Use of $foreign_key in advanced modules

pierlo

What's the best practice when it comes to implementing related models within advanced modules?

The tutorial in the user guide covers simple modules : http://www.getfuelcms.com/user_guide/modules/tutorial#categories_to_articles

But when i look at the Blog module code, the $foreign_key field is never used. Instead, there's a number of custom functions that achieve the same result.

The thing is, the code as shown in the tutorial doesn't really apply to advanced modules (as stated here http://getfuelcms.com/forums/discussion/comment/174/#Comment_174 - even though i'm still unable to make this work for some reason...) and I'm not sure if I should keep on trying to understand why is it that the foreign_key field doesn't seem to work for me, or just do it like the blog module does...

Can you please shed some light?
Thanks!

admin

If your foreign key model exists in another module, then instead of a string value for the name of the model, you use an associative array with the key being the name of the module(as shown in that comment).
public $foreign_keys = array('id_ads_categories' => array('ads' => 'ads_categories_model');

The foreign_keys model attribute was added after the blog was developed and some of that may just be because we never went back and changed it.

Adding foreign keys should do a couple things for you:
# Create a dropdown of the values you need to select from instead of a text field in the form_fields model method (see around line 1750 of MY_Model)
# Will auto load other models on record objects (see around line 2985 of MY_Model)

What is happening?

starsinmypockets

I think there's a type in admin's response. The key to the associative array should be the name of the *module* and the value should be the name of the *model*.

admin

Thanks... I've fixed the text to avoid confusion.