Remove ability to declare scopes in ActiveRecord, leave it to ActiveQuery

[samdark]

Pros:

• One proper way to define scopes.
• Thinner models.
• Finder is properly separated from model.
• Faster, no magic.
• Proper IDE autocomplete.
• Better API for declaring scopes, solves Scope declaration: remove $query from method signature? #2013

Cons:

• In order to use custom scopes you need ActiveQuery class for a model.
• Not familiar to 1.1 users.

Examples:

class UserQuery extends ActiveQuery
{
  public function active()
  {
    $this->andWhere(['active' => 1]);
    return $this;
  }

  public function age($years)
  {
    $this->andWhere(['age' => $years]);
    return $this;
  }
}

class User extends ActiveRecord
{
  public static function createQuery()
  {
    return new UserQuery(['modelClass' => get_called_class()]);
  }
}

$users = User::find()->active()->age(25)->all();

[creocoder]

@samdark Absollute agree! 👍

[Ragazzo]

Vote for this too, but with some adjustments:

1. In order to use custom scopes you need ActiveQuery class for a model. I think that link to the AR model should be in query-finder.
2. It should be noted in docs that users should not create about a 1000 custom queries per model, so we will not get solutions like with big numbers of scenarios. This should be officially noted.

[tonydspaniard]

@samdark

Makes a lot of sense, since we propose already separation for searching rules. This approach will isolate searching from manipulation, which will lie on Models.

I vote for it!

Edit:

Not familiar to 1.1 users.

Thats not actually a con since Yii2 already force users to adopt new standards

[samdark]

@Ragazzo

1. There's no AR instance yet at the moment Query is created and used.
2. Absolutely agree. Guide will be updated.

[yupe]

just my +1 for this issue =)

[Ragazzo]

@samdark right, sorry for point 1. :)

[slavcodev]

Finally, less than a year you have decided all the same it would be better :)

But what about the opinion that in many cases will not have to make a second class UserQuery, but only one User?

[samdark]

@slavcodev sure. You don't need UserQuery if you aren't adding custom scopes. Built-in ActiveQuery methods are more than enough for day to day use so it is likely that UserQuery will never be created.

[creocoder]

But what about the opinion that in many cases will not have to make a second class UserQuery, but only one User?

You sure? You will have second class in 80% cases in real word app if you use behaviors, etc.

[miksir]

You don't need UserQuery if you aren't adding custom scopes.

And if you don't need IDE autocomplete. So, you need UserQuery.

[qiangxue]

It was added mainly for practical reason because you may not want to take the trouble to write new query classes. I'm fine removing it if people don't like this convenience at all.

[tanakahisateru]

How about to add a method to ActiveQuery:

User::find()->scopeBy('active')->...
or
User::find()->scopeBy(['User', 'active'])->...

which can call any query modifier callback. They are can be in any place -- custom query class, inline closure or static method.

[samdark]

@tanakahisateru that's what we're trying to avoid: scope methods scattered all over the place.

[tanakahisateru]

I totally agree to remove __call from ActiveQuery because it returns mixed and breaks IDE support for method chain.

[tanakahisateru]

@samdark I'm afraid that beginners create fat controller having model knowledges instead of creating custom query.