Hi all,
After working on my first rails app and having handed over some very
sophisticated coding from a lot of you guys. My app does what I want it to
do, but I''m no where near the end yet, and it seems that the KISS and
DRY
objectives already went down the drain.
It could be lack of knowledge, only doing Ruby on (and) Rails for a month, but
I''m stuck on the following:
Keeping my code simple seems to influence the ease of use of my application.
There is functionality in my application that''s very handy and makes
you not
have to repeat yourself with filling out forms. The down side of this is
(seems) that there are pieces of code, duplicated and some statements are
very complex. And this is not what Rails is about. Does this sound familiar
to anybody out there?
I''m not going to include my whole app but below is one method that made
me
come to the formentioned dilema.
The models:
company (hm) <-> (bt) contacts
project (ho) <-> (bt) project_contacts
The guilty actions (new_project and create_project) are shown below:
(They''re workin, but I don''t even wanna think about the
edit/update actions)
def new_project
@project = Project.new
@contacts_list = Contact.find_by_sql(''select t1.name, t2.first_name,
t2.last_name, t2.id from companies AS t1, contacts AS t2 where t1.id =
t2.company_id order by t1.name'')
@contacts_list = @contacts_list.collect { |c| [ c.name + " - " +
c.first_name
+ " " + c.last_name, c.id ] }
render_action ''new_project''
end
def create_project
@contact = Contact.new
@project = Project.new(@params[''project''])
@project_contact = ProjectContact.new(@params[''collect''])
@project.project_contact = @project_contact
contact =
Contact.find(@params[''id''][''collect''])
@project.project_contact.first_name = contact.first_name
@project.project_contact.last_name = contact.last_name
if @project.save
flash[:notice] = ''Project was successfully created.''
redirect_to :action => ''show_project'', :id =>
@project.id
else
render :action => ''edit_project''
end
end
Should I have a clean go. Or shape up, go at it and simply continue?
Regards,
Gerard.
P.S. Thanks a lot for your time if you made it al the way down here!!
--
"Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new
Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..."
My $Grtz =~ Gerard;
~
:wq!
Define a specific problem you have here that is as small as possible. That will help. Your problem is very vague Why do you have a relationship between project and project_contacts? What is project_contacts? Why don''t you have a relationship between project and contacts? Your project isn''t referencing contact, it''s duplicating them. Can each contact belong to only 1 company? If so, you can just get all contacts and access each contact''s company with contact.company. I don''t see what exactly your handmade sql query is for. Gerard Petersen wrote:>Hi all, > >After working on my first rails app and having handed over some very >sophisticated coding from a lot of you guys. My app does what I want it to >do, but I''m no where near the end yet, and it seems that the KISS and DRY >objectives already went down the drain. > >It could be lack of knowledge, only doing Ruby on (and) Rails for a month, but >I''m stuck on the following: >Keeping my code simple seems to influence the ease of use of my application. >There is functionality in my application that''s very handy and makes you not >have to repeat yourself with filling out forms. The down side of this is >(seems) that there are pieces of code, duplicated and some statements are >very complex. And this is not what Rails is about. Does this sound familiar >to anybody out there? > >I''m not going to include my whole app but below is one method that made me >come to the formentioned dilema. > >The models: >company (hm) <-> (bt) contacts >project (ho) <-> (bt) project_contacts > >The guilty actions (new_project and create_project) are shown below: >(They''re workin, but I don''t even wanna think about the edit/update actions) > > def new_project > @project = Project.new > @contacts_list = Contact.find_by_sql(''select t1.name, t2.first_name, >t2.last_name, t2.id from companies AS t1, contacts AS t2 where t1.id = >t2.company_id order by t1.name'') > @contacts_list = @contacts_list.collect { |c| [ c.name + " - " + c.first_name >+ " " + c.last_name, c.id ] } > render_action ''new_project'' > end > >def create_project > @contact = Contact.new > @project = Project.new(@params[''project'']) > > @project_contact = ProjectContact.new(@params[''collect'']) > @project.project_contact = @project_contact > > contact = Contact.find(@params[''id''][''collect'']) > @project.project_contact.first_name = contact.first_name > @project.project_contact.last_name = contact.last_name > > if @project.save > flash[:notice] = ''Project was successfully created.'' > redirect_to :action => ''show_project'', :id => @project.id > else > render :action => ''edit_project'' > end >end > >Should I have a clean go. Or shape up, go at it and simply continue? > >Regards, > >Gerard. > >P.S. Thanks a lot for your time if you made it al the way down here!! > > > > > >
I think this:> def new_project > @project = Project.new > @contacts_list = Contact.find_by_sql(''select t1.name, t2.first_name, > t2.last_name, t2.id from companies AS t1, contacts AS t2 where t1.id > t2.company_id order by t1.name'') > @contacts_list = @contacts_list.collect { |c| [ c.name + " - " + c.first_name > + " " + c.last_name, c.id ] } > render_action ''new_project'' > endcan be written like this: def new_project @project = Project.new @contacts = Contact.find :all, :include => :company end and if you add this into your Contact model: def name_and_company "#{company.name} - #{first_name} #{last_name}" end then you can do your view like this: <ul> <% @contacts.each do |contact| %> <li><%= contact.name_and_company %></li> <% end %> </ul> Does that help any? Douglas
Mike, Replies inline .. (hope it''s not to long) On Wednesday 11 January 2006 00:04, Mike Harris tried to type something like:> Define a specific problem you have here that is as small as possible. > That will help. Your problem is very vagueSo is my feeling about this .. :-)> Why do you have a relationship between project and project_contacts? > What is project_contacts? Why don''t you have a relationship between > project and contacts? Your project isn''t referencing contact, it''s > duplicating them.The copy is intentional. If a contact no longer works for a company (resigned or changed jobs), the contact info related to a project is gone, and could result in nil errors when viewing project data. The project_contacts table (belongs_to project) has a few fields of the contacts table copied into them. Not al fields are copied because the contacts table (belongs_to companies is rather exensive. But I would like to be able to (re)view project data (even on closed projects).> Can each contact belong to only 1 company? If so, you can just get all > contacts and access each contact''s company with contact.company. I > don''t see what exactly your handmade sql query is for.This feeds a dropdown list, in the create new_project view, that holds a combination of "Company name - Firstname Lastname". Sorted on company, and therein on Name. This was done with the idea that when creating a new project, while having a customer on the phone, you can quickly select his info, type in a few project fields and save the stuff. And i looks very self explanatory (wel in the front-end of my app anyway .. :-) To continue on the ''feeling''. The code doesn''t look tidy anymore. So one of the idea''s that I have is moving the whole "Contact.find_by_sql ... " statement to a model, and simply being able to reference this via an object on update or create. Is this possible, and would it be proper MVC ethics? The whole thing started with the comments in this link: http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/pages/HowToReuseEditViewsForNewViews Having one view (edit_project) for creating new and editing existing records, is a great DRY implementation. Even the comment on just having a <%= auto_form %> in your view made me go through the roof. But (en here it comes), I''ve got no clue on how to maintain (or end up at) this, with the issue at hand. So the ''feeling'' or question is (are): - Is all this to complex and not according to DRY ethics, or is it just me? - And is it wise (and MVC like) to move the "Contact.find_by_sql ... " out of the controller? All your insights are very welcome. Thanx a lot!! Regards, Gerard.> > Gerard Petersen wrote: > >Hi all, > > > >After working on my first rails app and having handed over some very > >sophisticated coding from a lot of you guys. My app does what I want it to > >do, but I''m no where near the end yet, and it seems that the KISS and DRY > >objectives already went down the drain. > > > >It could be lack of knowledge, only doing Ruby on (and) Rails for a month, > > but I''m stuck on the following: > >Keeping my code simple seems to influence the ease of use of my > > application. There is functionality in my application that''s very handy > > and makes you not have to repeat yourself with filling out forms. The > > down side of this is (seems) that there are pieces of code, duplicated > > and some statements are very complex. And this is not what Rails is > > about. Does this sound familiar to anybody out there? > > > >I''m not going to include my whole app but below is one method that made me > >come to the formentioned dilema. > > > >The models: > >company (hm) <-> (bt) contacts > >project (ho) <-> (bt) project_contacts > > > >The guilty actions (new_project and create_project) are shown below: > >(They''re workin, but I don''t even wanna think about the edit/update > > actions) > > > > def new_project > > @project = Project.new > > @contacts_list = Contact.find_by_sql(''select t1.name, t2.first_name, > >t2.last_name, t2.id from companies AS t1, contacts AS t2 where t1.id > >t2.company_id order by t1.name'') > > @contacts_list = @contacts_list.collect { |c| [ c.name + " - " + > > c.first_name + " " + c.last_name, c.id ] } > > render_action ''new_project'' > > end > > > >def create_project > > @contact = Contact.new > > @project = Project.new(@params[''project'']) > > > > @project_contact = ProjectContact.new(@params[''collect'']) > > @project.project_contact = @project_contact > > > > contact = Contact.find(@params[''id''][''collect'']) > > @project.project_contact.first_name = contact.first_name > > @project.project_contact.last_name = contact.last_name > > > > if @project.save > > flash[:notice] = ''Project was successfully created.'' > > redirect_to :action => ''show_project'', :id => @project.id > > else > > render :action => ''edit_project'' > > end > >end > > > >Should I have a clean go. Or shape up, go at it and simply continue? > > > >Regards, > > > >Gerard. > > > >P.S. Thanks a lot for your time if you made it al the way down here!! > > _______________________________________________ > Rails mailing list > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails-- "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." My $Grtz =~ Gerard; ~ :wq!
Douglas, It''s one o'' clock at night over in the good ol'' Netherlands, so it''s time for bed. But your code looks absolutely marvelous. I am going to chew on it tomorrow. And definitely get back to you on this. Kind regards, Gerard -most-of-the-time-wanting-to-much-to-quickly- Petersen On Wednesday 11 January 2006 00:48, Douglas Livingstone tried to type something like:> I think this: > > def new_project > > @project = Project.new > > @contacts_list = Contact.find_by_sql(''select t1.name, > > t2.first_name, t2.last_name, t2.id from companies AS t1, contacts AS t2 > > where t1.id = t2.company_id order by t1.name'') > > @contacts_list = @contacts_list.collect { |c| [ c.name + " - " + > > c.first_name + " " + c.last_name, c.id ] } > > render_action ''new_project'' > > end > > can be written like this: > > def new_project > @project = Project.new > @contacts = Contact.find :all, :include => :company > end > > and if you add this into your Contact model: > > def name_and_company > "#{company.name} - #{first_name} #{last_name}" > end > > then you can do your view like this: > > <ul> > <% @contacts.each do |contact| %> > <li><%= contact.name_and_company %></li> > <% end %> > </ul> > > Does that help any? > > Douglas > _______________________________________________ > Rails mailing list > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails-- "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." My $Grtz =~ Gerard; ~ :wq!
Gerard A couple of ideas here.... I supose you could set up the contacts table so that entries never get deleted. Add a ''status'' column and set it to some value if they are no longer available... then filter that out in your queries OR you could copy the information just before the contact gets deleted. If you are worried about storage space, you could set up a script to archive projects of a certain age. When you do that, you simply check to see if the user is still active and if not, then you can archive them too and delete them from the main table. I find that the trick for staying DRY is not to over do it. If you get too tricky with your methods for staying DRY, then the code gets confusing and unmaintainable. You should always code in such a way that someone else can pick up your code and understand it. While reusing the edit view for a new action is clearly DRY, it is also more complicated and confusing. My preference is to give the principle of ''least surprise'' precidence over DRY. Remember, Rails values convention over configuration. If you stray too far from the convention you aren''t doing yourself or the code maintainers any favors. _Kevin -- Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
Somewhat OT: 2006/1/11, Kevin Olbrich <kevin.olbrich@duke.edu>:> > Remember, Rails values convention over configuration. If you stray too > far from the convention you aren''t doing yourself or the code > maintainers any favors. >I wonder if there is scope in Rails for adding custom conventions. For example, if you have a model called "Car", by convention it would map to a table called "cars". Would it be possible to redefine this, so that "Car" would map to "myapp_cars", and would also allow "Person" to map to "myapp_people" without further coding? I assume that this could be done by extending the ActiveRecord class, and then using that as theparent for your model classes,though it isn''t something I''ve tried in practice. Douglas
Douglas Livingstone wrote:> Somewhat OT: > > I wonder if there is scope in Rails for adding custom conventions. For > example, if you have a model called "Car", by convention it would map > to a table called "cars". Would it be possible to redefine this, so > that "Car" would map to "myapp_cars", and would also allow "Person" to > map to "myapp_people" without further coding? I assume that this could > be done by extending the ActiveRecord class, and then using that as > theparent for your model classes,though it isn''t something I''ve tried > in practice. > > DouglasYeah, I think there is a way to add a prefix to your table names, but I haven''t used it. -- Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
Another option which is more similar to what you have:
@contact_list = Contact.find(:all, :include => "company").collect{
|c|, ["#{c.company.name} - #{c.firstname} #{c.lastname}", c.id])
This will give you what you had before, with out the extra method. If
you think you''ll use this format somewhere else though, go with what
Douglas suggested and add the method to the class.
Also, to avoid duplication of contact info you could switch the
relationships around some. So Project will now belong_to a contact and
you could now do something like this in the view:
<%= select "project", "contact_id", @contact_list %>
and then your controller code would be reduced to:
@project = Project.new params[:project]
@project.save
And this will automatically set the contact and save the info for you!
Hope some of this helps!
-Nick
On 1/10/06, Gerard Petersen <mailing@gp-net.nl>
wrote:> Douglas,
>
> It''s one o'' clock at night over in the good ol''
Netherlands, so it''s time for
> bed. But your code looks absolutely marvelous. I am going to chew on it
> tomorrow. And definitely get back to you on this.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Gerard -most-of-the-time-wanting-to-much-to-quickly- Petersen
>
>
>
> On Wednesday 11 January 2006 00:48, Douglas Livingstone tried to type
> something like:
> > I think this:
> > > def new_project
> > > @project = Project.new
> > > @contacts_list = Contact.find_by_sql(''select
t1.name,
> > > t2.first_name, t2.last_name, t2.id from companies AS t1, contacts
AS t2
> > > where t1.id = t2.company_id order by t1.name'')
> > > @contacts_list = @contacts_list.collect { |c| [ c.name +
" - " +
> > > c.first_name + " " + c.last_name, c.id ] }
> > > render_action ''new_project''
> > > end
> >
> > can be written like this:
> >
> > def new_project
> > @project = Project.new
> > @contacts = Contact.find :all, :include => :company
> > end
> >
> > and if you add this into your Contact model:
> >
> > def name_and_company
> > "#{company.name} - #{first_name} #{last_name}"
> > end
> >
> > then you can do your view like this:
> >
> > <ul>
> > <% @contacts.each do |contact| %>
> > <li><%= contact.name_and_company %></li>
> > <% end %>
> > </ul>
> >
> > Does that help any?
> >
> > Douglas
> > _______________________________________________
> > Rails mailing list
> > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org
> > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails
>
> --
> "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our
new
> Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..."
>
> My $Grtz =~ Gerard;
> ~
> :wq!
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Rails mailing list
> Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org
> http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails
>
Hi all, replies inline ... On Wednesday 11 January 2006 02:20, Nick Stuart tried to type something like:> Another option which is more similar to what you have: > @contact_list = Contact.find(:all, :include => "company").collect{Didn''t know about the ":include" option (yet), so that''s a good one to investigate. (although I''m not sure if that still applies with the new ideas below). Furthermore does putting the "def name_and_company" in a model sound as something I like. Had a discussion with a datamodelling guru this morning, and I''m walking around with the following ideas. - Giving a contact a status field ''active / inactive / maybe more'', so they''re not deleted, but merely not visible in the (active) contacts database. Resulting in having the data available for the closed projects. - There was talk of an extra table. Roles ( a person can have a role in a project). But for a 1 man company (and his 1st rail app) this seems overkill. - In another email in this thread (from Kevin), some nice ideas on the simplicity and readability of code. (that you can read there). So Nick and Douglas, thanks a lot for the inspiration, code and solutions presented. I see light at the end of the tunnel .. :-) Grtz Gerard.> This will give you what you had before, with out the extra method. If > you think you''ll use this format somewhere else though, go with what > Douglas suggested and add the method to the class. > > Also, to avoid duplication of contact info you could switch the > relationships around some. So Project will now belong_to a contact and > you could now do something like this in the view: > <%= select "project", "contact_id", @contact_list %> > > and then your controller code would be reduced to: > @project = Project.new params[:project] > @project.save > > And this will automatically set the contact and save the info for you! > > Hope some of this helps! > -Nick > > On 1/10/06, Gerard Petersen <mailing@gp-net.nl> wrote: > > Douglas, > > > > It''s one o'' clock at night over in the good ol'' Netherlands, so it''s time > > for bed. But your code looks absolutely marvelous. I am going to chew on > > it tomorrow. And definitely get back to you on this. > > > > Kind regards, > > > > Gerard -most-of-the-time-wanting-to-much-to-quickly- Petersen > > > > > > > > On Wednesday 11 January 2006 00:48, Douglas Livingstone tried to type > > > > something like: > > > I think this: > > > > def new_project > > > > @project = Project.new > > > > @contacts_list = Contact.find_by_sql(''select t1.name, > > > > t2.first_name, t2.last_name, t2.id from companies AS t1, contacts AS > > > > t2 where t1.id = t2.company_id order by t1.name'') > > > > @contacts_list = @contacts_list.collect { |c| [ c.name + " - > > > > " + c.first_name + " " + c.last_name, c.id ] } > > > > render_action ''new_project'' > > > > end > > > > > > can be written like this: > > > > > > def new_project > > > @project = Project.new > > > @contacts = Contact.find :all, :include => :company > > > end > > > > > > and if you add this into your Contact model: > > > > > > def name_and_company > > > "#{company.name} - #{first_name} #{last_name}" > > > end > > > > > > then you can do your view like this: > > > > > > <ul> > > > <% @contacts.each do |contact| %> > > > <li><%= contact.name_and_company %></li> > > > <% end %> > > > </ul> > > > > > > Does that help any? > > > > > > Douglas > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Rails mailing list > > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > > > -- > > "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new > > Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." > > > > My $Grtz =~ Gerard; > > ~ > > > > :wq! > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Rails mailing list > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > _______________________________________________ > Rails mailing list > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails-- "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." My $Grtz =~ Gerard; ~ :wq!
To throw one more thing your way concerning the active/inactive status. Take a look as the acts_as_paranoid which adds a deleted field to your model, and may do what you want with out having to do much yourself. It may or may not fit your need, but I think it would be work a look. -Nick On 1/11/06, Gerard Petersen <mailing@gp-net.nl> wrote:> Hi all, > > replies inline ... > > On Wednesday 11 January 2006 02:20, Nick Stuart tried to type something like: > > Another option which is more similar to what you have: > > @contact_list = Contact.find(:all, :include => "company").collect{ > Didn''t know about the ":include" option (yet), so that''s a good one to > investigate. (although I''m not sure if that still applies with the new ideas > below). > > Furthermore does putting the "def name_and_company" in a model sound as > something I like. > > Had a discussion with a datamodelling guru this morning, and I''m walking > around with the following ideas. > > - Giving a contact a status field ''active / inactive / maybe more'', so they''re > not deleted, but merely not visible in the (active) contacts database. > Resulting in having the data available for the closed projects. > > - There was talk of an extra table. Roles ( a person can have a role in a > project). But for a 1 man company (and his 1st rail app) this seems overkill. > > - In another email in this thread (from Kevin), some nice ideas on the > simplicity and readability of code. (that you can read there). > > > So Nick and Douglas, thanks a lot for the inspiration, code and solutions > presented. I see light at the end of the tunnel .. :-) > > Grtz Gerard. > > > > This will give you what you had before, with out the extra method. If > > you think you''ll use this format somewhere else though, go with what > > Douglas suggested and add the method to the class. > > > > Also, to avoid duplication of contact info you could switch the > > relationships around some. So Project will now belong_to a contact and > > you could now do something like this in the view: > > <%= select "project", "contact_id", @contact_list %> > > > > and then your controller code would be reduced to: > > @project = Project.new params[:project] > > @project.save > > > > And this will automatically set the contact and save the info for you! > > > > Hope some of this helps! > > -Nick > > > > On 1/10/06, Gerard Petersen <mailing@gp-net.nl> wrote: > > > Douglas, > > > > > > It''s one o'' clock at night over in the good ol'' Netherlands, so it''s time > > > for bed. But your code looks absolutely marvelous. I am going to chew on > > > it tomorrow. And definitely get back to you on this. > > > > > > Kind regards, > > > > > > Gerard -most-of-the-time-wanting-to-much-to-quickly- Petersen > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday 11 January 2006 00:48, Douglas Livingstone tried to type > > > > > > something like: > > > > I think this: > > > > > def new_project > > > > > @project = Project.new > > > > > @contacts_list = Contact.find_by_sql(''select t1.name, > > > > > t2.first_name, t2.last_name, t2.id from companies AS t1, contacts AS > > > > > t2 where t1.id = t2.company_id order by t1.name'') > > > > > @contacts_list = @contacts_list.collect { |c| [ c.name + " - > > > > > " + c.first_name + " " + c.last_name, c.id ] } > > > > > render_action ''new_project'' > > > > > end > > > > > > > > can be written like this: > > > > > > > > def new_project > > > > @project = Project.new > > > > @contacts = Contact.find :all, :include => :company > > > > end > > > > > > > > and if you add this into your Contact model: > > > > > > > > def name_and_company > > > > "#{company.name} - #{first_name} #{last_name}" > > > > end > > > > > > > > then you can do your view like this: > > > > > > > > <ul> > > > > <% @contacts.each do |contact| %> > > > > <li><%= contact.name_and_company %></li> > > > > <% end %> > > > > </ul> > > > > > > > > Does that help any? > > > > > > > > Douglas > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Rails mailing list > > > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > > > > > -- > > > "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new > > > Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." > > > > > > My $Grtz =~ Gerard; > > > ~ > > > > > > :wq! > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Rails mailing list > > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Rails mailing list > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > -- > "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new > Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." > > My $Grtz =~ Gerard; > ~ > :wq! > > > >
Kevin, replies inline ... On Wednesday 11 January 2006 01:09, Kevin Olbrich tried to type something > I supose you could set up the contacts table so that entries never get> deleted. Add a ''status'' column and set it to some value if they are no > longer available... then filter that out in your queries OR you could > copy the information just before the contact gets deleted.Very good idea. Thats the way to go!> If you are worried about storage space, you could set up a script to > archive projects of a certain age. When you do that, you simply check > to see if the user is still active and if not, then you can archive them > too and delete them from the main table.Archiving is not my primary concern, although for accounting purposes, something will arise for this in the future. Storage is cheap, and by the time the database exceeds the 10 gigs, I must have a very wel running company and will be a gazillionair by that time, and got budget to buy extra storage .. :-)> I find that the trick for staying DRY is not to over do it. If you get > too tricky with your methods for staying DRY, then the code gets > confusing and unmaintainable. > > You should always code in such a way that someone else can pick up your > code and understand it.This is THE definition I think. Very good thanx. This would also mean if you don''t see your code for a year, that you still can read it back yourself.> While reusing the edit view for a new action is clearly DRY, it is also > more complicated and confusing.I agree, and are gonna drop this implementation (Done only once, but better now then later). Simplicity is the key! Very good and clearifying feedback. Thanx a lot for stearing me clear from future bumps in my application! Regards, Gerard. -- "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." My $Grtz =~ Gerard; ~ :wq!
Nick, I will. Thanx a lot. Regards, Gerard. On Wednesday 11 January 2006 15:40, Nick Stuart tried to type something like:> To throw one more thing your way concerning the active/inactive > status. Take a look as the acts_as_paranoid which adds a deleted field > to your model, and may do what you want with out having to do much > yourself. > > It may or may not fit your need, but I think it would be work a look. > > -Nick > > On 1/11/06, Gerard Petersen <mailing@gp-net.nl> wrote: > > Hi all, > > > > replies inline ... > > > > On Wednesday 11 January 2006 02:20, Nick Stuart tried to type somethinglike:> > > Another option which is more similar to what you have: > > > @contact_list = Contact.find(:all, :include => "company").collect{ > > > > Didn''t know about the ":include" option (yet), so that''s a good one to > > investigate. (although I''m not sure if that still applies with the new > > ideas below). > > > > Furthermore does putting the "def name_and_company" in a model sound as > > something I like. > > > > Had a discussion with a datamodelling guru this morning, and I''m walking > > around with the following ideas. > > > > - Giving a contact a status field ''active / inactive / maybe more'', so > > they''re not deleted, but merely not visible in the (active) contacts > > database. Resulting in having the data available for the closed projects. > > > > - There was talk of an extra table. Roles ( a person can have a role in a > > project). But for a 1 man company (and his 1st rail app) this seems > > overkill. > > > > - In another email in this thread (from Kevin), some nice ideas on the > > simplicity and readability of code. (that you can read there). > > > > > > So Nick and Douglas, thanks a lot for the inspiration, code and solutions > > presented. I see light at the end of the tunnel .. :-) > > > > Grtz Gerard. > > > > > This will give you what you had before, with out the extra method. If > > > you think you''ll use this format somewhere else though, go with what > > > Douglas suggested and add the method to the class. > > > > > > Also, to avoid duplication of contact info you could switch the > > > relationships around some. So Project will now belong_to a contact and > > > you could now do something like this in the view: > > > <%= select "project", "contact_id", @contact_list %> > > > > > > and then your controller code would be reduced to: > > > @project = Project.new params[:project] > > > @project.save > > > > > > And this will automatically set the contact and save the info for you! > > > > > > Hope some of this helps! > > > -Nick > > > > > > On 1/10/06, Gerard Petersen <mailing@gp-net.nl> wrote: > > > > Douglas, > > > > > > > > It''s one o'' clock at night over in the good ol'' Netherlands, so it''s > > > > time for bed. But your code looks absolutely marvelous. I am going to > > > > chew on it tomorrow. And definitely get back to you on this. > > > > > > > > Kind regards, > > > > > > > > Gerard -most-of-the-time-wanting-to-much-to-quickly- Petersen > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday 11 January 2006 00:48, Douglas Livingstone tried to type > > > > > > > > something like: > > > > > I think this: > > > > > > def new_project > > > > > > @project = Project.new > > > > > > @contacts_list = Contact.find_by_sql(''select t1.name, > > > > > > t2.first_name, t2.last_name, t2.id from companies AS t1, contacts > > > > > > AS t2 where t1.id = t2.company_id order by t1.name'') > > > > > > @contacts_list = @contacts_list.collect { |c| [ c.name + > > > > > > " - " + c.first_name + " " + c.last_name, c.id ] } > > > > > > render_action ''new_project'' > > > > > > end > > > > > > > > > > can be written like this: > > > > > > > > > > def new_project > > > > > @project = Project.new > > > > > @contacts = Contact.find :all, :include => :company > > > > > end > > > > > > > > > > and if you add this into your Contact model: > > > > > > > > > > def name_and_company > > > > > "#{company.name} - #{first_name} #{last_name}" > > > > > end > > > > > > > > > > then you can do your view like this: > > > > > > > > > > <ul> > > > > > <% @contacts.each do |contact| %> > > > > > <li><%= contact.name_and_company %></li> > > > > > <% end %> > > > > > </ul> > > > > > > > > > > Does that help any? > > > > > > > > > > Douglas > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Rails mailing list > > > > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > > > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > > > > > > > -- > > > > "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new > > > > Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." > > > > > > > > My $Grtz =~ Gerard; > > > > ~ > > > > > > > > :wq! > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Rails mailing list > > > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Rails mailing list > > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > > > -- > > "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new > > Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." > > > > My $Grtz =~ Gerard; > > ~ > > > > :wq!-- "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." My $Grtz =~ Gerard; ~ :wq!
Nick, Seems worth trying out. Couldn''t find one how to though. Is it just installing the plugin and putting "acts_as_paranoid" in your model? (and create the deleted_at field in your tables ofcourse .. :-) TNX! GrtzG On Wednesday 11 January 2006 15:40, Nick Stuart tried to type something like:> To throw one more thing your way concerning the active/inactive > status. Take a look as the acts_as_paranoid which adds a deleted field > to your model, and may do what you want with out having to do much > yourself. > > It may or may not fit your need, but I think it would be work a look. > > -Nick > > On 1/11/06, Gerard Petersen <mailing@gp-net.nl> wrote: > > Hi all, > > > > replies inline ... > > > > On Wednesday 11 January 2006 02:20, Nick Stuart tried to type somethinglike:> > > Another option which is more similar to what you have: > > > @contact_list = Contact.find(:all, :include => "company").collect{ > > > > Didn''t know about the ":include" option (yet), so that''s a good one to > > investigate. (although I''m not sure if that still applies with the new > > ideas below). > > > > Furthermore does putting the "def name_and_company" in a model sound as > > something I like. > > > > Had a discussion with a datamodelling guru this morning, and I''m walking > > around with the following ideas. > > > > - Giving a contact a status field ''active / inactive / maybe more'', so > > they''re not deleted, but merely not visible in the (active) contacts > > database. Resulting in having the data available for the closed projects. > > > > - There was talk of an extra table. Roles ( a person can have a role in a > > project). But for a 1 man company (and his 1st rail app) this seems > > overkill. > > > > - In another email in this thread (from Kevin), some nice ideas on the > > simplicity and readability of code. (that you can read there). > > > > > > So Nick and Douglas, thanks a lot for the inspiration, code and solutions > > presented. I see light at the end of the tunnel .. :-) > > > > Grtz Gerard. > > > > > This will give you what you had before, with out the extra method. If > > > you think you''ll use this format somewhere else though, go with what > > > Douglas suggested and add the method to the class. > > > > > > Also, to avoid duplication of contact info you could switch the > > > relationships around some. So Project will now belong_to a contact and > > > you could now do something like this in the view: > > > <%= select "project", "contact_id", @contact_list %> > > > > > > and then your controller code would be reduced to: > > > @project = Project.new params[:project] > > > @project.save > > > > > > And this will automatically set the contact and save the info for you! > > > > > > Hope some of this helps! > > > -Nick > > > > > > On 1/10/06, Gerard Petersen <mailing@gp-net.nl> wrote: > > > > Douglas, > > > > > > > > It''s one o'' clock at night over in the good ol'' Netherlands, so it''s > > > > time for bed. But your code looks absolutely marvelous. I am going to > > > > chew on it tomorrow. And definitely get back to you on this. > > > > > > > > Kind regards, > > > > > > > > Gerard -most-of-the-time-wanting-to-much-to-quickly- Petersen > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday 11 January 2006 00:48, Douglas Livingstone tried to type > > > > > > > > something like: > > > > > I think this: > > > > > > def new_project > > > > > > @project = Project.new > > > > > > @contacts_list = Contact.find_by_sql(''select t1.name, > > > > > > t2.first_name, t2.last_name, t2.id from companies AS t1, contacts > > > > > > AS t2 where t1.id = t2.company_id order by t1.name'') > > > > > > @contacts_list = @contacts_list.collect { |c| [ c.name + > > > > > > " - " + c.first_name + " " + c.last_name, c.id ] } > > > > > > render_action ''new_project'' > > > > > > end > > > > > > > > > > can be written like this: > > > > > > > > > > def new_project > > > > > @project = Project.new > > > > > @contacts = Contact.find :all, :include => :company > > > > > end > > > > > > > > > > and if you add this into your Contact model: > > > > > > > > > > def name_and_company > > > > > "#{company.name} - #{first_name} #{last_name}" > > > > > end > > > > > > > > > > then you can do your view like this: > > > > > > > > > > <ul> > > > > > <% @contacts.each do |contact| %> > > > > > <li><%= contact.name_and_company %></li> > > > > > <% end %> > > > > > </ul> > > > > > > > > > > Does that help any? > > > > > > > > > > Douglas > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Rails mailing list > > > > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > > > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > > > > > > > -- > > > > "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new > > > > Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." > > > > > > > > My $Grtz =~ Gerard; > > > > ~ > > > > > > > > :wq! > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Rails mailing list > > > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Rails mailing list > > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > > > -- > > "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new > > Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." > > > > My $Grtz =~ Gerard; > > ~ > > > > :wq!-- "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." My $Grtz =~ Gerard; ~ :wq!
Gerard Petersen wrote:> Nick, > > Seems worth trying out. Couldn''t find one how to though. Is it just > installing > the plugin and putting "acts_as_paranoid" in your model? > (and create the deleted_at field in your tables ofcourse .. :-) > > TNX!I think it''s a gem. try ''gem install acts_at_paranoid'' -- Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
Nick, After some thoughts on this. I don''t know what''s wise yet. Setting the paranoia opt. Means this wil affect that particular model all over my app. So I must figure out what''s rule and what''s exception, as far as showing ''deleted'' items is concerned. Don''t worry I come up with challenges for myself by the minute .. ;-) Thnx n Grtz Gerard. On Wednesday 11 January 2006 18:05, Nick Stuart tried to type something like:> As far as I know it should be that simple. (never used it before > myself, but know others have). > > It may or may not fit your needs, it depends on what you want to do. I > would play with this and see how it acts, but dont think its the only > way you could go as it certainly isn''t. > > -Nick > > On 1/11/06, Gerard Petersen <mailing@gp-net.nl> wrote: > > Nick, > > > > Seems worth trying out. Couldn''t find one how to though. Is it just > > installing the plugin and putting "acts_as_paranoid" in your model? > > (and create the deleted_at field in your tables ofcourse .. :-) > > > > TNX! > > > > GrtzG > > > > On Wednesday 11 January 2006 15:40, Nick Stuart tried to type somethinglike:> > > To throw one more thing your way concerning the active/inactive > > > status. Take a look as the acts_as_paranoid which adds a deleted field > > > to your model, and may do what you want with out having to do much > > > yourself. > > > > > > It may or may not fit your need, but I think it would be work a look. > > > > > > -Nick > > > > > > On 1/11/06, Gerard Petersen <mailing@gp-net.nl> wrote: > > > > Hi all, > > > > > > > > replies inline ... > > > > > > > > On Wednesday 11 January 2006 02:20, Nick Stuart tried to type > > > > something > > > > like: > > > > > Another option which is more similar to what you have: > > > > > @contact_list = Contact.find(:all, :include => "company").collect{ > > > > > > > > Didn''t know about the ":include" option (yet), so that''s a good one > > > > to investigate. (although I''m not sure if that still applies with the > > > > new ideas below). > > > > > > > > Furthermore does putting the "def name_and_company" in a model sound > > > > as something I like. > > > > > > > > Had a discussion with a datamodelling guru this morning, and I''m > > > > walking around with the following ideas. > > > > > > > > - Giving a contact a status field ''active / inactive / maybe more'', > > > > so they''re not deleted, but merely not visible in the (active) > > > > contacts database. Resulting in having the data available for the > > > > closed projects. > > > > > > > > - There was talk of an extra table. Roles ( a person can have a role > > > > in a project). But for a 1 man company (and his 1st rail app) this > > > > seems overkill. > > > > > > > > - In another email in this thread (from Kevin), some nice ideas on > > > > the simplicity and readability of code. (that you can read there). > > > > > > > > > > > > So Nick and Douglas, thanks a lot for the inspiration, code and > > > > solutions presented. I see light at the end of the tunnel .. :-) > > > > > > > > Grtz Gerard. > > > > > > > > > This will give you what you had before, with out the extra method. > > > > > If you think you''ll use this format somewhere else though, go with > > > > > what Douglas suggested and add the method to the class. > > > > > > > > > > Also, to avoid duplication of contact info you could switch the > > > > > relationships around some. So Project will now belong_to a contact > > > > > and you could now do something like this in the view: > > > > > <%= select "project", "contact_id", @contact_list %> > > > > > > > > > > and then your controller code would be reduced to: > > > > > @project = Project.new params[:project] > > > > > @project.save > > > > > > > > > > And this will automatically set the contact and save the info for > > > > > you! > > > > > > > > > > Hope some of this helps! > > > > > -Nick > > > > > > > > > > On 1/10/06, Gerard Petersen <mailing@gp-net.nl> wrote: > > > > > > Douglas, > > > > > > > > > > > > It''s one o'' clock at night over in the good ol'' Netherlands, so > > > > > > it''s time for bed. But your code looks absolutely marvelous. I am > > > > > > going to chew on it tomorrow. And definitely get back to you on > > > > > > this. > > > > > > > > > > > > Kind regards, > > > > > > > > > > > > Gerard -most-of-the-time-wanting-to-much-to-quickly- Petersen > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday 11 January 2006 00:48, Douglas Livingstone tried to > > > > > > type > > > > > > > > > > > > something like: > > > > > > > I think this: > > > > > > > > def new_project > > > > > > > > @project = Project.new > > > > > > > > @contacts_list = Contact.find_by_sql(''select t1.name, > > > > > > > > t2.first_name, t2.last_name, t2.id from companies AS t1, > > > > > > > > contacts AS t2 where t1.id = t2.company_id order by t1.name'') > > > > > > > > @contacts_list = @contacts_list.collect { |c| [ c.name + " - > > > > > > > > " + c.first_name + " " + c.last_name, c.id ] } > > > > > > > > render_action ''new_project'' > > > > > > > > end > > > > > > > > > > > > > > can be written like this: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > def new_project > > > > > > > @project = Project.new > > > > > > > @contacts = Contact.find :all, :include => :company > > > > > > > end > > > > > > > > > > > > > > and if you add this into your Contact model: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > def name_and_company > > > > > > > "#{company.name} - #{first_name} #{last_name}" > > > > > > > end > > > > > > > > > > > > > > then you can do your view like this: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > <ul> > > > > > > > <% @contacts.each do |contact| %> > > > > > > > <li><%= contact.name_and_company %></li> > > > > > > > <% end %> > > > > > > > </ul> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Does that help any? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Douglas > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > > Rails mailing list > > > > > > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > > > > > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > > "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new > > > > > > Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." > > > > > > > > > > > > My $Grtz =~ Gerard; > > > > > > ~ > > > > > > > > > > > > :wq! > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > Rails mailing list > > > > > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > > > > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Rails mailing list > > > > > Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org > > > > > http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails > > > > > > > > -- > > > > "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new > > > > Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." > > > > > > > > My $Grtz =~ Gerard; > > > > ~ > > > > > > > > :wq! > > > > -- > > "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new > > Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." > > > > My $Grtz =~ Gerard; > > ~ > > > > :wq!-- "Who cares if it doesn''t do anything? It was made with our new Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." My $Grtz =~ Gerard; ~ :wq!