symfony - Bind and save a form with a collection field using an array / Doctrine2 -

i have 2 entities

room.php

/**  * @orm\table(name="room")  * @orm\entity(repositoryclass="ahsio\stackbundle\repository\roomrepository")  */ class room {     /**      * @orm\id      * @orm\column(type="integer")      * @orm\generatedvalue(strategy="auto")      */      protected $id;       // ...          /**      * @orm\onetomany(targetentity="ahsio\stackbundle\entity\workstation", mappedby="room", cascade={"persist", "remove"}, orphanremoval=true)      */      protected $workstations; 

and workstation.php

/**  * @orm\table(name="workstation")  * @orm\entity(repositoryclass="ahsio\stackbundle\repository\workstation")  */  class workstation  {     /**      * @orm\id      * @orm\column(type="integer")      * @orm\generatedvalue(strategy="auto")      */      private $id;      /**      * @orm\manytoone(targetentity="ahsio\stackbundle\entity\room")      * @orm\joincolumn(name="room_id", referencedcolumnname="id", nullable=false)      */      private $room;       // ... 

i added room type collection field adding/updating/removing workstations

roomtype.php

class roomtype extends abstracttype {     public function buildform(formbuilder $builder, array $options)     {         $builder             ->add('id', 'hidden', array(                 'read_only' => true,             ))             // ....             ->add('workstations', 'collection', array(                  'type'         => new workstationtype(),                  'allow_add'    => true,                  'allow_delete' => true,                  'by_reference' => false,             ))         ;      }      // ... } 

the workstation type simple 1 2 fields (id & number).

the problem when i'm trying bind roomtype existing room (which contains 2 workstations of id (1 , 2)) following array (which contains 1 of 2 workstations):

array(4) {   ["id"]=> string(1) "3"   ["workstations"]=> array(1) {     [0]=> array(2) {       ["id"]=> int(1)       ["number"]=> int(200)      }   } 

the update done, workstation id=2 removed. when i'm trying remove workstations given room using:

array(4) {   ["id"]=> string(1) "3"   ["workstations"]=> array(0) {   } 

the workstations still there, bind did performed, here got when did $form->getdata() after binding $form using last given array:

object(ahsio\stackbundle\entity\room)#229 (4) {     ["id":protected]=> string(1) "3"     ["name":protected]=> string(20) "first room (updated)"     ["description":protected]=> string(39) "this first room old 1 (updated)"     ["workstations":protected]=> array(0) {     }  } 

so, no workstations updated room. can tell me why workstations aren't deleted when persist last binded room?

here part of controller code i'm using test update ...

        // room $id given ...          $roomarray = array(         'id'           => $id,          'name'         => 'first room (updated)',         'description'  => 'this first room old 1 (updated)',             'workstations' => array(),         );         $form     = $this->createform(new roomtype(), $room);                $form->bind($roomarray);          if ($form->isvalid()) {             $em = $this->getdoctrine()->getentitymanager();             $em->persist($room);             $em->flush();         } 

i think setter receives workstations array never called because array empty.

try see if called adding trace.

also, should add cascade="merge" option in workstations mapping.