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Models and saving data
Before jumping straight into creating our models, we need to define clearly what
type of models we are going to build and how many. So let's review our example
scenario. For our gift registry, it appears that we will need two different models:
Chapter 4
• Registry Model: This model is used to store the gift registry information,
such as gift registry type, address, and recipient information
• Registry Item: This model is used to store the information of each of the gift
registry items (quantity requested, quantity bought, product_id)
Although this approach is correct, it does not meet all the requirements of our
example scenario. By having all the registry information stored into a single table, we
cannot add more registry types without modifying the code.
So, in this case, we will want to break down our data into multiple tables:
• Registry Entity: This table is used to store the gift registry and event
information
• Registry Type: By storing the gift registry type into a separate table, we can
add or remove event types
• Registry Item: This table is used to store the information of each of the gift
registry items (quantity requested, quantity bought, product_id)
Now that we have defined our data structure, we can start building the
corresponding models that will allow us to access and manipulate our data.
Creating the models
Let's start by creating the Gift Registry type model, which is used to manage the registry
types (wedding, birthday, baby shower, and so on). To do so, follow these steps:
1. Navigate to the Model folder on our module directory.
2. Create a new file called Type.php and copy the following content into the file
(the file location is app/code/local/Mdg/Giftregistry/Model/Type.php):