Validate Model: User

Rule 1: Never trust user input
Rule 2: When in doubt, see rule 1

For every model you should create a validate variable which will be used to validate input fields. For our user model we need to verify that username and email are unique on creation.

Since validation can be quite complex, building the validation variable one field at a time can be helpful. For full details on data validation see http://book.cakephp.org/view/1143/Data-Validation

Edit /app/models/user.php and add

    var $validate = array(
        'username' => array(
            'alphanumeric' => array(
                'rule' => '/^[a-z0-9]{3,}$/i',
                'required' => true,
                'message' => 'Username must contain only letters and numbers.'
            ),
            'unique' => array(
                'rule' => 'isUnique',
                'message' => 'This username is already taken.'
            ),
            'minlength' => array(
                'rule' => array('minlength', 5),
                'message' => 'Username must be at least 5 characters.'
            ) 
        )
    );

Upload the file then browse to http://drug-ed.com/users/add and observe how the "Username" field label is bolded and followed by a red asterisk helping to identify the required aspect of that field. Test your validation rule by trying a 2 letter username, or one composed of special characters.

Now that you are sure that field validation is working properly, add the next field. Edit /app/models/user.php and add at the end of the validate array

        ),
        'email' => array(
            'email' => array(
                'rule' => 'email',
                'required' => true,
                'message' => 'You must enter a valid email address.'
            ),
            'unique' => array(
                'rule' => 'isUnique',
                'on' => 'create',
                'message' => 'This email address is already on record.'
            )
        )
    );

Notice the line 'on' => 'create' in the email validation. When editing a user the isUnique rule will fail because the user's email is already in the database! Changing it to only verify when you create an new user will prevent this problem.

Upload the file then browse to http://drug-ed.com/users/add to again verify it works as intended.

Model: App Model

The find() method, as used previously, returns not only the data from the table/model identified, but all related data as well. This is usually a good thing, but typically it returns far too many levels of data than is necessary.

Edit /app/views/users/index.ctp and add the following line to the end of the file then browse to http://drug-ed.com/users/ to see what is returned for just one record:

<?php print_r($user); ?>

It may look something like this:

Array ( [User] => Array ( [id] => 1 [slug] => admin [username] => admin [password] => test [first_name] => test [last_name] => test [email] => naidim@gmail.com [email_verified] => 1 [carrier_id] => 1 [cell_number] => 5205551234 [created] => 2010-11-03 21:12:40 ) [Carrier] => Array ( [id] => 1 [name] => Verizon PCS [extension] => vtext.com ) [Reminder] => Array ( ) )

By default it should contain only what the current view requires, only returning more if the Containable behavior is set.

To limit the find() method for all models, create /app/app_model.php This model overrides the default AppModel and allows you to control the functionality of all models.

<?php
class AppModel extends Model {
    var $recursive = -1;
    var $actsAs = array('Containable');
}
?>

Now browse to http://drug-ed.com/users/ and you should see something more like this:

Array ( [User] => Array ( [id] => 1 [slug] => admin [username] => admin [password] => test [first_name] => test [last_name] => test [email] => naidim@gmail.com [email_verified] => 1 [carrier_id] => 1 [cell_number] => 5205551234 [created] => 2010-11-04 21:12:40 ) ) 

Go back and remove that last line from /app/views/users/index.ctp.

For details on Containable behavior http://book.cakephp.org/view/1323/Containable and using Containable with paginate http://book.cakephp.org/view/1232/Controller-Setup

Don't forget to add var $actsAs = array('Containable'); to the appropriate model (or AppModel) before you try to use contain();

Thanks to Matt Curry

View: User Index

Views control the display of your application. When the controller renders views, Cake will automatically look for a file name the same as the controller action. The index method is the default method called when the controller is called without an explicit action defined, so index.ctp is the default view.

Create /app/views/users/index.ctp

This file contains any actual display code, such as html, that will be used to view the results of the index() method.

<div class="users index">
    <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
    <tr>
        <th>ID</th>
        <th>Username</th>
        <th>First Name</th>
        <th>Last Name</th>
        <th>Email</th>
        <th class="actions">Actions</th>
    </tr>
    <?php
    $i = 0;
    foreach ($users as $user):
        $class = null;
        if ($i++ % 2 == 0) {
            $class = ' class="altrow"';
        }
    ?>
    <tr<?php echo $class;?>>
        <td><?php echo $user['User']['id'];?></td>
        <td><?php echo $this->Html->link($user['User']['username'], array('controller' => 'users', 'action' => 'view', $user['User']['id'])); ?></td>
        <td>%lt;?php echo $user['User']['first_name']; ?></td>
        <td>%lt;?php echo $user['User']['last_name']; ?></td>
        <td>%lt;?php echo $user['User']['email']; ?></td>
        <td class="actions">
            <?php echo $this->Html->link(__('View', true), array('controller' => 'users', 'action' => 'view', $user['User']['id'])); ?>
            <?php echo $this->Html->link(__('Edit', true), array('controller' => 'users', 'action' => 'edit', $user['User']['id'])); ?>
            <?php echo $this->Html->link(__('Delete',true), array('action' => 'delete', $user['User']['id']), null, sprintf('Are you sure you want to delete # %s?', $user['User']['id'])); ?>
        </td>
    </tr>
<?php endforeach; ?>
    </table>
</div>
<div class="actions">
    <h3><?php __('Actions'); ?></h3>
    <ul>
        <li><?php echo $this->Html->link(__('New User', true), array('action' => 'add')); ?></li>
        <li><?php echo $this->Html->link(__('List Carriers', true), array('controller' => 'carriers')); ?></li>
        <li><?php echo $this->Html->link(__('New Carrier', true), array('controller' => 'carriers', 'action' => 'add')); ?></li>
        <li><?php echo $this->Html->link(__('List Reminders', true), array('controller' => 'reminders')); ?></li>
        <li><?php echo $this->Html->link(__('New Reminder', true), array('controller' => 'reminders', 'action' => 'add')); ?></li>
    </ul>
</div>

Edit /app/controller/users_controller.php Add the following method

    function index() {
        $this->set('users',$this->User->find('all'));
    }

As mentioned previously, any defined methods will override scaffolding so browse to the site root/users and view the results.

Browse to http://drug-ed.com/users/ to test the page. Observe your default user then click on the link for viewing and editing. Notice how the scaffolding still works for all methods other than those defined.

The double underscore (__) is a global CakePHP method that handles localization. Feel free to ignore it at this point.

Controller: Reminders

Create /app/controllers/reminders_controller.php

<?php
class RemindersController extends AppController {
    var $name = 'Reminders';
    var $scaffold;
}
?>

Upload the file and browse to http://drug-ed.com/reminders to verify it works. Again the defined relationship to drugs and users should cause action links to show.

Controller: Drugs

Create /app/controllers/drugs_controller.php

<?php
class DrugsController extends AppController {
    var $name = 'Drugs';
    var $scaffold;
}
?>

Upload the file and browse to http://drug-ed.com/drugs to verify it works. Again the defined relationship to reminders should cause action links to show. Add a drug.

Name	Brand Name	Indications	Adverse Reactions	Counseling Points	Notes
Diclofenac Na	Cataflam	Diclofenac is used to relieve pain, tenderness, swelling, and stiffness caused by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, painful menstrual periods and pain from other causes.	diarrhea, constipation, gas or bloating, headache, dizziness, ringing in the ears	NSAIDs such as diclofenac may cause ulcers, bleeding, or holes in the stomach or intestine. People who take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (other than aspirin) such as diclofenac may have a higher risk of having a heart attack or a stroke than people who do not take these medications.	Diclofenac is in the class of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Controller: Users

Create /app/controllers/users_controller.php

<?php
class UsersController extends AppController {
    var $name = 'Users';
    var $scaffold;
}
?>

Upload the file and browse to http://drug-ed.com/users to verify it works. Since Users have defined relationships with Carriers and Reminders observe the action links. Click "New User" and observe the option to select the carriers entered in earlier. Create a default user for administration and testing of your site.

Controller: Carriers

Controllers provide the functionality of your application. Controllers are named plural and "controller" is explicitly listed in the name.

Create /app/controllers/carriers_controller.php

<?php
class CarriersController extends AppController {
    var $name = 'Carriers';
    var $scaffold;
}
?>

If the controller is using a model other than, or in addition to, the one with the same name as its name, you can access that model in one of two ways.

1. Add var $uses = array('Carrier', 'Other');
2. Access the other model directly in code via $this->Carrier->Other...

Adding the Carrier model in the Carriers controller in option 1 is unnecessary since it is automatic, but is listed only for clarity.

The variable $scaffold turns on automated scaffolding for testing and viewing of database data. After testing is complete, ensure to remove the scaffolding line to prevent unauthorized access. If you test with scaffolding, any defined methods will override the scaffolding.

Upload the file and browse to http://drug-ed.com/carriers to verify it works, then add a few carriers.

Name	Extension
Verizon PCS	vtext.com
AT&T PCS	txt.att.net

Observe that since there is a defined relationship between Carriers and Users the actions "New User" and "List Users" are available on the Carriers page. Since there is no Users controller the links don't work yet.

Update Model: Drug

As mentioned previously, to coordinate with the reminder model, add the relationship to the drug model. Edit /app/models/drug.php and add

    var $hasMany = array('Reminder');

Save and upload the file.

Update Model: Carrier

As mentioned previously, to coordinate with the user model, add the relationship to the carrier model. Edit /app/models/carrier.php and add

    var $hasMany = array('User');

Upload the file.

Update Model: User

As mentioned previously, to coordinate with the reminder model, add the relationship to the user model. In addition while each carrier can have many users, each user belongs to a carrier so indicate that as follows as well:

Edit /app/models/user.php and add

    var $hasMany = array('Reminder');
    var $belongsTo = array('Carrier');

Upload the file.

Like when a model belongs to another model, if the foreign key is not standard you need to explicitly define it. You can also explicitly define the class name if that isn't the default also.

    var $hasMany=> array(
        'Reminder' => array(
            'className' => 'Reminder',
            'foreignKey' => 'UniqueUserID'
        )
    );

Model: Reminder

Create /app/models/reminder.php

<?php
class Reminder extends AppModel {
    var $name = 'Reminder';
}
?>

Each reminder "belongs to" a user, and each user can "have many" reminders, so there is a one to many relationship between the two tables. To indicate this to Cake, add the following information below the $name variable:

    var $belongsTo = array('User');

In addition, each reminder has a one to many relationship with drugs, so it "belongs to" a drug. Add 'Drug' after 'User' in the above line.

When designing your database, ensure that each model that "belongs to" another model has the appropriate foreign key field. For example since each reminder belongs to a user, that user is identified by the key "user_id" in the reminder table. If you stray from convention (classname_id) you have to define the foreign key explicitly in your model.

    var $belongsTo => array(
        'User' => array(
            'foreignKey' => 'UniqueUserID'
        )
    );

Upload the file.

Model: Carrier

Create /app/models/carrier.php

<?php
class Carrier extends AppModel {
    var $name = 'Carrier';
}
?>

Upload the file.

Model: Drug

Create /app/models/drug.php

<?php
class User extends AppModel {
    var $name = 'Drug';
}
?>

Save and upload the file.

Model: User

Models provide the interface to the database. While the tables they refer to are named plurally, the models are named singularly.

Create /app/models/user.php

<?php
class User extends AppModel {
    var $name = 'User';
}
?>

If the primary key field of your table is not "id" then you need to add the variable $primaryKey, otherwise you can leave it out.

    var $primaryKey = 'unique_id';

If you didn't design your tables around CakePHP (why wouldn't you?) then you can explicitly specify the table name for your model here as well.

    var $useTable = 'table_name';

If you don't want a model to use a table, such as for display purposes only, or when pulling data from an external source, you can set the useTable variable to false.

    var $useTable = false;

Once you do that, you can set the schema for the non-table data with the _schema variable.

    var $_schema = array(
        'last_name' => array('type' => 'strong', 'length' => 50),
        'date_of_birth' => array('type' => 'date')
    );

Upload the file.

Database: Setup Reminders Table

Create reminders table

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `reminders` (
  `id` int(11) NOT NULL auto_increment,
  `user_id` int(11) NOT NULL,
  `drug_id` int(11) NOT NULL,
  `days_of_week` varchar(7) NOT NULL,
  `time` time NOT NULL,
  `created` datetime NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY  (`id`)
) ENGINE=MyISAM DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8;

Database: Setup Carriers Table

Create carriers table

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `carriers` (
  `id` int(11) NOT NULL auto_increment,
  `name` varchar(40) NOT NULL,
  `extension` varchar(30) NOT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY  (`id`),
  UNIQUE KEY `name` (`name`)
) ENGINE=MyISAM  DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8;

Database: Setup Drugs Table

Create drugs table

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `drugs` (
  `id` int(11) NOT NULL auto_increment,
  `name` varchar(50) NOT NULL,
  `brand_name` varchar(50) NULL,
  `indications` varchar(255) NULL,
  `adverse_reactions` varchar(255) NULL,
  `counseling_points` varchar(500) NULL,
  `notes` varchar(255) NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY  (`id`),
  UNIQUE KEY `name` (`name`)
) ENGINE=MyISAM DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8;

Database: Setup Users Table

Create users table

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `users` (
  `id` int(11) NOT NULL auto_increment,
  `slug` varchar(40) NOT NULL,
  `username` varchar(30) NOT NULL,
  `password` varchar(40) NOT NULL,
  `first_name` varchar(40) NOT NULL,
  `last_name` varchar(40) NOT NULL,
  `email` varchar(100) NOT NULL,
  `email_verified` tinyint(1) NOT NULL default '0',
  `carrier_id` int(11) NOT NULL,
  `cell_number` varchar(10) NOT NULL,
  `modified` datetime NULL,
  `created` datetime NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY  (`id`),
  UNIQUE KEY `username` (`username`),
  UNIQUE KEY `slug` (`slug`),  
  UNIQUE KEY `email` (`email`)
) ENGINE=MyISAM DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8;

The created and modified (or updated, either name works) fields will be filled in by CakePHP automatically, as long as they are set as DATETIME fields and default to NULL. Long field names are separated with underscores '_' so CakePHP can easily understand them.

Dreamweaver and CakePHP (.ctp) Files

Dreamweaver does not recognize .ctp files by default, so to get them to color code as PHP files, make some small changes in the configuration files.

Edit C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Adobe\Dreamweaver 9\Configuration\Extensions.txt Add CTP to the All Documents and PHP Files lines.

Edit C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Dreamweaver CS3\configuration\Extensions.txt Add CTP to the All Documents and PHP Files lines.

Edit C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Adobe\Dreamweaver 9\Configuration\DocumentTypes\MMDocumentTypes.xml Add ctp to the documenttype id="PHP MySQL"

Edit C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Dreamweaver CS3\configuration\DocumentTypes\MMDocumentTypes.xml Add ctp to the documenttype id="PHP MySQL"

Restart Dreamweaver

CakePHP: Configuration

CakePHP uses the /app/tmp directory for a number of different operations. Model descriptions, cached views, and session information are just a few examples.

Make sure the /app/tmp directory and all subdirectories in the Cake installation are writable by the web server user (apache).

chown -R apache /app/tmp

The Security seeds need to be set for uniqueness. Edit /app/config/core.php Comment out the following lines, duplicate them and change their values:

Configure::write('Security.salt', 'DYhG93b0qyJfIxfs2guVoUubWwvniR2G0FgaC9mi');
Configure::write('Security.cipherSeed', '76859309657453542496749683645');

Upload file.

Create site database in MySQL.

Copy /app/config/database.php.default to /app/config/database.php

Edit /app/config/database.php Change values for 'host', 'login', 'password', and 'database' to match your database configuration.

Save and upload the file and test by browsing to the root page.

CakePHP: Installation

Go to http://www.cakephp.org/ and download the latest version of CakePHP (currently 1.3.11)

Extract to web root folder, upload and browse to the root page to test installation.

For shared hosting, the /.htaccess file and the /app/webroot/.htaccess file will need some modification for CakePHP to work.

Edit /.htaccess and within the <IfModule> block add RewiteBase / after RewriteEngine on. Repeat for /app/webroot/.htaccess

For 1and1.com shared hosting php4 is default unless you add the following line to the top of your .htaccess file:

AddType x-mapp-php5 .php

Save and upload the file.

About: Drug-ed

This blog is my step-by-step process of learning CakePHP, and designing and building Drug Education, a drug education and compliance assistance website.

I'm posting it both as a record of my path for myself, as well as to help any other aspiring web developers who want to work with CakePHP.

The idea of Drug-ed is to assist in drug compliance and education. A study from 1977 (Improved Patient Compliance through Use of a Daily Drug Reminder Chart) showed a 23-26% increase in drug compliance when a reminder was given. In this digital age an SMS message sent to a cell phone would work for me and may work just as well for others.