Make Table::findOrCreate() more flexible

[burzum]

This is a (multiple allowed):

• bug
• enhancement
• feature-discussion (RFC)
• CakePHP Version: 3.x

What you did

Wanted to implement findOrCreate() and realized it is limited on customizing the find() call.

Expected Behavior

I would like to be able to define my own finder or query object.

Actual Behavior

I can only pass conditions, not define contains or use a finder as first arg.

Suggestion

Allow the first arg to be a query object or a string that is used as a finder.

The only problem I see is that the method has just 2 args for now, but it would be useful to have another one to pass something to the options of the finder.

[lorenzo]

Would you like to submit a pull request for this?

[burzum]

@lorenzo I can do that, but you know that I'll never write code before discussing it to avoid wasting my time with something that is not accepted at the end. 😄

So let's discuss how to implement this right. My main concern right now is how to keep it BC and allow all three proposed solutions. I think changing the method signature and checking for the kind of the first passed argument could make this possible.

• findOrCreate($search, callable $callback = null)
• findOrCreate($queryObject, $search, callable $callback = null)
• findOrCreate($finderName, $finderOptions, $search, callable $callback = null)

Any better or additional ideas?

[markstory]

Isn't a query object 'better' than a finder?

$articles->findOrCreate($articles->find('published'), function () { ... });

[htstudios]

• what about a 'orCreate()' that picks up a query object?
• why is it named findOrCreate when it implies ->first() - should it be getOrCreate()?
• finder option is consistent with how get() work, right?

[burzum]

@markstory I'm OK with just the query object as well, just one question: How do we pass the search conditions then? Maybe like this?

findOrCreate($queryObject, $search, callable $callback = null)

And make the search optional? The problem I ran into in my case was that the $search is used for the entity / save as well but that I had to prefix the fields with the alias, which then made the entity fail. So I ended up with doing this in my case.

        $project = $this->Projects->findOrCreateProject([
            'Projects.is_draft' => true,
            'Projects.company_id' => $companyId,
            'Projects.profile_id' => $profileId
        ], function($entity) use($companyId, $profileId) {
            $entity->name = '';
            $entity->is_draft = true;
            $entity->profile_id = $profileId;
            $entity->company_id = $companyId;
        });

Edit: I ended up implementing the string check for search as well but a little different. Instead of checking for a finder with that name I'm checking for method exists. This allows us to keep the actual code and method that will return the query in the model. See the PR.

[markstory]

Closing as the proposed changes are in a pull request form.