Map select INT with String in Global.php?

Questions Components & MVC
1

In my application the user has to choose several formselects and these return an INT (after jugling). I want to save this INT in the database. For example province in one of my forms:

 $this->add([
        'name' => 'provincie',
        'type' => Select::class,
        'options' => [
            'label' => 'Provincie',
            'empty_option' => 'Kies uw provincie',
            'value_options' => [
                1 => 'Friesland',
                2 => 'Groningen',
                3 => 'Drenthe',
                4 => 'Overijsel',
                5 => 'Flevoland',
                6 => 'Gelderland',
                7 => 'Utrecht',
                8 => 'Noord-Holland',
                9 => 'Zuid-Holland',
                10 => 'Zeeland',
                11 => 'Noord-Braband',
                12 => 'Limburg'
            ],
        ],
     ]);

But if I have to display the user (after a database select) then obviously not the INT should be shown, but the associated name (string).
Is it better to use a mapping table or an array based on which the INT can be mapped with the string (and can also be used in the selects).
Iā€™m leaning towards the array but where to store it as it is used throughout the application. Is global.php the place? And if so, how to get this array into a model or controller?

2

Well, there is a few questions that come to mind.

  1. Are you going to need to change those value_options programmatically?
  2. Is this to be used in more than 1 given form?
  3. Will you ever need to translate them?

As far as how to represent them programmatically. In your code, if the do not need to be edited programmatically I suppose I would suggest a Backed Enum if your php version supports it.

If you want to store them in config then I would suggest storing them under a key matching the class name that consumes them. For instance:

//... config
YourFormClass::class => [
                'value_options' => [
                    'option1' => 'value1',
                    'option2' => 'value2',
                ],
            ],
// ... config

Then in your form factory you can pull the form related config from the config service.

$formConfig = $container->get('config')[YourFormClass::class] ?? [//some defaults?];

How you code it is really up to you.

As for storing the selected values in the db. If you db supports it and those options will not change then I would probably go with enum.

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