\Aksara\Laboratory\Core->setRelation()

The documentation and cheat sheet of our framework

setRelation() turns a foreign key into a relation-aware field.

Purpose

setRelation() turns a foreign key into a relation-aware field. It lets a controller customize Aksara Core behavior while keeping the request inside the built-in CRUD, rendering, permission, validation, and response pipeline.

When to Use

Use it when the generated table, form, or read view is mostly correct but one or more fields need custom behavior.

Reference

setRelation(string $field, string $primaryKey, string $output, array $where = [], array $join = [], array $orderBy = [], ?string $groupBy = null, int $limit = 0, bool $translate = false)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`$field`	`string`	Yes	-	Field name, field list, or associative field configuration.
`$primaryKey`	`string`	Yes	-	Related table key or local primary key field.
`$output`	`string`	Yes	-	Magic-string output template or autocomplete output map.
`$where`	`array`	No	`[]`	Additional conditions.
`$join`	`array`	No	`[]`	Additional joins.
`$orderBy`	`array`	No	`[]`	Ordering rules.
`$groupBy`	`?string`	No	`null`	Grouping rule.
`$limit`	`int`	No	`0`	Maximum number of rows.
`$translate`	`bool`	No	`false`	Translate relation output when true.

Return Value

static

Returns the current controller instance so it can be chained with other Core methods.

Behavior

setRelation() updates field metadata used by the renderer. The generated output changes when the table, read, or form view is rendered.

[!NOTE]
Relation output uses {{ table.column }} placeholders. Include every column needed by the display template.

Basic Usage

$this->setRelation('category_id', 'app_categories.category_id', '{{ app_categories.category_name }}');

return $this->render('orders');

Advanced Usage

$this->setAlias(['created_at' => phrase('Created'), 'updated_at' => phrase('Updated')])
    ->setValidation(['title' => 'required|max_length[160]', 'status' => 'required'])
    ->fieldOrder('title, slug, status, created_at');

Complete Example

namespace Modules\Orders\Controllers;

use Aksara\Laboratory\Core;

class Orders extends Core
{
    public function index()
    {
        $this->setTitle(phrase('Orders'))
            ->setRelation('category_id', 'app_categories.category_id', '{{ app_categories.category_name }}');

        return $this->render('orders');
    }
}

Result

The generated table, form, or read view uses the configured field behavior when the response is prepared.

Notes

This method is chainable and returns the current controller instance.
Field names must match table columns, selected aliases, relation aliases, or mock fields.
Most field configuration methods accept a single field/value pair or an associative array for bulk configuration.