CakePHP Questions

Hi Thanks for your support.

I am learning cakephp by practicing from the manual.

http://book.cakephp.org/view/851/Multiple-relations-to-the-same-model

I have a message model like this

<?php

class Message extends AppModel {

var $name = 'Message';

var $belongsTo = array(

'Sender' => array(

'className' => 'User',

'foreignKey' => 'user_id'

),

'Recipient' => array(

'className' => 'User',

'foreignKey' => 'recipient_id'

)

);

}

?>

I am trying to implement the add (send message) functionality on the apps.

I have a user controller which will do the registration and auth ,...

User will login to the system and then point to /message/new/

I need to put the current username to sender_id and the user will type the email address of recipient (but in database, it is the user_id of recepient) so there is a need to change or do a findByUsername() and change it to user id when I am saving the date. First of all is this right assumption or How should I do it. I tried to something like

$recipient=$this->User->findByUsername($this->data['Message']['recipient']);

$this->Message->data['Message']['recipient_id'] = $recipient['User']['id'];

from the Message_controller I am getting an error

Fatal error: Call to a member function findByUsername() on a non-object

Here is my view,

views/messages/new

<?php

echo $session->read('Auth.User.username');

echo $session->flash('auth');

echo $form->create('Message', array('action' => 'transfer'));

echo $form->input('recipient', array('size' => '40'));

echo $form->input('body', array('size' => '40'));

echo $form->submit();

echo $form->end();

?>

I am also new to MVC I have another question where should I implement the new message action ? should it be in User controller or in message controller ? as I understood It should be in Message controller. am I right?

Would you please help me in detail how I should Implement this functionality.

any idea , link , documentation would be helpfull.

Thanks