Ember.js ArrayProxy Array of Models

ember.js, model

Solution

I took the approach mentioned by Tom Dale which overwrites the `replace` method. It also registers an observer for the `content` property to assure that the content is a typed version of the array, see http://jsfiddle.net/pangratz666/XCLmE/:

App.ModelArrayProxy = Ember.ArrayProxy.extend({
    modelType: Ember.required,

    _typedArray: function(objects) {
        var modelType = this.get('modelType');
        var array = objects.map(function(item) {
            // check if item is an instance of type
            if (!(item instanceof modelType)) {
                // create a new instance of type and pass the hash
                return modelType.create(item);
            }

            // just return the item, since it's already of type modelType             
            return item;
        });
        return array;
    },

    contentChanged: function() {
        if (!this.get('setTypedContent')) {
            var content = this.get('content');

            this.set('setTypedContent', true);
            this.set('content', this._typedArray(content));
            this.set('setTypedContent', false);
        }
    }.observes('content'),

    replace: function(idx, amt, objects) {
        this._super(idx, amt, this._typedArray(objects));
    }
});

This ModelArrayProxy can then be used as a "normal" `ArrayProxy`:

// model declaration
App.AddressModel = Ember.Object.extend({
    ...
});

// create a proxy for given modelType
App.proxy = App.ModelArrayProxy.create({
    content: [],
    modelType: App.AddressModel
});

var myArray = [{
    address_name: 'address_name 1',
    address: 'address 1'},
{
    address_name: 'address_name 2',
    address: 'address 2'}];

// set content with "normal" objects
App.proxy.set('content', myArray);

// invoke 'log' on all items in array
App.proxy.forEach(function(item) {
    item.log();
});

// push a normal object
App.proxy.pushObject({
    address_name: 'address_name 3',
    address: 'address 3'
});

// push an instance of App.AddressModel
App.proxy.pushObject(App.AddressModel.create({
    address_name: 'address_name 4',
    address: 'address 4'

}));

// invoke 'log' on all items in array
App.proxy.forEach(function(item) {
    item.log();
});​

Problem

Original source