Question

I have a database with some relations.
I have two tables in this example:

activity_ingredients   ingredient_aliases
---------------        ---------------
id                     id
ingredient_id          ingredient_id

I want to make a conditions into my model to connect the tables by the field “ingredient_id”. I have done in this mode:

class ActivityIngredients extends AppModel{
        public $name = 'ActivityIngredients'; 
        public $useTable = 'activity_ingredients';

        public $hasMany = array (
        'IngredientAlias' => array (
            'className'     => 'IngredientAlias',
            'foreignKey'   => false,
            'conditions' => array('ActivityIngredients.ingredient_id = IngredientAlias.ingredient_id')
        )
        );
    }   

class IngredientAlias extends AppModel {

    public $name = 'IngredientAlias';
    public $useTable = 'ingredient_aliases';
    public $belongsTo = array(
         'ActivityIngredients' => array(
            'className'    => 'ActivityIngredients',
            'foreignKey'   => false
        )

    );  
} 

If I write this code give me an error like this:

Column not found: 1054 Unknown column ‘ActivityIngredients.ingredient_id’ in ‘where clause’

But if Instead of hasMany I write hasOne it doesn’t return any error and is perfect. But my relation is hasMany.. why?

To retrieve data I make a query into my UserController.
User is associated with Activity with hasMany, Activity is associated with ActivityIngredients in this mode:

public $hasOne = array(
            'ActivityIngredients' => array(
                'className' => 'ActivityIngredients',
                'conditions' => '',
                'dependent' => true,
                'foreignKey'   => 'activity_id'
            )

To retrieve data I’m using this query at the moment but I think that I have to change all query now

$this->User->Activity->recursive = 2;
        $activity = $this->User->Activity->findAllByUser_id($id);
        $this->set('activity', $activity);

Answer 1

The first thing you should use a singular word while defining model class. It means that the model name should be ActivityIngredient instead of ActivityIngredients.

Although if in activity_ingredients table if ingredient_id id is a foreign key that belongs to ingredient_aliases table. Then it should be named as ingredient_alias_id. Similiarly if you would do this same in ingredient_aliases table, i.e. the foreign key name would be activity_ingredient_id. Then there will be no problem at all.

However, I am giving a solution to your problem. Kindly check and verify.

Then your code should looks like:

class ActivityIngredient extends AppModel{
    public $name = 'ActivityIngredient'; 
    public $useTable = 'activity_ingredients'; // if you use singular term then no need to define $useTable

    public $hasMany = array (
    'IngredientAlias' => array (
        'className'     => 'IngredientAlias',
        'foreignKey'   => false,
        'finderQuery' => 'select * from ingredient_aliases as `IngredientAlias`
                          where `IngredientAlias`.`ingredient_id` = {$__cakeID__$}'
                               )
    );
}   

class IngredientAlias extends AppModel {

    public $name = 'IngredientAlias';
    public $useTable = 'ingredient_aliases';
    public $belongsTo = array(
                      'ActivityIngredient' => array(
                                   'className'    => 'ActivityIngredient',
                                   'foreignKey'   => 'ingredient_id' 
                                                   )
                             );  
}