How to set node author based on a field's values?

Question

I have an entityreference field that references a redhen_contact entity. I want to set the node's author to be the user associated with the contact referenced in this field.

This is part of a (I think, rather basic) custom rendition of the node form via hook_menu() and drupal_get_form.

I can get the user from the entityreference field and I can print its name, uid, email etc. with drupal_set_message. And when I print $node->uid with drupal_set_message it shows up as if I was successful, but it gets overridden apparently and I have no idea where. The saved nodes always show that I'm the author (as I'm the one submitting the form).

I first tried using hook_form_alter(), then I tried using hook_node_presave(), then hook_node_insert(). I don't know of any hooks that fire later. But maybe one of these hooks would work if I did it right?

Here's most of what I've tried:

<?php
function mymodule_register_existing_adult_submit($form, &$form_state) {
  $registrant_id = $form['#node']->field_registrant['und'][0]['target_id'];
//  $contact_wrapper = entity_metadata_wrapper('redhen_contact', $registrant_id);
//  $registrant_name = $contact_wrapper->label();
//  $registrant_email = $contact_wrapper->email->value();
//  $registrant_user = $contact_wrapper->user->value();
//  $registrant_url = $contact_wrapper->user->value();
//  drupal_set_message(t("Hey this works! " . "ID=" . $registrant_id . " " . $registrant_name . " " . $registrant_email . "<br>" . $registrant_user->uid));
//  sdpm($form);
  //$form['additional_settings']['group']['#groups']['additional_settings'][0]['name']['#value'] = $registrant_user->uid;
  //$form['additional_settings']['group']['#groups']['additional_settings'][0]['name']['#default_value'] = $registrant_user->uid;
  //$form['author']['name']['#default_value'] = $registrant_user->uid;
  //$form['author']['name']['#value'] = $registrant_user->uid;
  //$form_state['complete form']['uid']['#value'] = $registrant_user->uid;
  //$form_state['complete form']['uid']['#value'] = $registrant_email;
  //$form_state['values']['uid'] = $registrant_user->uid;
  //$form_state['build_info']['args'][0]->uid = $registrant_user->uid;
  //$form['uid'] = $registrant_user->uid;
//  $form['#node']->uid = $registrant_user->uid;
  //dpm($contact_wrapper->getPropertyInfo());
  $form_state['redirect'] = 'redhen/contact/' . $registrant_id . '/view/edit';
}
function mymodule_node_presave($node) {
  if ( $node->type == 'program_registration' ) {
    $registrant_id = $node->field_registrant['und'][0]['target_id'];
    $contact_wrapper = entity_metadata_wrapper('redhen_contact', $registrant_id);
    $registrant_user = $contact_wrapper->user->value();
    $node->author = $registrant_user->name;
    drupal_set_message('Hook implemented successfully.<br>User ID: ' . $registrant_user->uid);
    drupal_set_message($node->author);
    sdpm($registrant_user);
  }
}
function mymodule_node_insert($node) {
  $path = current_path();
  if ( $path == 'admin/register-existing-adult' ) {
    drupal_set_message('hook_node_insert author: ' . $node->author . '<br>Path: ' . $path);
    $registrant_id = $node->field_registrant['und'][0]['target_id'];
    $contact_wrapper = entity_metadata_wrapper('redhen_contact', $registrant_id);
    $registrant_user = $contact_wrapper->user->value();
    $node->author = $registrant_user->uid;
    $node->uid = $registrant_user->uid;
  }
}

---

Edit:

Where I'm at now is I've cleaned up the code to see more precisely what's going one:

<?php
function mymodule_node_presave($node) {
  if ( $node->type == 'program_registration' ) {
    $registrant_id = $node->field_registrant['und'][0]['target_id'];
    $contact_wrapper = entity_metadata_wrapper('redhen_contact', $registrant_id);
    $registrant_user = $contact_wrapper->user->value();
    $node->author = $registrant_user->name;
  }
}
function mymodule_node_insert($node) {
  $path = current_path();
  if ( $path == 'admin/register-existing-adult' ) {
    drupal_set_message('author: ' . $node->author);
  }

Here hook_node_insert() is successfully printing the email address for the user associated with the contact entity. So it seems that the code in hook_node_presave() works, except that it must then be overwritten by Drupal afterwards? Or maybe the email address is not a valid value for the node author?

Answer 1

The hook depends on what you want to do and when. I don't think that you need to implement the code in hook_form_alter as will be executed every time you access that form. Try in your hook_node_insert to use field_attach_update('node', $node); in order to update your node. Also check https://www.drupal.org/node/2453099. In similar situation (I had to change the author after submit) I created a callback for the specific form where I was changing the author. Finally, keep in mind that when you altering a node you need to save/update it.

Answer 2

Thanks to the link in the accepted answer by Ismini, I figured out how to do this in a form submit callback function.

<?php
/**
 * Implements hook_form_FORM_ID_alter().
 * Use this to call your submit function below.
 */
function roots_reg_form_program_registration_node_form_alter(&$form, $form_id, $form_state) {
  $path = current_path();
  if ($path == 'admin/register-new-adult/program') {
    $form['actions']['submit']['#submit'][] = 'mymodule_register_existing_adult_submit';
  }
}

function mymodule_register_existing_adult_submit($form, &$form_state) {
  $registrant_id = $form['#node']->field_registrant['und'][0]['target_id'];
  $contact_wrapper = entity_metadata_wrapper('redhen_contact', $registrant_id);
  $registrant_user = $contact_wrapper->user->value();
  // the following lines made the critical difference
  $nid = $form_state['values']['nid'];
  $node = node_load($nid);
  $node->uid = $registrant_user->uid;
  // calling node_save() is necessary but not at all obvious.
  node_save($node);
}

Answer 3

Another solution, alternate to doing it in the form submit callback, is to add $node->uid = $registrant_user->uid; to hook_node_presave(). In this case I had simply missed the needle in the haystack. So the function could look like:

function mymodule_node_presave($node) {
  $path = current_path();
  if ( $path == 'admin/register-existing-adult' ) {
    $registrant_id = $node->field_registrant['und'][0]['target_id'];
    $contact_wrapper = entity_metadata_wrapper('redhen_contact', $registrant_id);
    $registrant_user = $contact_wrapper->user->value();
    // $node->author = $registrant_user->name;
    // doesn't seem to work
    // but...
    $node->uid = $registrant_user->uid;
    // does :)
  }
}