How to update instead of create a child entity that is not a @ApiResource nor a @ApiSubresource

[Aerendir]

I have a ThirdPartyEntity from a third party bundle that, using a ThirdPartyEntityTrait, I link to MyEntity in my project.

Now, as the ThirdPartyEntity is not set a ApiResource nor as an ApiSubresource and as I don't have any serializaton group set on MyEntity, when I get MyEntity from ApiPlatform, it returns me something like this:

{
   "@id":"/api/my_entities/17",
   "@type":"MyEntity",
   "id":17,
   "third_party_entity": {
      "id":22,
      "a_property":"some value"
   }
}

BUT IF I PUT a changed value for a_property with this body:

{
   "@id":"/api/my_entities/17",
   "@type":"MyEntity",
   "id":17,
   "third_party_entity": {
      "id":22,
      "a_property":"some NEW value to update"
   }
}

I get a new third_party_entity to be created and get this response:

{
   "@id":"/api/my_entities/17",
   "@type":"MyEntity",
   "id":17,
   "third_party_entity": {
      "id":23,
      "a_property":"some NEW value to update"
   }
}

SO, HOW CAN I UPDATE third_party_entity instead of creating it each time?

HERE THERE ARE THE INVOLVED CLASSES AND TRAITS

/**
 * @ORM\Table(name="app_my_entities")
 * @ORM\Entity()
 * @ApiResource()
 */
class MyEntity
{
    // !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    // This is the trait I use to link MyEntity
    // with the entity from the third-party bundle
    // !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    use ThirdPartyEntityTrait;

    /**
     * @var int
     *
     * @ORM\Column(name="id", type="integer")
     * @ORM\Id
     * @ORM\GeneratedValue(strategy="IDENTITY")
     */
    private $id;

    ...
}

And this is the ThirdPartyEntityTrait:

trait ThirdPartyEntityTrait
{
    /**
     * @ORM\OneToOne(targetEntity="Namespace\To\Bundle\Entity\ThirdPartyEntity", cascade={"all"})
     * @ORM\JoinColumn(name="thirdPartyEntity", referencedColumnName="id")
     */
    private $thirdPartyEntity;

    /**
     * @param thirdPartyEntity $thirdPartyEntity
     *
     * @return ThirdPartyEntity
     */
    public function setThirdPartyEntity(thirdPartyEntity $thirdPartyEntity): ThirdPartyEntity
    {
        $this->thirdPartyEntity = $thirdPartyEntity;

        /** @var ThirdPartyEntity $this */
        return $this;
    }

    /**
     * @return thirdPartyEntity
     */
    public function getThirdPartyEntity(): ?thirdPartyEntity
    {
        return $this->thirdPartyEntity;
    }

    /**
     * @return thirdPartyEntity
     */
    public function removeThirdPartyEntity(): ?thirdPartyEntity
    {
        $thirdPartyEntity = $this->getThirdPartyEntity();

        $this->thirdPartyEntity = null;

        return $thirdPartyEntity;
    }
}

As you can see, nothing more a property to save the relation and some accessors methods.

This is, instead, the linked Entity:

/**
 * @ORM\Entity()
 * @ORM\Table(name="third_party_entities")
 */
class ThirdPartyEntity
{
    /**
     * @var int
     *
     * @ORM\Column(name="id", type="integer")
     * @ORM\Id
     * @ORM\GeneratedValue(strategy="IDENTITY")
     */
    private $id;

    /**
     * @ORM\Column(name="aProperty", type="string", nullable=true)
     */
    private $aProperty;

    public function getId()
    {
        return $this->id;
    }

    public function getAProperty()
    {
        return $this->aProperty;
    }

    public function setAProperty($aProperty)
    {
        $this->aProperty = $aProperty;

        return $this;
    }
}

This question is cross-posted also on StackOverflow.

[soyuka]

No need for caps lock 😆

When you PUT:

{
   "@id":"/api/my_entities/17",
   "@type":"MyEntity",
   "id":17,
   "third_party_entity": {
      "id":22,
      "a_property":"some NEW value to update"
   }
}

Please check the symfony profiler's Request section, more specifically the derormalized body. If the denormalization process has found your ThirdPartyEntity it should update it indeed.

I know this works because the following behat test works:

https://github.com/api-platform/core/blob/master/features/main/relation.feature#L423

[Aerendir]

@soyuka , excuse me: it is only a visual way to put emphasis on the question as there is a lot of text and code 😅.

Anyway, I was looking for something like what you mentioned, but I cannot find the denormalized body anywhere.

This is what I see in the profiler:

Then I have the request body, but in a deserialized form...

Can you guide me to find the deserialized version?

[Aerendir]

Reading the test you linked, it uses the form @id and this makes me suppose that is a SubResource, isn't it?

My scenario is different: the created-instead-being-updated entity is not a subresource but a linked entity of which only Doctrine is aware of...

[soyuka]

Forget subresources, nothing above is one and there are only used on particular cases which you don't have here :).

Here is a denormalized data in my Request content (same page as you on the profiler) (I did a PUT request):

If you don't have this you propably have an issue (is content-type correct?).

[Aerendir]

Ok, perfect: I found it!!! (there is no icon indicating I can expand it, so I missed it o.O).

I have all the entities correctly hydrated but I cannot expand further the Remote to see which ID it has and if it is hydrated from the database or created from scratch:

[soyuka]

Can you try:

   "third_party_entity": {
      "@id": '/api/third_party_entities/23',  
      "a_property":"some NEW value to update"
   }

Not sure that the denormalizer handles the id correctly (#1939 ref).

[Aerendir]

I've already tried to use @id instead of simply id and returns an error:

"Cache key "p@id" contains reserved characters {}()/\@:","

Anyway, as remote is not set as subresource nor as resource I don't think it can work :(

[soyuka]

Ah just declare ThirdPartyEntity as @ApiResource then !

[Aerendir]

Eh eh, @soyuka and here come the problems! :D

ThirdPartyEntity is managed through a trait coming from a third-party bundle (that I developed my self, but that I like to be not aware of ApiPlatform).

So, I should map the entire MyEntity entity using yaml or xml, but all other entities are mapped using annotations (and I'd like to leave them as they are).

So, can I mix both annotations and yaml configurations?

I'm not able to make yaml config work as the examples state that I have to put them in api/config/api_platform/resources while I expect they should be in config/....

Also creating the folder api/config/api_platform in the root directory (where also config, bin, ecc. are) and the resources.yaml` file it seems not working (see Mapping the Entities).

Any ideas?

[soyuka]

You can put yaml files wherever you want, in api_platform.yaml:

api_platform:
    mapping:
        paths:
          - '%kernel.project_dir%/src/Directory/api_resources.yaml'

[Aerendir]

Ok, this is the missing point: I have to indicate Api Platform where the file is!

I had simply this:

api_platform:
    mapping:
        paths: ['%kernel.project_dir%/src/Entity']

Now all works as expected after changing to this (thanks to your suggestion):

api_platform:
    mapping:
        paths: ['%kernel.project_dir%/src/Entity', "%kernel.project_dir%/config/api_platform"]

I think that from now on I can go on my own...

Thank you for your patience and support @soyuka ! :)

[Antarian]

Not sure if this was ever solved. I have child entity, which is not a api resource but has serialization groups on it. Relationship to parent is one to one. If I use PUT, this child entity will be replaced with a new one. And unfortunately old one will stay in DB unattached to any entity.
If I use PATCH this child entity is nicely updated. I am using default merge-patch+json format.
This suggest problem is how PUT method is implemented for child entities. My xpectation would be if I am sending also child id, it will replace only content, but do not know what RFC opinion is on this scenario.
Now it is a question if I will be able to persuade React Admin to use patch instead of put for edit.