I'd like to make an application in CakePHP which manages exercises and users results. Users and results are not important in this question.
I want to have a possibility to add an exercise with adding only a specific table and line to .ini config file. Application should route to a GenericExercisesController if specific one doesn't exists. Controller should load a GenericExerciseModel if specific doesn't exists. I'd managed with model loading and partially with routing with controller like this:
In route.php
foreach(Configure::read('exercisesTables') as $exerciseName){
if( App::import('Controller', Inflector::pluralize($exerciseName))){
Router::connect('/exercises/'.Inflector::pluralize($exerciseName).'/:action', array('controller' => Inflector::pluralize($exerciseName)));
}else{
Router::connect('/exercises/'.Inflector::pluralize($exerciseName).'/:action', array('controller' => 'GenericExercises', 'fakeModel' => $exerciseName));
}
}
So if I want to load an exercise Foo I should use address:
http://example.com/exercises/Foos/view
And this works fine, doesn't matter if specific controller exists.
Problem begins when I use reverse routing to generate links in views. If exercise Foo have specific controller this works correctly:
print $this->Html->url(array('controller' => Inflector::pluralize($exerciseName), 'action' => 'view'));
produces:
/exercises/Foos/view
But when exercise Bar doesn't have specific controller then the same code produces:
/Bars
This causes a problem, there is no Bars
Controller.
Temporarily I'm generating those links manually, but I don't think that this is the best solution:
print $this->Html->url("/".Configure::read('exerciseRoutingPrefix')."/".Inflector::pluralize($exerciseName)."/view");
Maybe someone of you know a better solution. Thank you for reading my question.
UPDATE 1:
Those are routes in route.php
defined before foreach
in order as they're in file:
Router::connect('/', array('controller' => 'questions', 'action' => 'regulations'));
Router::connect('/pages/*', array('controller' => 'pages', 'action' => 'display'));
Router::connect('/help', array('controller' => 'pages', 'action' => 'faq'));
If I understood your question correctly, you could try making a "MyHtmlHelper" which does some magic before parsing your options to the HtmlHelper::link();
You can do it like so:
/app/View/Helpes/MyHtmlHelper.php
Create a helper which extends the "HtmlHelper" like so:
<?php
App::uses('HtmlHelper', 'View/Helper');
class MyHtmlHelper extends HtmlHelper {
public function link($title, $url = null, $options = array(), $confirmMessage = false) {
//do your magic here and change the $title, $url or $options accordingly.
return parent::link($title, $url, $options, $confirmMessage);
}
}
Now in your controller, you should include the Helper like so (aliasing) $helpers = array('Html' => array('className' => 'MyHtml'));
instead of $helpers = array('Html');
.
I guess you can fill in the blanks on the public function link yourself. If not, feel free to ask more help :)
Off course it is possible to do this with every other Helper or method you can think off. HtmlHelper::link() is just used as example.