Adding CakeRequest::data() to make reading/writing data similar to CakeSession.

Tests added.

cake/libs/cake_request.php

@@ -1,11 +1,6 @@
 <?php
 /**
- * A class that helps wrap Request information and particulars about a single request.
- * Provides methods commonly used to introspect on the request headers and request body.
- * 
- * Has both an Array and Object interface. You can access framework parameters using indexes:
- *
- * `$request['controller']` or `$request->controller`.
+ * CakeRequest 
  *
  * PHP 5
  *
@@ -24,6 +19,15 @@
  */
 App::import('Core', 'Set');
 
+/**
+ * A class that helps wrap Request information and particulars about a single request.
+ * Provides methods commonly used to introspect on the request headers and request body.
+ * 
+ * Has both an Array and Object interface. You can access framework parameters using indexes:
+ *
+ * `$request['controller']` or `$request->controller`.
+ *
+ */
 class CakeRequest implements ArrayAccess {
 /**
  * Array of parameters parsed from the url.
@@ -105,7 +109,7 @@ class CakeRequest implements ArrayAccess {
 /**
  * Constructor 
  *
- * @param string $url Url string to use
+ * @param string $url Trimmed url string to use.  Should not contain the application base path.
  * @param boolean $parseEnvironment Set to false to not auto parse the environment. ie. GET, POST and FILES.
  * @return void
  */
@@ -625,6 +629,36 @@ class CakeRequest implements ArrayAccess {
 		return in_array($type, $acceptTypes);
 	}
 
+/**
+ * Provides a read/write accessor for `$this->data`.  Allows you
+ * to use a syntax similar to `CakeSession` for reading post data.
+ *
+ * ## Reading values.
+ *
+ * `$request->data('Post.title');`
+ *
+ * When reading values you will get `null` for keys/values that do not exist.
+ *
+ * ## Writing values
+ *
+ * `$request->data('Post.title', 'New post!');`
+ *
+ * You can write to any value, even paths/keys that do not exist, and the arrays
+ * will be created for you.
+ *
+ * @param string $name Dot separated name of the value to read/write
+ * @param mixed $value Value to write to the data array.
+ * @return mixed Either the value being read, or this so you can chain consecutive writes.
+ */
+	public function data($name) {
+		$args = func_get_args();
+		if (count($args) == 2) {
+			$this->data = Set::insert($this->data, $name, $args[1]);
+			return $this;
+		}
+		return Set::classicExtract($this->data, $name);
+	}
+
 /**
  * Array access read implementation
  *

cake/tests/cases/libs/cake_request.test.php

@@ -1,4 +1,25 @@
 <?php
+/**
+ * CakeRequest Test case file.
+ *
+ * PHP 5
+ *
+ * CakePHP(tm) : Rapid Development Framework (http://cakephp.org)
+ * Copyright 2005-2010, Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (http://cakefoundation.org)
+ *
+ * Licensed under The MIT License
+ * Redistributions of files must retain the above copyright notice.
+ *
+ * @copyright     Copyright 2005-2010, Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (http://cakefoundation.org)
+ * @link          http://cakephp.org CakePHP(tm) Project
+ * @package       cake
+ * @subpackage    cake.tests.cases.libs
+ * @since         CakePHP(tm) v 2.0
+ * @license       MIT License (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php)
+ */
+if (!class_exists('dispatcher')) {
+	require CAKE . 'dispatcher.php';
+}
 App::import('Core', 'CakeRequest');
 
 class CakeRequestTestCase extends CakeTestCase {
@@ -1241,6 +1262,47 @@ class CakeRequestTestCase extends CakeTestCase {
 		$this->assertEqual($request->base, $expected);
 	}
 
+/**
+ * test the data() method reading
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	function testDataReading() {
+		$_POST['data'] = array(
+			'Model' => array(
+				'field' => 'value'
+			)
+		);
+		$request = new CakeRequest('posts/index');
+		$result = $request->data('Model');
+		$this->assertEquals($_POST['data']['Model'], $result);
+
+		$result = $request->data('Model.imaginary');
+		$this->assertNull($result);
+	}
+
+/**
+ * test writing with data()
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	function testDataWriting() {
+		$_POST['data'] = array(
+			'Model' => array(
+				'field' => 'value'
+			)
+		);
+		$request = new CakeRequest('posts/index');
+		$result = $request->data('Model.new_value', 'new value');
+		$this->assertSame($result, $request, 'Return was not $this');
+		
+		$this->assertEquals($request->data['Model']['new_value'], 'new value');
+
+		$request->data('Post.title', 'New post')->data('Comment.1.author', 'Mark');
+		$this->assertEquals($request->data['Post']['title'], 'New post');
+		$this->assertEquals($request->data['Comment']['1']['author'], 'Mark');
+	}
+
 /**
  * backupEnvironment method
  *