Difference between this.get('model') and modelFor

Question

I am quite new to ember and don't really get the difference between two types of syntax. Where and in which situations should i use one or another. I.e. Which one is more suitable for usage in Routes and which one for Controllers.

this.get('model')

As opposed to

this.modelFor('artists/show')

Answer 1

this.get('model') fetches the model from the current controller scope.

this.modelFor('artists/show') fetches the model that would be in scope at the specified route.

Answer 2

this.get('model') //controller call
this.modelFor('someRoute') //route call

In Ember, a routes setupController hook by default performs this one line of code:

setupController: function(controller, model){
   controller.set('model', model);
}

This takes whatever is returned from the model hook and sets the controller's model property with this value. From within the controller, this.get('model') is the proper way to access this model. Also, a developer can override this hook and do something different, like set model equal to some child property of what is returned from the model hook (controller.set('model', model.prop). This is worth noting, because when you call this.modelFor from another route, you DO NOT get the route's associated controller's model that is set by setupController. You get whatever is returned from the model hook, which under the covers is the route's currentModel property if I remember correctly.