MY_Model
===============

Toolwatch Base Model

The Base model implements standard CRUD functions that can be used and
overriden by module models. This helps to maintain a standard interface to
program to, and makes module creation faster.


* Class name: MY_Model
* Namespace: 
* Parent class: [CI_Model](CI_Model.md)





Properties
----------


### $error

    public string $error = ''

Stores custom errors that can be used in UI error reporting.



* Visibility: **public**


### $table_name

    public string $table_name = ''

The name of the db table this model primarily uses.



* Visibility: **public**


### $key

    protected string $key = 'id'

The primary key of the table. Used as the 'id' throughout.



* Visibility: **protected**


### $created_field

    protected string $created_field = 'created_on'

Field name to use for the created time column in the DB table if
$set_created is enabled



* Visibility: **protected**


### $modified_field

    protected string $modified_field = 'modified_on'

Field name to use for the modified time column in the DB table if
$set_modified is enabled



* Visibility: **protected**


### $deleted_field

    protected string $deleted_field = 'deleted'

Field name to use for the deleted column in the DB table if $soft_deletes
is enabled



* Visibility: **protected**


### $set_created

    protected boolean $set_created = false

Whether or not to auto-fill the $created_field on inserts.



* Visibility: **protected**


### $set_modified

    protected boolean $set_modified = false

Whether or not to auto-fill the $modified_field on updates.



* Visibility: **protected**


### $date_format

    protected string $date_format = 'datetime'

The type of date/time field used for $created_field and $modified_field

Valid values are 'int', 'datetime', 'date'

* Visibility: **protected**


### $soft_deletes

    protected boolean $soft_deletes = false

If false, the delete() method will perform a delete of that row.

If true, the value in $deleted_field will be set to 1.

* Visibility: **protected**


### $selects

    protected string $selects = ''

Stores any selects here for use by the find* functions.



* Visibility: **protected**


### $escape

    protected boolean $escape = true

If false, the select() method will not try to protect your field or table
names with backticks.

This is useful if you need a compound select statement.

* Visibility: **protected**


### $db_con

    protected mixed $db_con = ''

DB Connection details (string or array)



* Visibility: **protected**


### $before_insert

    protected array $before_insert = array()

Observer Arrays

Each array can contain the names of callback functions within the
extending model which will be called during each event.

<code>
$before_insert = array('set_created', 'validate_fields');
</code>

$before_insert contains the names of callback functions within the
extending model which will be called before the insert method.

* Visibility: **protected**


### $after_insert

    protected array $after_insert = array()

Contains the names ozf callback functions within the extending model which
will be called after the insert method



* Visibility: **protected**


### $before_update

    protected array $before_update = array()

Contains the names of callback functions within the extending model which
will be called before the update method



* Visibility: **protected**


### $after_update

    protected array $after_update = array()

Contains the names of callback functions within the extending model which
will be called after the update method



* Visibility: **protected**


### $before_find

    protected array $before_find = array()

Contains the names of callback functions within the extending model which
will be called before the find method



* Visibility: **protected**


### $after_find

    protected array $after_find = array()

Contains the names of callback functions within the extending model which
will be called after the find method



* Visibility: **protected**


### $before_union_all

    protected array $before_union_all = array()

Contains the names of callback functions within the extending model which
will be called before the union_all method



* Visibility: **protected**


### $after_union_all

    protected array $after_union_all = array()

Contains the names of callback functions within the extending model which
will be called after the union_all method



* Visibility: **protected**


### $before_delete

    protected array $before_delete = array()

Contains the names of callback functions within the extending model which
will be called before the delete method



* Visibility: **protected**


### $after_delete

    protected array $after_delete = array()

Contains the names of callback functions within the extending model which
will be called after the delete method



* Visibility: **protected**


### $empty_validation_rules

    protected array $empty_validation_rules = array()

Contains the names of callback functions within the extending model which
will be called if $validation_rules is empty (or not an array) when
requested via the get_validation_rules() method.

Note: These methods should not add $insert_validation_rules, as they are
added to the $validation_rules after these functions return.

* Visibility: **protected**


### $protected_attributes

    protected array $protected_attributes = array()

Protected, non-modifiable attributes



* Visibility: **protected**


### $return_type

    protected string $return_type = 'object'

By default, we return items as objects. You can change this for the
entire class by setting this value to 'array' instead of 'object'.

Alternatively, you can do it on a per-instance basis using the
'as_array()' and 'as_object()' methods.

* Visibility: **protected**


### $temp_return_type

    protected string $temp_return_type = null

Holds the return type temporarily when using the
as_array() and as_object() methods



* Visibility: **protected**


### $validation_rules

    protected Array $validation_rules = array()





* Visibility: **protected**


### $insert_validation_rules

    protected Array $insert_validation_rules = array()





* Visibility: **protected**


### $skip_validation

    protected boolean $skip_validation = false





* Visibility: **protected**


### $return_insert_id

    protected boolean $return_insert_id = true





* Visibility: **protected**


### $field_info

    protected Array $field_info = array()





* Visibility: **protected**


### $pending_selects

    protected array $pending_selects = array()

This array will be populated with selects and mainly use for union based query.



* Visibility: **protected**


Methods
-------


### __construct

    void CI_Model::__construct()

Class constructor



* Visibility: **public**
* This method is defined by [CI_Model](CI_Model.md)




### find

    mixed MY_Model::find(string $id)

Search for a single row in the database.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $id **string** - &lt;p&gt;The primary key of the record to search for.&lt;/p&gt;



### find_all

    mixed MY_Model::find_all()

Returns all records in the table.

By default, there is no 'where' clause, but the where clause can be set
by using either CodeIgniter's Active Record functions before calling this
function, or through method chaining with the model's where() method.

* Visibility: **public**




### find_union_all

    mixed MY_Model::find_union_all()

Returns all of unions, the $pending_selects value has to be populated
trhought the union conveniant method



* Visibility: **public**




### find_all_by

    boolean|mixed MY_Model::find_all_by(mixed $field, mixed $value, string $type)

A convenience method that combines a where() and find_all() call into a
single call.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $field **mixed** - &lt;p&gt;The table field to search in.&lt;/p&gt;
* $value **mixed** - &lt;p&gt;The value that field should be.&lt;/p&gt;
* $type **string** - &lt;p&gt;The type of where clause to create: &#039;and&#039; or &#039;or&#039;.&lt;/p&gt;



### find_by

    boolean|mixed MY_Model::find_by(string $field, string $value, string $type)

Returns the first result that matches the field/values passed.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $field **string** - &lt;p&gt;Either a string or an array of fields to match
against. If an array is passed it, the $value parameter is ignored since
the array is expected to have key/value pairs in it.&lt;/p&gt;
* $value **string** - &lt;p&gt;The value to match on the $field. Only used when
$field is a string.&lt;/p&gt;
* $type **string** - &lt;p&gt;The type of where clause to create: &#039;and&#039; or &#039;or&#039;.&lt;/p&gt;



### insert

    boolean|mixed MY_Model::insert(array $data)

Insert a row of data into the database.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $data **array** - &lt;p&gt;an array of key/value pairs to insert.&lt;/p&gt;



### insert_batch

    boolean MY_Model::insert_batch(array $data)

Perform a batch insert of data into the database.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $data **array** - &lt;p&gt;an array of key/value pairs to insert.&lt;/p&gt;



### update_table

    boolean MY_Model::update_table(mixed $where, array $data, $table)

Update an existing row in the database.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $where **mixed** - &lt;p&gt;The primary_key value of the row to update, or an
array to use for the where clause.&lt;/p&gt;
* $data **array** - &lt;p&gt;An array of key/value pairs to update.&lt;/p&gt;
* $table **mixed**



### update

    boolean MY_Model::update(mixed $where, array $data)

Update an existing row in the database.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $where **mixed** - &lt;p&gt;The primary_key value of the row to update, or an
array to use for the where clause.&lt;/p&gt;
* $data **array** - &lt;p&gt;An array of key/value pairs to update.&lt;/p&gt;



### increment

    boolean MY_Model::increment(mixed $where, $field)

Increment a field. Mostly use for views, likes and so on.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $where **mixed** - &lt;p&gt;The primary_key value of the row to update, or an
array to use for the where clause.&lt;/p&gt;
* $field **mixed**



### decrement

    boolean MY_Model::decrement(mixed $where, $field)

Decrement a field. Mostly use for views, likes and so on.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $where **mixed** - &lt;p&gt;The primary_key value of the row to update, or an
array to use for the where clause.&lt;/p&gt;
* $field **mixed**



### update_where

    boolean MY_Model::update_where(string $field, string $value, array $data)

A convenience method that allows use of any field/value pair as the
'where' portion of an update.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $field **string** - &lt;p&gt;The field to match on.&lt;/p&gt;
* $value **string** - &lt;p&gt;The value to search the $field for.&lt;/p&gt;
* $data **array** - &lt;p&gt;An array of key/value pairs to update.&lt;/p&gt;



### update_batch

    boolean MY_Model::update_batch(array $data, string $index)

Updates a batch of existing rows in the database.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $data **array** - &lt;p&gt;An array of key/value pairs to update.&lt;/p&gt;
* $index **string** - &lt;p&gt;The name of the db column to use as the where key&lt;/p&gt;



### delete

    boolean MY_Model::delete(mixed $id)

Delete the record with the specified primary key value.

If $this->soft_deletes is true, it will attempt to set
$this->deleted_field on the specified record to '1', to allow the data to
remain in the database.

* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $id **mixed** - &lt;p&gt;The primary_key value to match against.&lt;/p&gt;



### delete_where

    boolean MY_Model::delete_where($where)

Delete the record(s) specified by the given field/value pair(s).

Performs a delete using the field/value pair(s) as the 'where' portion of
the delete statement.

If $this->soft_deletes is true, it will attempt to set
$this->deleted_field on the specified record(s) to '1', to allow the data
to remain in the database.

* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $where **mixed**



### is_unique

    boolean MY_Model::is_unique(string $field, string $value)

Check whether a field/value pair exists within the table.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $field **string** - &lt;p&gt;The name of the field to search&lt;/p&gt;
* $value **string** - &lt;p&gt;The value to match $field against.&lt;/p&gt;



### count_by

    boolean|integer MY_Model::count_by(string $field, string $value)

Return the number of elements that match the field/value pair.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $field **string** - &lt;p&gt;The field to search for.&lt;/p&gt;
* $value **string** - &lt;p&gt;The value to match $field against.&lt;/p&gt;



### get_field

    boolean|mixed MY_Model::get_field(mixed $id, string $field)

A convenience method to return only a single field of the specified row.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $id **mixed** - &lt;p&gt;The primary_key value to match against.&lt;/p&gt;
* $field **string** - &lt;p&gt;The field to search for.&lt;/p&gt;



### format_dropdown

    array MY_Model::format_dropdown()

A convenience method to return options for form dropdown menus.

Can pass either Key ID and Label Table names or Just Label Table name.

* Visibility: **public**




### where

    \FF_Model MY_Model::where(mixed $field, string $value, $escape)

Sets the where portion of the query in a chainable format.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $field **mixed** - &lt;p&gt;The field to search the db on. Can be either a string with the field name to search, or an associative array of key/value pairs.&lt;/p&gt;
* $value **string** - &lt;p&gt;The value to match the field against. If $field is an array, this value is ignored.&lt;/p&gt;
* $escape **mixed**



### order_by

    \FF_Model MY_Model::order_by(mixed $field, string $order)

Inserts a chainable order_by method from either a string or an
array of field/order combinations.

If the $field value is an array, it should look like:

array(
    'field1' => 'asc',
    'field2' => 'desc'
);

* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $field **mixed** - &lt;p&gt;The field to order the results by, or an array of
field/order pairs.&lt;/p&gt;
* $order **string** - &lt;p&gt;The direction to order the results (&#039;asc&#039; or &#039;desc&#039;)&lt;/p&gt;



### soft_delete

    \FF_Model MY_Model::soft_delete(boolean $val)

Set the value of the soft deletes flag.

<code>
    $this->my_model->soft_delete(true)->delete($id);
</code>

* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $val **boolean** - &lt;p&gt;If true, will temporarily use soft_deletes.&lt;/p&gt;



### as_array

    \FF_Model MY_Model::as_array()

Temporarily set the return type to an array.



* Visibility: **public**




### as_object

    \FF_Model MY_Model::as_object()

Temporarily sets the return type to an object.



* Visibility: **public**




### as_json

    \FF_Model MY_Model::as_json()

Temporarily sets the object return to a json object.



* Visibility: **public**




### return_insert_id

    \FF_Model MY_Model::return_insert_id(Bool $return)

Sets the value of the return_insert_id flag



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $return **Bool** - &lt;p&gt;(optional) whether insert will return the ID&lt;/p&gt;



### skip_validation

    \FF_Model MY_Model::skip_validation(Bool $skip)

Sets the value of the skip_validation flag



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $skip **Bool** - &lt;p&gt;(optional) whether to skip validation in the model&lt;/p&gt;



### created_on

    array MY_Model::created_on(array $row)

Sets the created date for the row

Uses the current date/time, the model's date_format, and places the value
in the model's created_field.
Will not overwrite existing.

* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $row **array** - &lt;p&gt;The array of data to be inserted&lt;/p&gt;



### modified_on

    array MY_Model::modified_on(array $row)

Sets the modified date for the row

Uses the current date/time, the model's date_format, and places the value
in the model's modified_field.
Will not overwrite existing.

* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $row **array** - &lt;p&gt;The array of data to be inserted&lt;/p&gt;



### trigger

    mixed MY_Model::trigger(string $event, mixed $data)

Triggers a model-specific event and calls each of its observers.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $event **string** - &lt;p&gt;The name of the event to trigger&lt;/p&gt;
* $data **mixed** - &lt;p&gt;The data to be passed to the callback functions.&lt;/p&gt;



### get_validation_rules

    array MY_Model::get_validation_rules(String $type)

Get the validation rules for the model



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $type **String** - &lt;p&gt;The type of validation rules to retrieve: &#039;update&#039; or
&#039;insert&#039;. If &#039;insert&#039;, appends rules set in $insert_validation_rules.&lt;/p&gt;



### validate

    \array/bool MY_Model::validate(array $data, string $type)

Validate the $data passed into it

Uses the form_validation rules setup in $this->validation_rules.

If $type == 'insert', any additional rules in $insert_validation_rules
for that field will be added to the rules.

* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $data **array** - &lt;p&gt;An array of data to validate&lt;/p&gt;
* $type **string** - &lt;p&gt;Either &#039;update&#039; or &#039;insert&#039;.&lt;/p&gt;



### protect_attributes

    mixed MY_Model::protect_attributes(\object/array $row)

Protect attributes by removing them from $row array.

Useful for removing the primary key, or submit button names if $_POST is
thrown at the model.

* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $row **object/array** - &lt;p&gt;The value pair item to remove.&lt;/p&gt;



### set_date

    integer|null|string MY_Model::set_date(mixed $user_date)

A utility function to allow child models to use the type of
date/time format that they prefer. This is primarily used for
setting created_on and modified_on values, but can be used for other
fields as well.

The available time formats are:
* 'int'		- Stores the date as an integer timestamp.
* 'datetime'	- Stores the date and time in the SQL datetime format.
* 'date'		- Stores teh date (only) in the SQL date format.

* Visibility: **protected**


#### Arguments
* $user_date **mixed** - &lt;p&gt;An optional PHP timestamp to be converted.&lt;/p&gt;



### _return_type

    string MY_Model::_return_type($multi)

Return the method name for the current return type



* Visibility: **protected**


#### Arguments
* $multi **mixed**



### get_db_error_message

    string MY_Model::get_db_error_message()

Retrieve error messages from the database



* Visibility: **protected**




### set_table

    void MY_Model::set_table(string $table)

Allows setting the table to use for all methods during runtime.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $table **string** - &lt;p&gt;The table name to use (do not include the prefix!)&lt;/p&gt;



### get_table

    string MY_Model::get_table()

Get the table name



* Visibility: **public**




### get_key

    string MY_Model::get_key()

Get the table's primary key



* Visibility: **public**




### get_created_by_field

    String MY_Model::get_created_by_field()

Get the name of the created by field



* Visibility: **public**




### get_created_field

    String MY_Model::get_created_field()

Get the name of the created field



* Visibility: **public**




### get_deleted_field

    String MY_Model::get_deleted_field()

Get the name of the deleted field



* Visibility: **public**




### get_deleted_by_field

    String MY_Model::get_deleted_by_field()

Get the name of the deleted by field



* Visibility: **public**




### get_field_info

    array MY_Model::get_field_info()

Get the metadata for the model's database fields

Returns the model's database field metadata stored in $this->field_info
if set, else it tries to retrieve the metadata from
$this->db->field_data($this->table_name);

* Visibility: **public**




### get_modified_by_field

    String MY_Model::get_modified_by_field()

Get the name of the modified by field



* Visibility: **public**




### get_modified_field

    String MY_Model::get_modified_field()

Get the name of the modified field



* Visibility: **public**




### set_date_format

    boolean MY_Model::set_date_format(string $format)

Sets the date_format to use for setting created_on and modified_on values.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $format **string** - &lt;p&gt;String describing format. Valid values are: &#039;int&#039;, &#039;datetime&#039;, &#039;date&#039;&lt;/p&gt;



### set_modified

    boolean MY_Model::set_modified(boolean $modified)

Sets whether to auto-create modified_on dates in the update method.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $modified **boolean**



### set_soft_deletes

    boolean MY_Model::set_soft_deletes(boolean $soft)

Sets whether soft deletes are used by the delete method.



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $soft **boolean**



### logit

    mixed MY_Model::logit(string $message, string $level)

Logs an error to the Console (if loaded) and to the log files.



* Visibility: **protected**


#### Arguments
* $message **string** - &lt;p&gt;The string to write to the logs.&lt;/p&gt;
* $level **string** - &lt;p&gt;The log level, as per CI log_message method.&lt;/p&gt;



### prep_data

    Array MY_Model::prep_data(Array $post_data)

Extracts the model's fields (except the key and those handled by
Observers) from the $post_data and returns an array of name => value pairs



* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $post_data **Array** - &lt;p&gt;The post data, usually $this-&gt;input-&gt;post() when called from the controller&lt;/p&gt;



### raw_sql

    mixed MY_Model::raw_sql($sql)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $sql **mixed**



### select

    mixed MY_Model::select($select, $escape)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $select **mixed**
* $escape **mixed**



### select_max

    mixed MY_Model::select_max($select, $alias)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $select **mixed**
* $alias **mixed**



### select_min

    mixed MY_Model::select_min($select, $alias)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $select **mixed**
* $alias **mixed**



### select_avg

    mixed MY_Model::select_avg($select, $alias)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $select **mixed**
* $alias **mixed**



### select_sum

    mixed MY_Model::select_sum($select, $alias)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $select **mixed**
* $alias **mixed**



### distinct

    mixed MY_Model::distinct($val)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $val **mixed**



### from

    mixed MY_Model::from($from)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $from **mixed**



### join

    mixed MY_Model::join($table, $cond, $type)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $table **mixed**
* $cond **mixed**
* $type **mixed**



### union

    mixed MY_Model::union($select)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $select **mixed**



### or_where

    mixed MY_Model::or_where($key, $value, $escape)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $key **mixed**
* $value **mixed**
* $escape **mixed**



### where_in

    mixed MY_Model::where_in($key, $values)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $key **mixed**
* $values **mixed**



### or_where_in

    mixed MY_Model::or_where_in($key, $values)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $key **mixed**
* $values **mixed**



### where_not_in

    mixed MY_Model::where_not_in($key, $values)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $key **mixed**
* $values **mixed**



### or_where_not_in

    mixed MY_Model::or_where_not_in($key, $values)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $key **mixed**
* $values **mixed**



### like

    mixed MY_Model::like($field, $match, $side)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $field **mixed**
* $match **mixed**
* $side **mixed**



### nto_like

    mixed MY_Model::nto_like($field, $match, $side)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $field **mixed**
* $match **mixed**
* $side **mixed**



### or_like

    mixed MY_Model::or_like($field, $match, $side)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $field **mixed**
* $match **mixed**
* $side **mixed**



### or_not_like

    mixed MY_Model::or_not_like($field, $match, $side)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $field **mixed**
* $match **mixed**
* $side **mixed**



### group_by

    mixed MY_Model::group_by($by)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $by **mixed**



### having

    mixed MY_Model::having($key, $value, $escape)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $key **mixed**
* $value **mixed**
* $escape **mixed**



### or_having

    mixed MY_Model::or_having($key, $value, $escape)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $key **mixed**
* $value **mixed**
* $escape **mixed**



### limit

    mixed MY_Model::limit($value, $offset)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $value **mixed**
* $offset **mixed**



### offset

    mixed MY_Model::offset($offset)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $offset **mixed**



### set

    mixed MY_Model::set($key, $value, $escape)





* Visibility: **public**


#### Arguments
* $key **mixed**
* $value **mixed**
* $escape **mixed**



### affected_rows

    mixed MY_Model::affected_rows()





* Visibility: **public**




### last_query

    mixed MY_Model::last_query()





* Visibility: **public**




### truncate

    mixed MY_Model::truncate()





* Visibility: **public**




### inserted_id

    mixed MY_Model::inserted_id()





* Visibility: **public**




### __get

    mixed CI_Model::__get(string $key)

__get magic

Allows models to access CI's loaded classes using the same
syntax as controllers.

* Visibility: **public**
* This method is defined by [CI_Model](CI_Model.md)


#### Arguments
* $key **string**