I want to select a random object from a a table, MonkeysFist where the selection is restricted by a category with maps to the title of the page. So far I have:

function RandomFist() {
$MFoptions = DataObject::get_one("MFCategory","title=Title");
return DataObject::get_one("MonkeysFist","","MFCategoryID = $MFoptions.ID","RAND()") ;
}

This returns a random object but the from any category not restricted as I need to a specific one. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks

MM

You got the get_one parameters wrong.
Should be like this:

return DataObject::get_one("MonkeysFist", "MFCategoryID = $MFoptions.ID", true, "RAND()") ; 

Thanks for this but I am still having problems. Changing the code as suggested gives me "The website server has not been able to respond to your request." error.

As I say the issue does not appear to be in this part of the code, I get a random object back with my original code but it is not restricted to the category as defined in the first line.

Any other thoughts would be appreciated

MM

Having tested return
DataObject::get_one("MonkeysFist","MFCategoryID=2",true, "RAND()");
which works as it should this suggests I have something wrong in
MFCategoryID = $MFoptions.ID
and I am wondering if it is $MFoptions.ID but I can't see what.

You're right. That won't work.. sorry for not spotting it the first time. It should read:

'MFCategoryID = ' . $MFoptions->ID

Hi Banal

Thanks that solves the problem. Can you just tell me when should I be using .$MFoptions->ID and when $MFoptions.ID

Thanks

MM

Well, actually you can't use $MFoptions.ID, it's not valid PHP Code. In PHP, accessing members of an Object always requires the -> operator (except static members of course).
What might have confused you is the syntax used in SilverStripe Templates. There you access members of an Object using the dot (.).

Thanks. Banal. That was why I was getting confused. MM