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CakeDC Git Workflow - Tips and Tricks

Written by Lubomir on June 24, 2014 •
18851 VIEWS

Over the past months we've had many people ask us about how to integrate and work with the CakeDC Git Workflow as we do. So, here are few tips and tricks on how to use our workflow for the git version control system, to help you keep a clean commit history on every CakePHP project.

Using ticket numbers in commit messages

One thing which becomes pretty obvious early on is how handy it can be to have commits tied to your issue tracker. The easiest way to do this is to use the issue or ticket ID in your commit messages.

$ git commit -m "#1234 changed this and that"

Following this pattern (starting the commit message with #ID), with a bit of git rebase sauce, makes the lines of your updates read like a story of your code.

Automation with use of commit-msg hook

It's possible that you may not using a git bash prompt, so you don't see the name of the current branch in console all the time. Alternatively, the dialog window of your preferred UI for git may not clearly disclose the name of the branch you're working on. Or, maybe you're just too lazy to write ticket number every time you commit something to the repository.

Using our workflow, where non-permanent branches are named after the related ticket number, you can create an executable file .git/hooks/commit-msg in the project's root directory with following content:

#!/bin/sh

TICKET=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | awk -F '/' '{print $2}')

if [ -n "$TICKET" ]; then
    echo "#$TICKET `cat $1`" > $1
fi

From now on, the message of every commit to any branch with a forward slash in the name (in our case, its always the ID of the related feature/issue/hot-fix ticket), will start with a hash and the ticket number.

Also, lets assume that you're using our workflow for all of your projects. In that case, it could be better to install the git hook globally:

$ mkdir -p ~/.git_template/hooks
  ... add global hook(s) to this directory ...
$ git config --global init.templatedir '~/.git_template'

After setting this up, every created or cloned repository will use this template directory (will make copy of its content). Existing repositories could be reinitialized with the new template by running git init in their root folders.

Temporary local branches

With the previous commit-msg hook in place, we can now go crazy with temporary local branches, while still maintaining a readable project timeline with references to tickets. Changes don't have to be committed directly to published branches, and here are some examples how to do that.

Local branch for debugging

Debugging sometimes takes a lot of code to be written, and sometimes a few of the changes made during debugging need to be merged and propagated.

$ git checkout -t origin/feature/1234
$ git checkout -b debug/1234

Now we have local branch debug/1234 based on feature/1234. Lets do some work in loop, like adding tests, debugging code, applying fixes... everything in commits as small as possible, with meaningful commit messages:

$ git commit -m "Added debug code for debugging this and that"
$ git commit -m "Added test case proving this and that"
$ git commit -m "Tried to fix this and that"

The history of the debug/1234 branch will look like the following:

#1234 Added debug code for debugging this and that
#1234 Added test case proving this and that
#1234 Tried to fix this and that

We'll still have the feature branch free of debugging related code. You can then merge to this branch to keep it updated with progress from feature branch, but you can also commit fixes to it that you'll want to publish, and then use cherry-pick for including them elsewhere.

And if you changed something in your debug/1234 branch, that you'll want to still see in the feature/1234 branch, then simply perform the following:

$ git checkout feature/1234
  ... merge, cherry-pick, rebase ...
$ git push

Then, finally some clean up, like so:

$ git branch -D debug/1234

We hope you found something useful here, to make working with the workflow more engaging, and help you keep building awesome applications with CakePHP.

Latest articles

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Goodbye to 2025!

Well bakers… another advent calendar is coming to an end. I hope you enjoyed all of the topics covered each day. We are also closing the year with so much gratitude. 2025 was the 20th year of CakePHP, can you believe it? We had an amazing year with our team, the community and the CakePHP core. It was great connecting with those who attended CakeFest in Madrid, and we hope to have the opportunity to see more of you in 2026. I cannot let the year end without getting a little sentimental. There is no better way to say it… THANK YOU. Thank you to the team who worked so hard, the core team that keeps pumping out releases, and most of all … thank you to our clients that trust us with their projects. CakeDC is successful because of the strong relationships we build with our network, and we hope to continue working with all of you for many years. There are a lot of great things still to come in year 21! Could 2026 will be bringing us CakePHP 6?! Considering 21 is the legal drinking age in the US, maybe CakePHP 6 should be beer cake? Delicious. Stay tuned to find out. Before I go, I am leaving you with something special. A note from Larry! As we close out this year, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Twenty years ago, CakePHP started as a simple idea shared by a few of us who wanted to make building on the web easier and more enjoyable. Seeing how far it has come, and more importantly, seeing how many lives and careers it has impacted, is something I never take for granted. I am deeply grateful for our team, the core contributors, the community, and our clients who continue to believe in what we do. You are the reason CakePHP and CakeDC are still here, still growing, and still relevant after two decades. Here is to what we have built together, and to what is still ahead. Thank you for being part of this journey. Larry

Written by Amanda on December 24, 2025

220 Views

Pagination of multiple queries in CakePHP

A less typical use case for pagination in an appication is the need to paginate multiples queries. In CakePHP you can achieve this with pagination scopes.

Users list

Lest use as an example a simple users list.

// src/Controller/UsersController.php

class UsersController extends AppController
{
    protected array $paginate = [
        'limit' => 25,
    ];

    public function index()
    {
        // Default model pagination
        $this->set('users', $this->paginate($this->Users));
    }
}

// templates/Users/index.php

<h2><?= __('Users list') ?>/h2>
<table>
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('name', __('Name')) ?></th>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('email', __('Email')) ?></th>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('active', __('Active')) ?></th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        <?php foreach ($users as $user): ?>
        <tr>
            <td><?= h($user->name) ?></td>
            <td><?= h($user->email) ?></td>
            <td><?= $user->active ? 'Yes' : 'No' ?></td>
        </tr>
        <?php endforeach; ?>
    </tbody>
</table>
<?= $this->Paginator->counter() ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->prev('« Previous') ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->numbers() ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->next('Next »') ?>

Pagination of multiple queries

Now, we want to display two paginated tables, one with the active users and the other with the inactive ones.

// src/Controller/UsersController.php

class UsersController extends AppController
{
    protected array $paginate = [
        'Users' => [
            'scope' => 'active_users',
            'limit' => 25,
        ],
        'InactiveUsers' => [
            'scope' => 'inactive_users',
            'limit' => 10,
        ],
    ];

    public function index()
    {
        $activeUsers = $this->paginate(
            $this->Users->find()->where(['active' => true]),
            [scope: 'active_users']
        );

        // Load an additional table object with the custom alias set in the paginate property
        $inactiveUsersTable = $this->fetchTable('InactiveUsers', [
            'className' => \App\Model\Table\UsersTable::class,
            'table' => 'users',
            'entityClass' => 'App\Model\Entity\User',
        ]);
        $inactiveUsers = $this->paginate(
            $inactiveUsersTable->find()->where(['active' => false]),
            [scope: 'inactive_users']
        );

        $this->set(compact('users', 'inactiveUsers'));
    }
}

// templates/Users/index.php

<?php
// call `setPaginated` first with the results to be displayed next, so the paginator use the correct scope for the links
$this->Paginator->setPaginated($users);
?>
<h2><?= __('Active Users') ?>/h2>
<table>
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('name', __('Name')) ?></th>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('email', __('Email')) ?></th>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('active', __('Active')) ?></th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        <?php foreach ($users as $user): ?>
        <tr>
            <td><?= h($user->name) ?></td>
            <td><?= h($user->email) ?></td>
            <td><?= $user->active ? 'Yes' : 'No' ?></td>
        </tr>
        <?php endforeach; ?>
    </tbody>
</table>
<?= $this->Paginator->counter() ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->prev('« Previous') ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->numbers() ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->next('Next »') ?>

<?php
// call `setPaginated` first with the results to be displayed next, so the paginator use the correct scope for the links
$this->Paginator->setPaginated($inactiveUsers);
?>
<h2><?= __('Inactive Users') ?>/h2>
<table>
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('name', __('Name')) ?></th>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('email', __('Email')) ?></th>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('active', __('Active')) ?></th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        <?php foreach ($inactiveUsers as $inactiveUser): ?>
        <tr>
            <td><?= h($inactiveUser->name) ?></td>
            <td><?= h($inactiveUser->email) ?></td>
            <td><?= $inactiveUser->active ? 'Yes' : 'No' ?></td>
        </tr>
        <?php endforeach; ?>
    </tbody>
</table>
<?= $this->Paginator->counter() ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->prev('« Previous') ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->numbers() ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->next('Next »') ?>

And with this you have two paginated tables in the same request.

Written by Rperez on December 23, 2025

375 Views

Clean DI in CakePHP 5.3: Say Goodbye to fetchTable()

This article is part of the CakeDC Advent Calendar 2025 (December 23rd, 2025)

Introduction: The Death of the "Hidden" Dependency

For years, accessing data in CakePHP meant "grabbing" it from the global state. Whether using TableRegistry::getTableLocator()->get() or the LocatorAwareTrait’s $this->fetchTable(), your classes reached out to a locator to find what they needed. While convenient, this created hidden dependencies. A class constructor might look empty, despite the class being secretly reliant on multiple database tables. This made unit testing cumbersome, forcing you to stub the global TableLocator just to inject a mock. CakePHP 5.3 changes the game with Inversion of Control. With the framework currently in its Release Candidate (RC) stage and a stable release expected soon, now is the perfect time to explore these architectural improvements. By using the new TableContainer as a delegate for your PSR-11 container, tables can now be automatically injected directly into your constructors. This shift to explicit dependencies makes your code cleaner, fully type-hinted, and ready for modern testing standards. The Old Way (Hidden Dependency):

public function execute() {
    $users = $this->fetchTable('Users'); // Where did this come from?
}

The 5.3 Way (Explicit Dependency):

public function __construct(protected UsersTable $users) {} 

public function execute() {
    $this->users->find(); // Explicit and testable.
}

Enabling the Delegate

Open src/Application.php and update the services() method by delegating table resolution to the TableContainer.

// src/Application.php
use Cake\ORM\TableContainer;

public function services(ContainerInterface $container): void
{
    // Register the TableContainer as a delegate
    $container->delegate(new TableContainer());
}

How it works under the hood

When you type-hint a class ending in Table (e.g., UsersTable), the main PSR-11 container doesn't initially know how to instantiate it. Because you've registered a delegate, it passes the request to the TableContainer, which then:

Validates: It verifies the class name and ensures it is a subclass of \Cake\ORM\Table.
Locates: It uses the TableLocator to fetch the correct instance (handling all the usual CakePHP ORM configuration behind the scenes).
Resolves: It returns the fully configured Table object back to the main container to be injected.

Note: The naming convention is strict. The TableContainer specifically looks for the Table suffix. If you have a custom class that extends the base Table class but is named UsersRepository, the delegate will skip it, and the container will fail to resolve the dependency.

Practical Example: Cleaner Services

Now, your domain services no longer need to know about the LocatorAwareTrait. They simply ask for what they need.

namespace App\Service;

use App\Model\Table\UsersTable;

class UserManagerService
{
    // No more TableRegistry::get() or $this->fetchTable()
    public function __construct(
        protected UsersTable $users
    ) {}

    public function activateUser(int $id): void
    {
        $user = $this->users->get($id);
        // ... logic
    }
}

Next, open src/Application.php and update the services() method by delegating table resolution to the TableContainer.

// src/Application.php
use App\Model\Table\UsersTable;
use App\Service\UserManagerService;
use Cake\ORM\TableContainer;

public function services(ContainerInterface $container): void
{
    // Register the TableContainer as a delegate
    $container->delegate(new TableContainer());

    // Register your service with the table as constructor argument  
    $container  
        ->add(UserManagerService::class)  
        ->addArgument(UsersTable::class);
}

Why this is a game changer for Testing

Because the table is injected via the constructor, you can now swap it for a mock effortlessly in your test suite without touching the global state of the application.

$mockUsers = $this->createMock(UsersTable::class);
$service = new UserManagerService($mockUsers); // Pure injection!

Conclusion: Small Change, Big Impact

At first glance, adding a single line to your Application::services() method might seem like a minor update. However, TableContainer represents a significant shift in how we approach CakePHP architecture. By delegating table resolution to the container, we gain:

True Type-Safety: Your IDE and static analysis tools now recognize the exact Table class being used. This is a massive win for PHPStan users—no more "Call to an undefined method" errors or messy @var docblock workarounds just to prove to your CI that a method exists.
Zero-Effort Mocking: Testing a service no longer requires manipulating the global TableRegistry state. Simply pass a mock object into the constructor and move on.
Standardization: Your CakePHP code now aligns with modern PHP practices found in any PSR-compliant ecosystem, making your application more maintainable and easier for new developers to understand.

If you plan to upgrade to CakePHP 5.3 upon its release, this is one of the easiest wins for your codebase. It’s time to stop fetching your tables and start receiving them. This article is part of the CakeDC Advent Calendar 2025 (December 23rd, 2025)

Written by Arusinowski on December 23, 2025

CakeDC Blog

CakeDC Git Workflow - Tips and Tricks

Written by Lubomir on June 24, 2014 • 18851 VIEWS

Using ticket numbers in commit messages

Automation with use of commit-msg hook

Temporary local branches

Local branch for debugging

Latest articles

Goodbye to 2025!

Pagination of multiple queries in CakePHP

Pagination of multiple queries in CakePHP

Users list

Pagination of multiple queries

Clean DI in CakePHP 5.3: Say Goodbye to fetchTable()

Introduction: The Death of the "Hidden" Dependency

Enabling the Delegate

How it works under the hood

Practical Example: Cleaner Services

Why this is a game changer for Testing

Conclusion: Small Change, Big Impact

Written by Lubomir on June 24, 2014 •
18851 VIEWS