Question

I’ve to fetch data from different web services + my own database and combining these data before displaying in the site.

What’s the best method for doing this? I prefer writing separate models for web services and database. How can I organize the model classes of different data sources in different folders?

I may add more webservices later.

Answer 1

EDIT: I am Really sorry, as my example below will not work, as you cannot have equally named models. You should prefix them in the subdirectories as well, like:

1. webservice1/ws1_products
2. webservice2/ws2_products
3. db/db_products
4. products

That way you will load them as

$this->load->model('webservice1/ws1_products');
$this->load->model('webservice2/ws2_products');
$this->load->model('db/db_products');
$this->load->model('products');

And use as

$x = $this->ws1_products->getAll();
$x = $this->ws2_products->getAll();
$x = $this->db_products->getAll();
$x = $this->products->getAll();  // combined result

End of edit.

To separate them in different folders simply put them in subfolders in models directory, then use common syntax $this->load->model('web_service1/products');.

I don’t know the best method, as it is a matter of preference, but if I were you, I would separate them as you said in two different models and made a third one, that would combine them to one result.
So if you have to get products from 2 different services and your database, I would make 4 models:

1. webservice1/products
2. webservice2/products
3. db/products
4. products // the model that combines them to one result

That way you would have to make only one request from the controller, to the products model.