Many to Many, why link() re-save model ?

Hi everybody,

i’m new in yii2 and i’m just becoming mad about many to many relations.

Consider one model Author and one model Book, one author can write multiple books, and a book can be write by multiple authors.

Ok story short.

In model book i have:


    

public function getAuthors() {

return $this->hasMany(Autori::className(), ['id' => 'id_autore'])->viaTable('tbl_r_libriautori', ['id_libro' => 'id']);

}



I have a simple junction table with foreign key for books and authors.

Ok the problem is. When i create new book in controller i have:




  if ($model->load(Yii::$app->request->post()) && $model->save()) {

...

...

for ($i = 0; $i < count($arrayauthors); $i++) {

$model_autore = \common\models\Autori::findOne($arrayautori[$i]);

$model->link('authors', $model_autore);

}



Ok the link() call correctly populate the junction table but it save the model book again. After the call to book/create controller, i have 2 books and 4 entry in junction table.

It’s supposed to call only link and not save() ? If i need then to update just to add an author to a book how can i populate junction table without re-save the book if link auto re-save? Is there a way to just populate junction table? I mean with link , offcourse i can just make new EntryJunctionTable then set id and save it, but i just to try understand yii2. Thank for read till this point and for answers.

Bye.

You can represent junction table as Model class and work on it such as any other model.

I don’t see other ways.

That’s what i wanted to know. Thank you.