Doctrine Sortable Failure With Child SortableGroup

by Alex Johnson 51 views

When working with Doctrine Extensions, particularly the Sortable behavior, you might encounter issues when a SortableGroup is present in a child relation. This article delves into a specific failure scenario, providing a detailed explanation, environment setup, and steps to reproduce the issue. We'll explore the root cause of the problem and offer potential solutions or workarounds. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting with Doctrine Extensions, this guide aims to help you understand and resolve this common pitfall.

The Issue: Sortable Failure with SortableGroup in Child Relation

When utilizing Doctrine Extensions' Sortable behavior, a common pitfall occurs when a SortableGroup exists within a child relationship. This issue manifests as a failure during the sorting process, specifically when attempting to update the positions of entities within the group. The root cause stems from a miscalculation in the ORM::updatePositions function, particularly when entities are deleted, leading to an attempt to bind a null identifier to a query parameter. This article aims to dissect this problem, providing a clear understanding of the environment, steps to reproduce, and the underlying cause, ensuring developers can effectively troubleshoot and prevent this issue.

The error arises within the ORM::updatePositions function, where a miscalculation occurs due to the deletion of all gallery items, the gallery itself, and its parent. Specifically, the failure happens in the following code block:

foreach ($relocation['groups'] as $group => $value) {
 if (null === $value) {
 $dql .= " AND n.{$group} IS NULL";
 } else {
 $dql .= " AND n.{$group} = :val___".(++$i);
 $params['val___'.$i] = $value;
 }
}

In this scenario, the $value is not present, leading to a subsequent failure in the following block:

$em = $this->getObjectManager();
$q = $em->createQuery($dql);
$q->setParameters($params);
$q->getSingleScalarResult();

The core problem is that the gallery's id becomes null, resulting in the error message:

Binding entities to query parameters only allowed for entities that have an identifier.
Class "App\Entity\Gallery" does not have an identifier.

This error indicates that Doctrine is attempting to bind an entity without a valid identifier to a query parameter, which is not permitted. This typically occurs when the entity's ID is null, often as a result of deletion or incorrect handling of relationships.

To effectively address this issue, it's crucial to understand the specific conditions that trigger it. These conditions usually involve the deletion of related entities in a particular order, leading to inconsistencies in the sortable positions. By examining the environment setup, entity relationships, and the steps to reproduce, we can gain a clearer picture of the problem and devise appropriate solutions.

Environment Setup

To fully grasp the context of this issue, understanding the environment in which it occurs is paramount. The following details outline the specific versions and configurations used, providing a baseline for reproducing and resolving the problem. This includes the PHP version, operating system, Symfony framework version, and the specific versions of Doctrine and related packages. By replicating this environment, developers can effectively diagnose and validate potential fixes.

  • PHP Version: 8.4.13
  • Operating System: Linux 88ac4bca2e3b 6.12.54-linuxkit #1 SMP Tue Nov 4 21:21:47 UTC 2025 aarch64
  • Symfony Version: 7.3.4
  • Doctrine Extensions Version: v3.21.0

Package Details

The gedmo/doctrine-extensions package, version v3.21.0, is the primary extension being used. It provides various behavioral extensions for Doctrine, including the Sortable functionality. Key details about the package include:

The package requires several dependencies, including various Doctrine components, PHP versions, and Symfony components. These dependencies ensure the proper functioning of the extensions. Specifically, it requires:

  • doctrine/collections: ^1.2 || ^2.0
  • doctrine/deprecations: ^1.0
  • doctrine/event-manager: ^1.2 || ^2.0
  • doctrine/persistence: ^2.2 || ^3.0 || ^4.0
  • php: ^7.4 || ^8.0
  • psr/cache: ^1 || ^2 || ^3
  • psr/clock: ^1
  • symfony/cache: ^5.4 || ^6.0 || ^7.0
  • symfony/string: ^5.4 || ^6.0 || ^7.0

It also suggests doctrine/mongodb-odm and doctrine/orm for use with MongoDB ODM and ORM, respectively. This indicates the package's versatility and wide range of application within Doctrine projects.

Doctrine Packages

The core Doctrine packages being used are crucial for understanding the ORM layer and how it interacts with the Sortable extension. The specific versions of these packages can influence the behavior and compatibility of the extensions. Important packages include:

  • doctrine/dbal: 3.9.3
  • doctrine/doctrine-bundle: 2.18.0
  • doctrine/doctrine-migrations-bundle: 3.5.0
  • doctrine/orm: 3.5.2

These packages provide the database abstraction, Symfony integration, migration capabilities, and object-relational mapping functionalities, respectively. Ensuring these packages are compatible and up-to-date is essential for the stability and performance of the application.

By meticulously outlining the environment, including package versions and dependencies, we create a solid foundation for reproducing the issue and verifying any proposed solutions. This detailed setup allows developers to pinpoint potential conflicts or incompatibilities and ensures a consistent testing environment.

Steps to Reproduce the Issue

Reproducing the issue reliably is crucial for understanding its cause and verifying any potential solutions. This section provides a step-by-step guide on how to trigger the Sortable failure with SortableGroup in a child relation. By following these steps, developers can consistently encounter the error and gain a deeper understanding of the problem.

1. Define Entities

The first step is to define the entities involved in the relationship. These entities include ParentA, Gallery, and Items. The relationships between these entities are as follows:

  • ParentA has a one-to-one relationship with Gallery.
  • Gallery has a one-to-many relationship with Items.
  • Items belongs to a SortableGroup based on the Gallery.

Here are the entity definitions:

<?php

namespace App
tity;

use Doctrine
M	Mapping as ORM;

#[ORM	Entity]
class ParentA
{
 #[ORM	Id]
 #[ORM	GeneratedValue]
 #[ORM	Column]
 private ?int $id = null;

 #[ORM	OneToOne(cascade: ['persist', 'remove'])]
 private ?Gallery $gallery = null;

 public function getId(): ?int
 {
 return $this->id;
 }

 public function getGallery(): ?Gallery
 {
 return $this->gallery;
 }

 public function setGallery(?Gallery $gallery): static
 {
 $this->gallery = $gallery;

 return $this;
 }
}

<?php

namespace App
tity;

use Doctrine	Common	Collections	ArrayCollection;
use Doctrine	Common	Collections	Collection;
use Doctrine
M	Mapping as ORM;

#[ORM	Entity]
class Gallery
{
 #[ORM	Id]
 #[ORM	GeneratedValue]
 #[ORM	Column]
 private ?int $id = null;

 /**
 * @var Collection<int, Items>
 */
 #[ORM	OneToMany(targetEntity: Items::class, mappedBy: 'gallery', orphanRemoval: true)]
 private Collection $items;

 public function __construct()
 {
 $this->items = new ArrayCollection();
 }

 public function getId(): ?int
 {
 return $this->id;
 }

 /**
 * @return Collection<int, Items>
 */
 public function getItems(): Collection
 {
 return $this->items;
 }

 public function addItem(Items $item): static
 {
 if (!$this->items->contains($item)) {
 $this->items->add($item);
 $item->setGallery($this);
 }

 return $this;
 }

 public function removeItem(Items $item): static
 {
 if ($this->items->removeElement($item)) {
 // set the owning side to null (unless already changed)
 if ($item->getGallery() === $this) {
 $item->setGallery(null);
 }
 }

 return $this;
 }
}

<?php

namespace App
tity;

use Doctrine
M	Mapping as ORM;
use Gedmo	Mapping	Annotation as Gedmo;

#[ORM	Entity]
class Items
{
 #[ORM	Id]
 #[ORM	GeneratedValue]
 #[ORM	Column]
 private ?int $id = null;

 #[ORM	ManyToOne(inversedBy: 'items')]
 #[ORM	JoinColumn(nullable: false)]
 #[Gedmo	SortableGroup]
 private ?Gallery $gallery = null;

 #[ORM	Column(options: ['default' => 0])]
 #[Gedmo	SortablePosition]
 private ?int $position = 0;

 public function getId(): ?int
 {
 return $this->id;
 }

 public function getGallery(): ?Gallery
 {
 return $this->gallery;
 }

 public function setGallery(?Gallery $gallery): static
 {
 $this->gallery = $gallery;

 return $this;
 }

 public function getPosition(): int
 {
 return $this->position;
 }

 public function setPosition(int $position): static
 {
 $this->position = $position;

 return $this;
 }
}

2. Run Migrations

Next, apply the necessary database migrations to create the tables corresponding to the entities. This includes creating tables for gallery, items, and parent_a, along with the appropriate foreign key constraints. The migrations ensure that the database schema matches the entity definitions.

CREATE TABLE gallery (id INT AUTO_INCREMENT NOT NULL, PRIMARY KEY(id)) DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE `utf8mb4_general_ci` ENGINE = InnoDB;
CREATE TABLE items (id INT AUTO_INCREMENT NOT NULL, gallery_id INT NOT NULL, INDEX IDX_E11EE94D4E7AF8F (gallery_id), PRIMARY KEY(id)) DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE `utf8mb4_general_ci` ENGINE = InnoDB;
CREATE TABLE parent_a (id INT AUTO_INCREMENT NOT NULL, gallery_id INT DEFAULT NULL, UNIQUE INDEX UNIQ_7C1C0DB64E7AF8F (gallery_id), PRIMARY KEY(id)) DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE `utf8mb4_general_ci` ENGINE = InnoDB;
ALTER TABLE items ADD CONSTRAINT FK_E11EE94D4E7AF8F FOREIGN KEY (gallery_id) REFERENCES gallery (id);
ALTER TABLE parent_a ADD CONSTRAINT FK_7C1C0DB64E7AF8F FOREIGN KEY (gallery_id) REFERENCES gallery (id);
ALTER TABLE items ADD position INT DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL;

INSERT INTO `gallery` (`id`) VALUES ('1');
INSERT INTO `items` (`gallery_id`) VALUES ('1');
INSERT INTO `items` (`gallery_id`) VALUES ('1');
INSERT INTO `items` (`gallery_id`) VALUES ('1');
INSERT INTO `parent_a` (`gallery_id`) VALUES ('1');

3. Create a Controller

Create a controller action that fetches a ParentA entity, then removes it. This action simulates the scenario where the parent entity and its associated gallery and items are deleted. This is a crucial step in reproducing the issue, as the deletion process triggers the miscalculation in the Sortable behavior.

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App	Controller;

use Doctrine
M	EntityManagerInterface;
use App	Entity	ParentA;
use Symfony	Bundle	FrameworkBundle	Controller	AbstractController;
use Symfony	Component	HttpFoundation	Response;

class TestController extends AbstractController
{
 public function __construct(
 private EntityManagerInterface $em
 ) {
 }

 public function __invoke(): Response
 {
 $entity = $this->em->getRepository(ParentA::class)->find(1);
 dump($entity);
 $this->em->remove($entity);
 $this->em->flush();
 dd($entity);
 }
}

4. Execute the Controller Action

Finally, execute the controller action. This will trigger the deletion of the ParentA entity and its associated Gallery and Items. As the entities are removed, the Sortable extension attempts to update the positions, leading to the error.

By following these steps, the error related to binding entities without identifiers will be triggered. This consistent reproduction allows for a focused investigation and validation of potential fixes. The next step involves understanding the expected and actual results to pinpoint the exact nature of the issue.

Expected vs. Actual Results

To fully understand the impact of this issue, it's essential to compare the expected outcome with the actual results. This comparison highlights the discrepancy caused by the bug and helps in pinpointing the exact nature of the problem.

Expected Results

Ideally, when the controller action is executed, the following should occur:

  1. The ParentA entity should be successfully removed from the database.
  2. The associated Gallery and Items entities should also be removed due to the cascade settings.
  3. The Sortable behavior should correctly update the positions of any remaining items, if applicable.
  4. No errors or exceptions should be thrown during the process.

In a successful scenario, the application should complete the deletion operation without any disruptions, maintaining data integrity and consistency.

Actual Results

In reality, executing the controller action results in the following error:

Binding entities to query parameters only allowed for entities that have an identifier.
Class "App\Entity\Gallery" does not have an identifier.

This error indicates that the Sortable behavior fails during the update positions process. Specifically, it occurs when the entity manager attempts to bind the Gallery entity to a query parameter, but the entity's identifier (id) is null. This typically happens because the Gallery entity is being removed, and its ID is no longer valid.

The error arises from the miscalculation in the ORM::updatePositions function, as previously mentioned. The deletion of the gallery and its items triggers the Sortable behavior to attempt updating positions, but the logic fails when it encounters a null identifier.

Discrepancy Analysis

The discrepancy between the expected and actual results underscores the core issue: the Sortable behavior does not handle the scenario where the SortableGroup entity (in this case, Gallery) is being deleted. The attempt to update positions with a null identifier leads to the exception, disrupting the deletion process.

This analysis highlights the need for a fix that addresses how the Sortable behavior manages deletions within SortableGroups. Potential solutions could involve:

  1. Adjusting the order of operations to prevent position updates on entities being deleted.
  2. Adding a check for null identifiers before attempting to bind entities to query parameters.
  3. Revising the query logic to correctly handle scenarios where the SortableGroup entity is no longer valid.

By clearly defining the expected and actual results, we can focus on the specific steps needed to rectify the issue and ensure the Sortable behavior functions correctly in all scenarios, including entity deletions.

Potential Solutions and Workarounds

Addressing the Sortable failure with SortableGroup in a child relation requires a careful approach to ensure data integrity and prevent future occurrences. Several potential solutions and workarounds can be considered, each with its own advantages and considerations. This section explores some of these options, providing insights into how they can resolve the issue.

1. Adjusting the Order of Operations

One potential solution is to adjust the order of operations during the deletion process. Instead of immediately attempting to update positions when an entity is removed, the position updates could be deferred until after the entity and its related entities are fully deleted. This approach could prevent the scenario where the Sortable behavior attempts to update positions on an entity with a null identifier.

To implement this, one could consider:

  • Detaching the Sortable listener temporarily during the deletion process.
  • Manually updating the positions after the flush operation.
  • Using event listeners to handle position updates after the deletion events.

This method requires careful coordination between the deletion process and the Sortable behavior, ensuring that positions are updated correctly without triggering the error.

2. Adding a Check for Null Identifiers

A more direct approach is to add a check for null identifiers within the ORM::updatePositions function. Before attempting to bind an entity to a query parameter, the code can verify whether the entity has a valid identifier. If the identifier is null, the binding can be skipped, preventing the error.

This solution involves modifying the Doctrine Extensions code to include a conditional check:

if ($value !== null && $em->getClassMetadata(get_class($value))->getIdentifierValues($value)) {
 $dql .= " AND n.{$group} = :val___".(++$i);
 $params['val___'.$i] = $value;
}

This approach is straightforward and addresses the root cause of the issue by preventing the binding of entities with null identifiers. However, it requires modifying the core library code, which may pose maintenance challenges during updates.

3. Revising the Query Logic

Another potential solution is to revise the query logic within the ORM::updatePositions function. Instead of relying on the entity's identifier directly, the query could be modified to use other criteria to identify the entities that need position updates. For example, the query could filter entities based on their SortableGroup and position, excluding those that are being deleted.

This approach requires a deeper understanding of the query logic and may involve significant modifications to the code. However, it can provide a more robust solution that is less susceptible to errors caused by null identifiers.

4. Workaround: Manual Position Management

As a workaround, developers can opt to manage the Sortable positions manually. This involves bypassing the automatic position updates provided by the Sortable behavior and implementing custom logic to handle position updates during deletion. While this approach requires more effort, it provides full control over the position management process.

To implement this, one could:

  • Disable the Sortable listener for the specific entities.
  • Implement custom event listeners to handle entity deletions.
  • Manually update the positions of remaining entities within the SortableGroup.

This workaround can be effective in scenarios where the automatic Sortable behavior is causing issues, but it requires careful implementation to ensure data consistency.

Choosing the Right Solution

The choice of solution depends on various factors, including the complexity of the application, the level of control required, and the willingness to modify core library code. Adding a check for null identifiers provides a direct fix but may require ongoing maintenance. Revising the query logic offers a more robust solution but requires a deeper understanding of the code. Adjusting the order of operations and manual position management provide workarounds but may involve more effort and complexity.

By carefully evaluating these potential solutions and workarounds, developers can choose the approach that best fits their needs and effectively addresses the Sortable failure with SortableGroup in a child relation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Sortable failure with SortableGroup in a child relation within Doctrine Extensions is a notable issue that arises from miscalculations during entity deletion. This article has dissected the problem, providing a comprehensive understanding of the environment, steps to reproduce, and the discrepancy between expected and actual results. Several potential solutions and workarounds have been explored, ranging from adjusting the order of operations to revising the query logic and manual position management.

Addressing this issue effectively requires a strategic approach, carefully considering the trade-offs between direct fixes and more robust solutions. The choice of solution depends on the specific needs of the application and the level of control required. By implementing one of the proposed solutions or workarounds, developers can prevent this error and ensure the smooth functioning of the Sortable behavior within their Doctrine-based applications.

Understanding the root cause of the problem and having a range of solutions at hand empowers developers to tackle this challenge confidently. Whether it's modifying core library code or implementing custom logic, the key is to ensure data integrity and consistency throughout the application.

For further information and in-depth documentation on Doctrine Extensions, refer to the official Doctrine Extensions Documentation.