Rails - Jan 2006 - datetime returned as string, sometimes....

Hi,

I''m using postgresql 8.1, rails 1.0, and I have a strange problem on a
datetime field (timestamp without time zone in postgresql).

As shown below, the field "value" sometimes returns a string, and
sometimes a Time instance, depending of where the value is used....:

* breakpoint session _from inside an instance method_ of the object:
 value
=> "1996-05-01 00:00:00"
 value.class
=> String

However, as you can see, the value field is of type datetime:

Detail.columns[3]
=> #<ActiveRecord::ConnectionAdapters::Column:0xb7489378 @limit=nil,
@text=false, @null=true, @primary=false, @default=nil,
@type=:datetime, @name="value", @number=false>

If I load an instance form the database, I also get a string back:
Detail.find(44).value.class
=> String


* But if I load the same instance from a console session I get a Time instance!

Detail.find(44).value.class
=> Time




I first thought it could come from the way I created the value (
:value => "2005-01-01" or :value =>
DateTime.parse("2005-01-01")), but
that wasn''t confirmed by my tests.

Actually, it seems to depend of the account I use to log into my
application, and the place where I put the breakpoint call! This could
make sense as the data created for the demo account is not treated
with the same code. However, I don''t understand what happens as it
looks in the right table, sees it works on a datatime field, but still
returns a String, depending on where you are in the code.....

 In short this is what I found out:
demo account + breakpoint in model instance method => string
demo account + breakpoint outside model instance method ( a view eg) => Time
normal user account + breakpoint in model instance method => Time

Has anyone experienced a similar thing?

Thanks

Raph

I found the cause of the problem: The class Detail was derived from
another class which had the value column of type text.

Raph

On 1/7/06, Raphael Bauduin <rblists@gmail.com>
wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I''m using postgresql 8.1, rails 1.0, and I have a strange problem
on a
> datetime field (timestamp without time zone in postgresql).
>
> As shown below, the field "value" sometimes returns a string, and
> sometimes a Time instance, depending of where the value is used....:
>
> * breakpoint session _from inside an instance method_ of the object:
>  value
> => "1996-05-01 00:00:00"
>  value.class
> => String
>
> However, as you can see, the value field is of type datetime:
>
> Detail.columns[3]
> => #<ActiveRecord::ConnectionAdapters::Column:0xb7489378 @limit=nil,
> @text=false, @null=true, @primary=false, @default=nil,
> @type=:datetime, @name="value", @number=false>
>
> If I load an instance form the database, I also get a string back:
> Detail.find(44).value.class
> => String
>
>
> * But if I load the same instance from a console session I get a Time
instance!
>
> Detail.find(44).value.class
> => Time
>
>
>
>
> I first thought it could come from the way I created the value (
> :value => "2005-01-01" or :value =>
DateTime.parse("2005-01-01")), but
> that wasn''t confirmed by my tests.
>
> Actually, it seems to depend of the account I use to log into my
> application, and the place where I put the breakpoint call! This could
> make sense as the data created for the demo account is not treated
> with the same code. However, I don''t understand what happens as it
> looks in the right table, sees it works on a datatime field, but still
> returns a String, depending on where you are in the code.....
>
>  In short this is what I found out:
> demo account + breakpoint in model instance method => string
> demo account + breakpoint outside model instance method ( a view eg) =>
Time
> normal user account + breakpoint in model instance method => Time
>
> Has anyone experienced a similar thing?
>
> Thanks
>
> Raph
>