<p>You should be using it like this:</p>

<pre><code>public function onAfterElementSave()
{
    $fieldHandle = $this-&gt;model-&gt;handle;
    if ($this-&gt;element!==null) {
        $myData = $this-&gt;element-&gt;title; // just an example
        if ($this-&gt;element-&gt;$fieldHandle != $myData) {
            $this-&gt;element-&gt;getContent()-&gt;setAttribute($fieldHandle, $myData);
            craft()-&gt;elements-&gt;saveElement($this-&gt;element);
        }
    } 
}
</code></pre>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-31T10:07:36.823Z
Thanks, Bob, that solved it for me. At some point I was sure that $this->element was read-only or something, so I went for the long way around, with the ElementCriteria.
André Elvan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-22T08:11:26.680Z
What's the equivalent for `$this->model->handle` in Craft 3? I can't seem to find a way to obtain the handle.
Karl
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-22T09:01:10.927Z
Just `$this->handle`
Bob Olde Hampsink
CC BY-SA 4.0
2015-08-31T10:02:18.187Z
2019-12-18T17:17:31.933Z
2019-12-18T17:17:31.933Z
Bob Olde Hampsink
<p>I have a field type that needs to do some processing, based on the data in the element it belongs to, when an element (entry, category, user, etc) is saved, and save it to the field. I'm hooking into <code>onAfterElementSave</code> and my code (simplified) is as follow:</p>

<pre><code>public function onAfterElementSave()
{
    $fieldHandle = $this-&gt;model-&gt;handle;
    $elementId = $this-&gt;element-&gt;id;
    $elementType = $this-&gt;element-&gt;getElementType();
    $elementLocale = $this-&gt;element-&gt;locale;

    $criteria = craft()-&gt;elements-&gt;getCriteria($elementType);
    $criteria-&gt;id = $elementId;
    $criteria-&gt;locale = $elementLocale; 
    $element = $criteria-&gt;first();

    if ($element!==null) {
        $myData = $element-&gt;title; // just an example
        if ($this-&gt;element-&gt;$fieldHandle != $myData) {
            $newData = array($fieldHandle =&gt; $myData);
            $element-&gt;setContent($newData);
            craft()-&gt;elements-&gt;saveElement($element);
        }
    } 
}
</code></pre>

<p>This works fine on existing entries, but when I create new entries, $element is null, so the field isn't updated.</p>

<p>What's going on and how can I fix this? Isn't onAfterElementSave actually after element save? :) </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-31T09:59:03.657Z
Looking at the `ElementsService` it looks like the element have not yet gotten an id, so you won't get any hits searching for it with the ElementCriteria
megatrond
<plugin-development><custom-fieldtype>
onAfterElementSave and new elements
# onAfterElementSave and new elements

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-08-30)

I have a field type that needs to do some processing, based on the data in the element it belongs to, when an element (entry, category, user, etc) is saved, and save it to the field. I'm hooking into onAfterElementSave and my code (simplified) is as follow:
public function onAfterElementSave()
{
    $fieldHandle = $this->model->handle;
    $elementId = $this->element->id;
    $elementType = $this->element->getElementType();
    $elementLocale = $this->element->locale;

    $criteria = craft()->elements->getCriteria($elementType);
    $criteria->id = $elementId;
    $criteria->locale = $elementLocale; 
    $element = $criteria->first();

    if ($element!==null) {
        $myData = $element->title; // just an example
        if ($this->element->$fieldHandle != $myData) {
            $newData = array($fieldHandle => $myData);
            $element->setContent($newData);
            craft()->elements->saveElement($element);
        }
    } 
}

This works fine on existing entries, but when I create new entries, $element is null, so the field isn't updated.
What's going on and how can I fix this? Isn't onAfterElementSave actually after element save? :)

**Tags:** plugin-development, custom-fieldtype
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Looking at the `ElementsService` it looks like the element have not yet gotten an id, so you won't get any hits searching for it with the ElementCriteria  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-08-31. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

You should be using it like this:
public function onAfterElementSave()
{
    $fieldHandle = $this->model->handle;
    if ($this->element!==null) {
        $myData = $this->element->title; // just an example
        if ($this->element->$fieldHandle != $myData) {
            $this->element->getContent()->setAttribute($fieldHandle, $myData);
            craft()->elements->saveElement($this->element);
        }
    } 
}

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks, Bob, that solved it for me. At some point I was sure that $this->element was read-only or something, so I went for the long way around, with the ElementCriteria.  
> **username_3**: What's the equivalent for `$this->model->handle` in Craft 3? I can't seem to find a way to obtain the handle.  
> **username_2**: Just `$this->handle`  

---

