Rails - Sep 2005 - Confused by the different syntax

I was reworking the 4 days on rails tutorial since I saw an easy way
to use related tables in the find method.  So I started to rework the
paginator code and got confused by the different syntax.

This is my code that I was trying fix:

  def list_by_category
    @item_pages = Paginator.new self, Item.count, 10,
@params[''page'']
 **   @items = Item.find(:all, :include=> :category,
:order=>''category'')
    render_action ''list''
  end

This is what the wiki states about using the paginator:

  def list
    @person_pages = Paginator.new self, Person.count, 10,
@params[''page'']
**    @people = Person.find_all nil, ''last_name, first_name'', 
@person_pages.current.to_sql
  end

my question is about the starred line.  Is the second form the older
version?  Most of the examples I see have named arguments.  I think
the first two arguments are conditions and order_by, but what would be
the third argument in the second form.

Thanks

-- 
Marlon

"Now watch what you say or they''ll be calling you a radical,
liberal, fanatical, criminal. "

On Sep 9, 2005, at 10:58 AM, Marlon Moyer wrote:
> I was reworking the 4 days on rails tutorial since I saw an easy way
> to use related tables in the find method.  So I started to rework the
> paginator code and got confused by the different syntax.
>
> This is my code that I was trying fix:
>
>   def list_by_category
>     @item_pages = Paginator.new self, Item.count, 10,
@params[''page'']
>  **   @items = Item.find(:all, :include=> :category, 
> :order=>''category'')
>     render_action ''list''
>   end
>
> This is what the wiki states about using the paginator:
>
>   def list
>     @person_pages = Paginator.new self, Person.count, 10, 
> @params[''page'']
> **    @people = Person.find_all nil, ''last_name,
first_name'',
> @person_pages.current.to_sql
>   end
>
> my question is about the starred line.  Is the second form the older
> version?  Most of the examples I see have named arguments.  I think
> the first two arguments are conditions and order_by, but what would be
> the third argument in the second form.
>
> Thanks
>
> -- 
> Marlon
The find_all form is crusty, old, and deprecated.  Use the former.

-- 
Scott Barron
Lunchbox Software
http://lunchboxsoftware.com
http://lunchroom.lunchboxsoftware.com

On 9/9/05, Marlon Moyer
<marlon.moyer-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org>
wrote:
> I was reworking the 4 days on rails tutorial since I saw an easy way
> to use related tables in the find method.  So I started to rework the
> paginator code and got confused by the different syntax.
> 
> This is my code that I was trying fix:
> 
>   def list_by_category
>     @item_pages = Paginator.new self, Item.count, 10,
@params[''page'']
>  **   @items = Item.find(:all, :include=> :category,
:order=>''category'')
>     render_action ''list''
>   end
> 
> This is what the wiki states about using the paginator:
> 
>   def list
>     @person_pages = Paginator.new self, Person.count, 10,
@params[''page'']
> **    @people = Person.find_all nil, ''last_name,
first_name'',
> @person_pages.current.to_sql
>   end
> 
> my question is about the starred line.  Is the second form the older
> version?  Most of the examples I see have named arguments.  I think
> the first two arguments are conditions and order_by, but what would be
> the third argument in the second form.
Yes, second form is a depreciated version of the find method.  I think
the third argument is just a SQL statement that would do some ordering
(like ''order by DESC'' or whatever).