auth_Adapter.

Answer 4

class Users extends Zend_Db_Table_Abstract
{
    protected $_name = 'users';
    protected $_rowClass = 'User';
    protected $_dependentTables = array ('UserMetadata', 'UserPassword');

...

class UserMetadata extends Zend_Db_Table_Abstract
{
    protected $_name = 'user_metadata';
    protected $_referenceMap = array (
    'Users'=> array (
    'columns'=>'user_id',
    'refTableClass'=>'Users',
    'refColumns'=>'id'
    )
    );

...

class UserPassword extends Zend_Db_Table_Abstract
{
    protected $_name = 'user_password';
    protected $_referenceMap = array (
    'Users'=> array (
    'columns'=>'user_id',
    'refTableClass'=>'Users',
    'refColumns'=>'id'
    )
    );

Fetching data:

$id = //get your user id from somewhere

$users = new Users();
$user = $users->fetchRow('id=?', $id);
if ($user->authMethod == 0)
{
    $metadata = $user->findDependentRowset('UserMetadata')->current();
}

or

$user = $users->fetchRow($users->select()
              ->where('gender=?, 'M')
              ->order('email ASC');

... etc.

Inserting data:

$newRow = $users->fetchNew();
$newRow->email = me@domain.com;
$newRow->save();

or

$users = new Users();
$data = array('email'     => 'me@domain.com',
              'firstname' => 'Me');
$users->insert($data);

Updating:

$user->email = 'me@domain.org';
$user->save();

Deleting a row:

$user->delete();

Using transaction:

$db->beginTransaction();
$db->commit();
$db->rollback();

etc... it's all in the ZF Manual!

Answer 5

Just a few notes straight off the bat:

The first User table, seems more like a Person table, except for the auth method, but you could put that in the User_Password table, which you could probably rename User. The User_Metadata table seems like it could just be amalgamated with the User_Password/User table.

Now, even without those changes, you have three distinct tables, with three distinct concepts, if you model each of those separate as different classes, and then had a UserModel class as a facade of sorts to access each, it would likely make it easier.