Rails - Dec 2005 - Newbie question - loading DB from script - has_many relationships

Hi everyone,

Ok, first off, I''ve read
http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/pages/HowToPopulateYourDbFromScript
and it was a huge help.  I''m loading info with no issue.

EXCEPT when I try to load info into multiple tables, i.e., adding
relationships.  I have 2 questions:

1. I have a Person model with has_many :entitlements.  Entitlement
has_and_belongs_to_many :people.  (Maybe they should both be HABTM?). 
There''s a entitlements_people table.  When I''m loading them
via
script, what is the correct way to do so?  How do I add one?  Many? 
Add on to what''s already there?

person = Person.new
person.entitlement = ??
person.save

2. If the data I''m loading uses entitlement names and not IDs, how do
I specify the ID?  For instance, "wireless" is an entitlement with an
ID of 1.  In my data, I have "wireless" and not "1".  Do I
create a
translation table in my script, or can I ID the entitlement based on
the name?

Thank you!

Sean

Nevermind.  I think I found what I need.  Had I turned 2 pages past
where I was in the Rails book, I could have avoided sending this.  I''m
thinking:

person.entitlements << Entitlement.find_by_name("wireless")

Of course, enclosed in a block working on the array of entitlements.

And since there''s the join table, duplicates should be handled.  I
think.  I didn''t see any specific info about that in the Rails book,
but I''ll check the RDocs.

Sean

On 12/7/05, Sean Hussey
<seanhussey-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org>
wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> Ok, first off, I''ve read
> http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/pages/HowToPopulateYourDbFromScript
> and it was a huge help.  I''m loading info with no issue.
>
> EXCEPT when I try to load info into multiple tables, i.e., adding
> relationships.  I have 2 questions:
>
> 1. I have a Person model with has_many :entitlements.  Entitlement
> has_and_belongs_to_many :people.  (Maybe they should both be HABTM?).
> There''s a entitlements_people table.  When I''m loading
them via
> script, what is the correct way to do so?  How do I add one?  Many?
> Add on to what''s already there?
>
> person = Person.new
> person.entitlement = ??
> person.save
>
> 2. If the data I''m loading uses entitlement names and not IDs, how
do
> I specify the ID?  For instance, "wireless" is an entitlement
with an
> ID of 1.  In my data, I have "wireless" and not "1". 
Do I create a
> translation table in my script, or can I ID the entitlement based on
> the name?
>
> Thank you!
>
> Sean
>