>  I'm working on an application to store information on lab specimens.
>  The lab receive specimens which are divided into aliquots which are
>  then put into boxes and in turn stored in freezers.

>  I want to create a function to find all unstored aliquots and display
>  a message on every page to alert the lab users that there are aliquots
>  that haven't been assigned to boxes yet. It's a simple query:

>  SELECT COUNT(aliquot.id)
>  FROM aliquots
>  WHERE aliquots.box_id IS NULL

>  The problem is that I can't quite decide where it belongs in the MVC
>  architecture. It seems like a helper since the alert message would
>  appear in the left column of every page. But it runs a query, so does
>  it belong in a model? The problem is that I want to retrieve the
>  information no matter which model is currently in use.

> I would:

>  * create a method in your model to fetch the data
>  * create a method in your controller to access this data
>  * create an element that calls via 'requestAction' the data from the controller
>  * insert this element into your layout and add array('cache'=>'1 hour');

> I'm working on an application to store information on lab specimens.
> The lab receive specimens which are divided into aliquots which are
> then put into boxes and in turn stored in freezers.

> I want to create a function to find all unstored aliquots and display
> a message on every page to alert the lab users that there are aliquots
> that haven't been assigned to boxes yet. It's a simple query:

> SELECT COUNT(aliquot.id)
> FROM aliquots
> WHERE aliquots.box_id IS NULL

> The problem is that I can't quite decide where it belongs in the MVC
> architecture. It seems like a helper since the alert message would
> appear in the left column of every page. But it runs a query, so does
> it belong in a model? The problem is that I want to retrieve the
> information no matter which model is currently in use.

> What's the best way to preserve the MCV structure and DRY philosophy
> while including a function like this in my application?

>  You could also just query the db and assign the value in your
>  app_controller.php and make it so your layout always checks if that
>  value is > 0. If it is, display a warning.

> > I would:

> >  * create a method in your model to fetch the data
> >  * create a method in your controller to access this data
> >  * create an element that calls via 'requestAction' the data from the controller
> >  * insert this element into your layout and add array('cache'=>'1 hour');

> take a look athttp://bakery.cakephp.org/articles/view/creating-reusable-elements-wi...
> for ideas.

> jon

> --

> jon bennett
> w:http://www.jben.net/
> iChat (AIM): jbendotnet Skype: jon-bennett

> I'm working on an application to store information on lab specimens.
> The lab receive specimens which are divided into aliquots which are
> then put into boxes and in turn stored in freezers.

> I want to create a function to find all unstored aliquots and display
> a message on every page to alert the lab users that there are aliquots
> that haven't been assigned to boxes yet. It's a simple query:

> SELECT COUNT(aliquot.id)
> FROM aliquots
> WHERE aliquots.box_id IS NULL

> The problem is that I can't quite decide where it belongs in the MVC
> architecture. It seems like a helper since the alert message would
> appear in the left column of every page. But it runs a query, so does
> it belong in a model? The problem is that I want to retrieve the
> information no matter which model is currently in use.

> What's the best way to preserve the MCV structure and DRY philosophy
> while including a function like this in my application?