Profile controller creates a like-button child components and passes values via params so that the like-button can build a model out of it. This works perfectly on the server, the model is available when rendering the view of the like-button. But it never gets dehydrated on the client.

like-button--controller.js

define(["lazoCtl"], function(Ctl) {

  "use strict";

  return Ctl.extend({
    index: function(options) {
      var self = this;

      // create model passed on the params we get passed in.
      self.createModel("like-button",
        {
          ownerId: self.ctx.params.ownerId,
          mediaId: self.ctx.params.mediaId,
          isLiked: self.ctx.params.isLiked
        },
        {
          persist: false, // do not call backend, we also tried to use loadModel and set sync to false
          success: function(model) {
            // this model is created, and the view on the server renders correctly, but we loose this context in the client. it is never rehydrated on the client correctly.
            self.ctx.models.like = model;
            options.success("index");
          },
          error: function() {
            options.error("index");
          }
        });
    }
  });
});

profile--controller.js

define(["lazoCtl"], function(Ctl) {

  "use strict";

  return Ctl.extend({

    index: function(options) {
      var self = this;

      this.loadModel("profile", {
        params: self.ctx.params,
        success: function(model) {
          self.profileLoaded(model, options);
        },
        error: function(err) {
          options.error(err);
        }
      });
    },

    // called when the profile model is loaded successfully
    profileLoaded: function(model, options) {
      var self = this;
      self.ctx.models.profile = model;

      // add like-button for portrait photo.
      this.addChild("like-button-cmp", "like-button", {
        params: {
          ownerId: model.id,
          mediaId: model.portrait.id,
          isLiked: model.portraitLiked
        },
        success: function() {
          options.success("index"); // load the index view
        },
        error: function(err) {
          options.error(err);
        }
      });

      // todo: add like-buttons for all photo in the model.album.
    }
  });

});