Rails - Jan 2006 - Updating Attributes in a HABTM Join Table

Is there a way to update attributes in a HABTM join table?  Right now  
I am deleting the join and then recreating it with new attributes.

I have a table "categories" and another table "items".  They
are both
HABTM with the join table "categories_items" between them. If an item
is joined to a category once, no problem, we create the join.  But if  
an item is joined to a category more than once, I want to record the  
subsequent hit in a field called "cat_count" which exists in the join
table.

def add_category( category_id_as_str )

	category = Category.find(category_id_as_str.to_i)

	if self.categories.include?(category)
		old_count = self.categories.find(category.id).cat_count.to_i
		self.categories.delete(category)
	else
		old_count = 0
	end
	self.categories.push_with_attributes(category, :cat_count =>  
old_count + 1)
end

It seems like there should be a way to update the join instead of  
deleting and recreating it.  I know I could always turn the join into  
a model--I''ve done that before but it seems like overkill for  
something so simple as this.  If it knows both unique ids, it should  
possible.  Is there a way to update a HABTM join attribute with a  
method similar to push_with_attributes?  Seems like there should be  
something like:

Object.collection.update_attributes(collection_id, attribute => value)

Kevin

Kevin Skoglund wrote:
> Is there a way to update attributes in a HABTM join table?  Right now  I 
> am deleting the join and then recreating it with new attributes.
http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.ruby.rails/38103


-- 
We develop, watch us RoR, in numbers too big to ignore.

> From: Mark Reginald James <mrj@bigpond.net.au>
> Date: January 4, 2006 7:00:25 PM EST
>> Is there a way to update attributes in a HABTM join table?  Right  
>> now  I am deleting the join and then recreating it with new  
>> attributes.
>
> http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.ruby.rails/38103
Thanks, Mark.  That link was helpful.  I had considered just writing  
the same SQL myself.

So I guess the answer to my question is that there is a way, but it''s  
not part of ActiveRecord.  IMHO, this should be part of the next  
release.  After all, the code is already written...

Kevin