Rails - Apr 2006 - accessing created_on causes type error

I assume that this is some newbie stupidity, but I haven''t found my 
way around this problem.  I have an ActiveRecord object fetched 
from the database, and I need to evaluate the contents of the 
updated_on field.  However, *any* attempt to access that data in the 
program results in a TypeError with the message ''no implicit conversion
from nil to integer''.  

cust = Customer.find(:first, :conditions => ["custid = ?", custid]
if cust.updated_on.nil?
...never gets here
end

Any help would be much appreciated

Ken

--

I use the words you taught me. If they don''t mean anything any more,
teach me others. Or let me be silent.
                        Samuel Beckett (Clov, Endgame)

Kenneth Dunlap wrote:
> However, *any* attempt to access that data in the
> program results in a TypeError with the message ''no implicit
conversion
> from nil to integer''.
> 
> cust = Customer.find(:first, :conditions => ["custid = ?",
custid]
> if cust.updated_on.nil?
> ...never gets here
> end
> 
Hi Kenneth,

Is cust nil?  Is custid nil?  Try running the code with script/console.

Dan

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

Quoth Dan Perez (perezda@yahoo.com):
> Kenneth Dunlap wrote:
> 
> > However, *any* attempt to access that data in the
> > program results in a TypeError with the message ''no implicit
conversion
> > from nil to integer''.
> > 
> > cust = Customer.find(:first, :conditions => ["custid =
?", custid]
> > if cust.updated_on.nil?
> > ...never gets here
> > end
> > 
> 
> Hi Kenneth,
> 
> Is cust nil?  Is custid nil?  Try running the code with script/console.
> 
> Dan
> 
No, custid was not nil.  FWIW, this is part of a support script which
does backend things for a rails project, so was not being run under 
rails.  As it turns out, the problem I have above *only* happens
when I am running the script in the debugger.  It''s very strange. 
cust is a fully initialized object.  I can access values in the debugger,
including the updated_on field.  But when the next line of code tests
to see if updated_on is nil, all hell breaks loose.

Ken
--

I use the words you taught me. If they don''t mean anything any more,
teach me others. Or let me be silent.
                        Samuel Beckett (Clov, Endgame)

> No, custid was not nil.  FWIW, this is part of a support script which
> does backend things for a rails project, so was not being run under
> rails.  As it turns out, the problem I have above *only* happens
> when I am running the script in the debugger.  It''s very strange.
> cust is a fully initialized object.  I can access values in the 
> debugger,
> including the updated_on field.  But when the next line of code tests
> to see if updated_on is nil, all hell breaks loose.
Weird.  I assume you''re not missing the '')'' in your
actual code, just
the post, right?

Dan

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

Kenneth Dunlap wrote:
> I assume that this is some newbie stupidity, but I haven''t found
my
> way around this problem.  I have an ActiveRecord object fetched 
> from the database, and I need to evaluate the contents of the 
> updated_on field.  However, *any* attempt to access that data in the 
> program results in a TypeError with the message ''no implicit
conversion
> from nil to integer''.  
> 
> cust = Customer.find(:first, :conditions => ["custid = ?",
custid]
> if cust.updated_on.nil?
> ...never gets here
> end
1) Are you sure that there is a customer found?
2) If there is a customer found, what does the database say its 
updated_on value should be?
3) What db are you using, and what is the type of updated_on in the db?
4) What''s the stack trace?

-- 

Ray

Quoth Ray Baxter (ray@warmroom.com):
> Kenneth Dunlap wrote:
> 
> >I assume that this is some newbie stupidity, but I haven''t
found my
> >way around this problem.  I have an ActiveRecord object fetched 
> >from the database, and I need to evaluate the contents of the 
> >updated_on field.  However, *any* attempt to access that data in the 
> >program results in a TypeError with the message ''no implicit
conversion
> >from nil to integer''.  
> >
> >cust = Customer.find(:first, :conditions => ["custid = ?",
custid]
> >if cust.updated_on.nil?
> >...never gets here
> >end
> 
> 1) Are you sure that there is a customer found?
Yes.
> 2) If there is a customer found, what does the database say its 
> updated_on value should be?
''0000-00-00 00:00:00''.  The cust object agrees, if I look at
it in the
debugger.

> 3) What db are you using, and what is the type of updated_on in the db?
MySQL 5.0.17
updated_on timestamp NOT NULL default ''0000-00-00 00:00:00''
> 4) What''s the stack trace?
> 
Here''s debugger output including the stack trace:
/usr/local/adm/accnt/script/customer.rb:112:        webcust =
WebCustomer.find(:first, :conditions => ["custid = ?",
self.custid])
(rdb:1) n
/usr/local/adm/accnt/script/customer.rb:113:        if webcust.nil?
(rdb:1) n
/usr/local/adm/accnt/script/customer.rb:113:        if webcust.nil?
(rdb:1) n
/usr/local/adm/accnt/script/customer.rb:131:        if not
webcust.updated_on.nil?
(rdb:1) n
/usr/local/adm/accnt/script/customer.rb:131:        if not
webcust.updated_on.nil?
(rdb:1)
n
/pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract/schema_definitions.rb:112:
`no implicit conversion from nil to integer'' (TypeError)
        from
/pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/mysql_adapter.rb:278:in
`each''
        from
/pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/mysql_adapter.rb:278:in
`columns''
        from
/pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active_record/base.rb:734:in
`columns''
        from
/pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active_record/base.rb:742:in
`columns_hash''
        from
/pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active_record/base.rb:1532:in
`define_read_methods''
        from
/pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active_record/base.rb:1482:in
`method_missing''
        from /usr/local/adm/accnt/script/customer.rb:131:in
`save_to_sql''
        from customer_upload.rb:17
        from customer_upload.rb:13:in `each_line''
        from customer_upload.rb:13
/pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract/schema_definitions.rb:112:
Time.send(Base.default_timezone, *time_array) rescue nil


The code runs fine *outside* of the debugger.


Ken

--

I use the words you taught me. If they don''t mean anything any more,
teach me others. Or let me be silent.
                        Samuel Beckett (Clov, Endgame)