passing value from Yii CController class to CForm (Form Builder) config array

Question

I'm new to Yii, and I'm trying to do my initial project the "right" way. I've created a CFormModel class that needs three fields to query for some data, a CForm config to construct the form, and a CController to tie it together (all given below).

The data request needs an account, and this can come from a couple of different places. I think retrieving it should be in the controller. However, I don't know how to get it into the form's hidden "account" field from the controller, so that it makes it to the arguments assigned to the CFormModel after submission. More generally, I know how to pass from CController to view script, but not to CForm. Is the registry (Yii::app()->params[]) my best bet?

I suppose I can just leave it out of the form (and required fields) and wait to populate it in the submit action (actionSummaries). Does that break the intention of CForm? Is there a best practice? Even taking this solution, can someone address the first issue, in case it comes up again?

Any other, gentle critique is welcome.

models/SummariesForm.php

class SummariesForm extends CFormModel
{
    public $account;
    public $userToken;
    public $year;

    public function rules () {...}

    public function fetchSummary () {...}

    static public function getYearOptions () {...}
}

views/account/select.php

<?php
$this->pageTitle=Yii::app()->name;
?>

<div class="form">
    <?php echo $form->render(); ?>
</div>

controllers/AccountController.php

class AccountController extends CController
{
    public $layout = 'extranet';

    public function actionSelect ()
    {
        $model = new SummariesForm();

        // retrieve account
        require_once 'AccountCookie.php';

        /*
         *
         * Here, I insert the account directly into the
         * model used to build the form, but $model isn't
         * available to selectForm.php. So, it doesn't
         * become part of the form, and this $model doesn't
         * persist to actionSummaries().
         * 
         */
        $model->account = AccountCookie::decrypt();
        if ($model->account === false) {
            throw new Exception('Unable to retrieve account.');
        }

        $form = new CForm('application.views.account.selectForm', $model);
        $this->render('select', array(
            'form'    => $form,
            'account' => $model->account,
        ));
    }

    public function actionSummaries ()
    {
        $model = new SummariesForm();
        if (isset($_POST['SummariesForm'])) {
            $model->attributes = $_POST['SummariesForm'];
            /*
             *
             * Should I just omit "account" from the form altogether
             * and fetch it here? Does that break the "model"?
             * 
             */
                if ($model->validate() === true) {
                try {
                    $summaries = $model->fetchSummary();
                } catch (Exception $e) {
                    ...
                    CApplication::end();
                }

                if (count($summaries) === 0) {
                    $this->render('nodata');
                    CApplication::end();
                }

                $this->render('summaries', array('model' => $model, 'summaries' => $summaries));
            } else {
                throw new Exception('Invalid year.');
            }
        }
    }

}

views/account/selectForm.php

<?php
return array(
    'title' => 'Select year',
    'action' => Yii::app()->createUrl('Account/Summaries'),
    'method' => 'post',

    'elements' => array(
        'account' => array(
            'type'  => 'hidden',
            'value' => $account,
        ),
        'userToken' => array(
            'type'  => 'hidden',
            'value' => /* get token */,
        ),
        'year' => array(
            'type'  => 'dropdownlist',
            'items' => SummariesForm::getYearOptions(),
        ),
    ),

    'buttons' => array(
        'view' => array(
            'type'  => 'submit',
            'label' => 'View summaries',
        ),
    ),
);

Answer 1

The answer is NO to do what you asked. You can see $form variable which acted almost like array when it was passed from controller to view. The solution is you add more property $account into selectForm model and treat it like other elements. I don't think leaving the new field outside the form will be properly way if you want to submit its value also.

Edited: