Charcoal Model class

The Charcoal Model

Custom Object Type

It is possible to attach a custom object type ($_obj_type) to a Model. This will allow the various loaders (metadata and source data)

Metadata

In Charcoal, all models are held in an instance of \Charcoal\Model\Model and its configuration meta-data structure is defined in a \Charcoal\Model\Metadata object.

Loading metadata

To access the metadata, use $this->metadata(). To set metadata, use either

Properties

The Model Attributes are stored in \Charcoal\Property\PropertyInterface objects. The properties are defined in the Model's metadata and can be accessed either with p($ident) to retrieve a property or with properties() to get all properties.

Data Source

The Model data (which is stored internally in the class) can be stored in a storage Source object. There is only one source type currently implemented: \Charcoal\Source\Database.

Loading from source

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Loading into Collection

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Data validation

Once an object has had its data filled (from a form, database, or other source), it is possible to check wether the data is conform to the object definition, as defined by it's properties and meta-properties. This check is done with the validate() function.

The validate() method always return a boolean (true for success and false if there was any validation error(s)). The validation details are held in a Validator object which can then be accessed with the validator() method.

Rendering a model

Every Charcoal Model can be rendered with the help of a View and a ViewController. Or, more precisely, a \Charcoal\View\ModelView and a \Charcoal\View\ModelViewController.