handling models with embedded objects in the payloads with ember data - ember.js

Question

I'm trying to determine how best to define my models. I'm trying to represent an asset. Ex: car, tv, house, etc.
Here's the payload coming from my server:
{
"asset": {
"id": "1b0b77a2-28d7-488e-9a6f-8a202c297593",
"created_at": "2015-03-19T09:16:43+0500",
"updated_at": "2015-03-19T09:16:43+0500",
"name": "Flat Screen Tv",
"properties": [
{
"name": "brand",
"value": "Sony",
"public": false,
"family": false,
"friends": false
},
{
"name": "price",
"value": 1000,
"public": false,
"family": false,
"friends": false
}
]
}
}
It needs to get POSTed back in the same format. How can I define this model with ember data? The properties are hanging me up. I thought I could just define a transformer but then noticed that changing values in the transformed data doesn't update the asset's "dirty" flag. I need that dirty flag to be updated when the properties get changed. Any ideas?
// app/transforms/array.js
import Ember from 'ember';
import DS from 'ember-data';
export default DS.Transform.extend({
serialize: function(value) {
return value.toArray();
},
deserialize: function(value) {
return Ember.A(value);
}
});
Here's my asset model definition.
import DS from 'ember-data';
// app/models/asset.js
import DS from 'ember-data';
export default DS.Model.extend({
name: DS.attr('string'),
createdAt: DS.attr('date'),
updatedAt: DS.attr('date'),
properties: DS.attr('array')
});

Answer 1

Your properties are going to have to be a separate model, and related to your asset models with hasMany. If that doesn't work for you, you might have to rethink how you are storing your properties.