Rails - Feb 2006 - Assigning has_many child in parent creation question

If I have...

class Parent
   has_many :children
end

class Child
   belongs_to :parent
end

...then...

* Assigning a _new_ child during parent''s creation saves the child 
record with the parent''s id.
   child = Child.new
   Parent.create(:children => [child])
   # Results in child being associated with parent

* Assigning an existing child after a parent''s creation saves the child
record with the parent''s id.
   child = Child.new
   parent = Parent.new
   parent.children << child
   # Results in child being associated with parent

...however...

* Assigning an _existing_ child during parent''s creation does not save 
the child''s record with the parent''s id.
   child = Child.create
   Parent.create(:children => [Child.new])
   # Child is not associated with parent

This seems slightly counter-intuitive; unless I am missing something 
obvious.  Any thoughts?

Chris

In your final example the "child = Child.create" line is irrelevant,
right?
"child" is never used. What happens when you do use it? That should
definitely work.

- Byron

On 2/14/06, Chris Roos <chris@seagul.co.uk> wrote:
>
> If I have...
>
> class Parent
>    has_many :children
> end
>
> class Child
>    belongs_to :parent
> end
>
> ...then...
>
> * Assigning a _new_ child during parent''s creation saves the child
> record with the parent''s id.
>    child = Child.new
>    Parent.create(:children => [child])
>    # Results in child being associated with parent
>
> * Assigning an existing child after a parent''s creation saves the
child
> record with the parent''s id.
>    child = Child.new
>    parent = Parent.new
>    parent.children << child
>    # Results in child being associated with parent
>
> ...however...
>
> * Assigning an _existing_ child during parent''s creation does not
save
> the child''s record with the parent''s id.
>    child = Child.create
>    Parent.create(:children => [Child.new])
>    # Child is not associated with parent
>
> This seems slightly counter-intuitive; unless I am missing something
> obvious.  Any thoughts?
>
> Chris
> _______________________________________________
> Rails mailing list
> Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org
> http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails
>


--
Byron
http://byron.saltysiak.com
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Sorry, the last example is incorrect - I should be using the new child 
in my parent construction

  child = Child.create
  Parent.create(:children => child)

Chris


Chris Roos wrote:
> If I have...
> 
> class Parent
>    has_many :children
> end
> 
> class Child
>    belongs_to :parent
> end
> 
> ...then...
> 
> * Assigning a _new_ child during parent''s creation saves the child
> record with the parent''s id.
>    child = Child.new
>    Parent.create(:children => [child])
>    # Results in child being associated with parent
> 
> * Assigning an existing child after a parent''s creation saves the
child
> record with the parent''s id.
>    child = Child.new
>    parent = Parent.new
>    parent.children << child
>    # Results in child being associated with parent
> 
> ...however...
> 
> * Assigning an _existing_ child during parent''s creation does not
save
> the child''s record with the parent''s id.
>    child = Child.create
>    Parent.create(:children => [Child.new])
>    # Child is not associated with parent
> 
> This seems slightly counter-intuitive; unless I am missing something
> obvious.  Any thoughts?
> 
> Chris

-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

Err, apparently I''m more stoopid than I realised.  This should of
course
be

  child = Child.create
  Parent.create(:children => [child])

Regardless of my ineptitude, this is the example that does not assign 
the child to the parent (i.e. child.parent_id is null in database).

Chris

Chris Roos wrote:
> Sorry, the last example is incorrect - I should be using the new child 
> in my parent construction
> 
>   child = Child.create
>   Parent.create(:children => child)
> 
> Chris
> 
-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

Try this...

Parent.children << Child.new

See what happens...

On 2/14/06, Chris Roos <chrisroos@revieworld.com>
wrote:
> Err, apparently I''m more stoopid than I realised.  This should of
course
> be
>
>   child = Child.create
>   Parent.create(:children => [child])
>
> Regardless of my ineptitude, this is the example that does not assign
> the child to the parent (i.e. child.parent_id is null in database).
>
> Chris
>
> Chris Roos wrote:
> > Sorry, the last example is incorrect - I should be using the new child
> > in my parent construction
> >
> >   child = Child.create
> >   Parent.create(:children => child)
> >
> > Chris
> >
>
> --
> Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
> _______________________________________________
> Rails mailing list
> Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org
> http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails
>

I probably should have been slightly more explicit in my initial 
example.

What you suggest works fine.  The reason that your method works is the 
basis for my confusion.

With an unsaved child object, both methods (as well as 
update_attribute/s) work fine.

With a previously saved child object, only the assignment on parent 
creation doesn''t work - all other methods do.  This is what seems 
counter-intuitive to me.

Chris

-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

The initial problem with the your code (I believe)  is that while you
were assigning the parent/child relationship you weren''t saving the
child again once you did so. As far as I know, the only method that
will actually save/create the child, or related objects, is the <<
operator.

In other words, if you set the parent_id explicitly then you need to
call child.save. Try adding that in your original code after the call
to the parent object.

-Nick

On 2/14/06, Chris Roos <chrisroos@revieworld.com>
wrote:
> I probably should have been slightly more explicit in my initial
> example.
>
> What you suggest works fine.  The reason that your method works is the
> basis for my confusion.
>
> With an unsaved child object, both methods (as well as
> update_attribute/s) work fine.
>
> With a previously saved child object, only the assignment on parent
> creation doesn''t work - all other methods do.  This is what seems
> counter-intuitive to me.
>
> Chris
>
> --
> Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
> _______________________________________________
> Rails mailing list
> Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org
> http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails
>

> With a previously saved child object, only the assignment on parent 
> creation doesn''t work - all other methods do.  This is what seems 
> counter-intuitive to me.
The Agile book seems to indicate something like 
child.create_parent(attributes={})

Tony

-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

Nick Stuart wrote:
> The initial problem with the your code (I believe)  is that while you
> were assigning the parent/child relationship you weren''t saving
the
> child again once you did so. As far as I know, the only method that
> will actually save/create the child, or related objects, is the <<
> operator.
> 
> In other words, if you set the parent_id explicitly then you need to
> call child.save. Try adding that in your original code after the call
> to the parent object.
> 
> -Nick
Thanks for all the pointers folks.

Just for clarity; I already knew how to achieve what I required.  I 
guess my question was more about the principle of least surprise.  For 
each method available to ''join'' a parent and child; all work
whether or
not the child is saved; _except_ the parent creation method.  This just 
surprised me is all.

Thanks for the input,

Chris

-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.