Updating customer data from observer after customer_register_success event - magento

Question

Having issues setting the customers group id from an observer. The event is picking up on a new user creation via customer_register_success event. The event is passed to my observer, e.g.
public function registrationSuccess(Varien_Event_Observer $observer) {
// extract customer data from event
$customer = $observer->getCustomer()->getData();
Mage::log('COOKIES', json_encode($_COOKIE));
// a cookie should have been set with the membership id
if (isset($_COOKIE['membership_account_id'])) {
Mage::log('COOKIE SET, ASSOCIATING MEMBERSHIP');
// associate new account with membership, and upgrade user to membership status
$this->associateMembership($customer['entity_id'], $_COOKIE['membership_account_id']);
}
}
Which then calls the associateMembership method to update the group id, and set a custom customer attribute called rms_id:
public function associateMembership($customer_id, $account_id) {
// load customer model
$customer = Mage::getModel('customer/customer')->load($customer_id);
Mage::log('CUSTOMER DATA: ' . json_encode($customer->toArray()));
// upgrade customer to membership level, and set custom rms_id attribute
$customer
->setWebsiteId(Mage::app()->getWebsite()->getId())
->setGroupId(4)
->setRmsId($account_id);
// save
try {
$customer->save();
Mage::log('ACCOUNT ASSOCIATED: CUSTOMER ID = ' . $customer_id . ' ACCOUNT ID = ' . $account_id);
} catch (Exception $ex) {
Mage::log($ex);
}
}
For some reason, there's no error coming back. I'm getting the correct user id, and everything seems to be working. However, the group is not being set, nor is my custom id.
Should I be using another event that will allow the save to go through?

Answer 1

Try loading the website id before loading the customer
$customer = Mage::getModel('customer/customer')
$customer->setWebsiteId(Mage::app()->getWebsite()->getId());
$customer->load($customer_id);
customer_register_success will re-save the customer data after you save it in your custom observer
Also customer_register_success pass the customer data so you should not need to reload it.
see /app/code/core/Mage/Customer/controllers/AccountController.php
Mage::dispatchEvent('customer_register_success',
array('account_controller' => $this, 'customer' => $customer)
);
Try
public function registrationSuccess(Varien_Event_Observer $observer) {
// extract customer data from event
$customer = $observer->getCustomer();
Mage::log('COOKIES', json_encode($_COOKIE));
// a cookie should have been set with the membership id
if ($membership_account_id = Mage::getModel('core/cookie')->get('membership_account_id')) {
Mage::log('COOKIE SET, ASSOCIATING MEMBERSHIP');
$customer->setGroupId(4)
->setRmsId($membership_account_id);
}
return $this;
}

Answer 2

Try to set customer website id before load.
e.g.
$customer = Mage::getModel('customer/customer')
->setWebsiteId(Mage::app()->getWebsite()->getId())
->load($customer_id);
Also try to put die; after $customer->save(); while testing - in such case you will be sure that nothing else changes customers data after you (may be some other observer).