CakePHP 3: Upload multiple files and save file names in associated model?

Question

I need to create the upload process where the user can upload multiple files at once, using the file field with html5 multiple attr. Name of the file must be saved in the associated model.

I can run successfully upload one file and save the file name in the photos table, across the field:

echo $this->Form->file('photos.name');

But if I want to enable upload more photos with

echo $this->Form->input('title'); // post title
echo $this->Form->input('maintext'); // post main text,
... etc
echo $this->Form->file('photos[].name',['multiple'=>true]);

I get into the problem, and try to understand where I make mistakes, but without success.

PostsController:

public function add()
{
    $post = $this->Posts->newEntity();
    if ($this->request->is('post')) {
        $post = $this->Posts->patchEntity($post, $this->request->data);

        if ($this->Posts->save($post)) {
            $this->Flash->success(__('The post has been saved.'));
            return $this->redirect(['action' => 'index']);
        } else {
            $this->Flash->error(__('The post could not be saved. Please, try again.'));
        }
    }
    $this->set(compact('post'));
    $this->set('_serialize', ['post']);
}

PostsTable:

$this->addBehavior('Upload');

$this->hasMany('Photos', [
    'foreignKey' => 'post_id'
]);

UploadBehavior

All standard callbacks where I currently perform debug $data / $entity, but only in beforeMarshal i use:

$data = Hash::get($data,'name');
debug($data);
// debug output
[
'name' => 'HPIM3869.JPG',
'type' => 'image/jpeg',
'tmp_name' => 'C:\xampp\tmp\phpF02D.tmp',
'error' => (int) 0,
'size' => (int) 1295448
],
...

In beforeSave and afterSave

My form is OK, the data properly come in before Marshal method, if I upload 3 files, I also see the same number of debug outputs, but in beforSave and afterSave debug only show the first file like this:

debug($entity);

object(App\Model\Entity\Photos) {

    'name' => [
        'name' => 'HPIM3435.JPG',
        'type' => 'image/jpeg',
        'tmp_name' => 'C:\xampp\tmp\php5839.tmp',
        'error' => (int) 0,
        'size' => (int) 1517410
    ],
    'post_id' => (int) 469,
    'created' => object(Cake\I18n\Time) {

        'time' => '2015-10-07T09:22:44+0200',
        'timezone' => 'Europe/Berlin',
        'fixedNowTime' => false

    },
    'modified' => object(Cake\I18n\Time) {

        'time' => '2015-10-07T09:22:44+0200',
        'timezone' => 'Europe/Berlin',
        'fixedNowTime' => false

    },
    '[new]' => true,
    '[accessible]' => [
        '*' => true
    ],
    '[dirty]' => [
        'name' => true,
        'post_id' => true,
        'created' => true,
        'modified' => true
    ],
    '[original]' => [],
    '[virtual]' => [],
    '[errors]' => [],
    '[repository]' => 'Photos'

}

Edit:

In the purpose of the test, I create such a form:

echo $this->Form->input('name',['value'=>'zzz']);
echo $this->Form->input('photos.0.name',['value'=>'zzz']);
echo $this->Form->input('photos.1.name',['value'=>'hhh']);
echo $this->Form->input('photos.2.name',['value'=>'fff']);

Also it only be saved the first result.

I need help to understand how to save multiple form data. Where I go wrong?

Answer 1

I think your field should be like this

echo $this->Form->file('photos.name.',['multiple'=>true]); //note dot notation at end of name. It will generate input name as array