Create A Ghetto, But Functional, Search Function For CakePHP - blogpost

example1.php

<div id="search">
    <form id="orderform" action="<?php echo $html->url('/users/search'); ?>" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
    <label for="searchuser">Search Users:</label><input type="text" name="searchuser" />
    Search By:
    <input type="radio" name="searchtype" value="User.id"  checked> User ID
    <input type="radio" name="searchtype" value="User.email"  checked> User Email
    <input type="radio" name="searchtype" value="Entity.name"> Entity Name
    <?php
    	echo $form->end('Search');
    ?>
</div>

example2.php

<?php
function search() {
	$searchtype = $_POST['searchtype'];
	$value = $_POST['searchuser'];
	$results = $this->User->find('all', array('fields' => array(
																'User.id',
																'User.email',
																'Entity.name',
																'User.created',
																'User.modified'
																),
												'order' => 'User.id ASC',
												'conditions' => array($searchtype . ' ' . 'LIKE' => '%'.$value.'%')
											));
	$this->set('results', $results);
}
?>

example3.php

<div id="search">
	<form id="orderform" action="<?php echo $html->url('/users/search'); ?>" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
	<label for="searchuser">Search Users:</label><input type="text" name="searchuser" />
	Search By:
	<input type="radio" name="searchtype" value="User.id"  checked> User ID
	<input type="radio" name="searchtype" value="User.email"  checked> User Email
	<input type="radio" name="searchtype" value="Entity.name"> Entity Name
	<?php echo $form->end('Search'); ?>
</div>
<div id="contentbox">
	<h2>Manage Users</h2>
	<table>
		<thead>
			<th>ID</th><th>Email</th><th>Entity Name</th>
		</thead>
		<?php foreach($results as $user) : ?>  
			<tr>
				<td><?php echo $user['User']['id'] ?></td>
				<td><?php echo $user['User']['email'] ?></td>
				<td><?php echo $user['Entity']['name'] ?></td>
			</tr>
		<?php endforeach; ?>
	</table>
</div>