Rails - Jul 2006 - text_field doesn''t call overridden ActiveRecord getters

All,

In a template, I have

<%= text_field  :target_list, :DateReceived,
                                            { :title =>
''uploaded_at'',
                                              :class => 
''target_list_info'',
                                              :disabled =>
''true'' } %>

Here is the DateReceived method on my ActiveRecord descendant, the 
target list object:

  public
  def DateReceived
    read_attribute(''DateReceived'').strftime(''%m/%d/%Y
%I:%M:%S %p'')
  end

However, when I attempt to render this in my template, the default 
formatted database value of the DateReceived timestamp column is 
displayed instead of my specially formatted version that I return from 
the DateReceived method.

Does text_field generate code that bypasses overridden getter methods 
for an ActiveRecord object?

Wes

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

Wes Gamble wrote:
> All,
> 
> In a template, I have
> 
> <%= text_field  :target_list, :DateReceived,
>                                             { :title =>
''uploaded_at'',
>                                               :class => 
> ''target_list_info'',
>                                               :disabled =>
''true'' } %>
> 
> Here is the DateReceived method on my ActiveRecord descendant, the 
> target list object:
> 
>   public
>   def DateReceived
>    
read_attribute(''DateReceived'').strftime(''%m/%d/%Y
%I:%M:%S %p'')
>   end
> 
> However, when I attempt to render this in my template, the default 
> formatted database value of the DateReceived timestamp column is 
> displayed instead of my specially formatted version that I return from 
> the DateReceived method.
> 
> Does text_field generate code that bypasses overridden getter methods 
> for an ActiveRecord object?
> 
> Wes
I can get around this by naming the method above with a different name 
than the column name.

Still, that bugs me.  If the text_field code is simply calling a method 
on the ActiveRecord object, shouldn''t what I did work?

I don''t think it matters, but template that the text_field is in is a 
partial.

Thanks,
Wes

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

On 7/3/06, Wes Gamble <weyus@att.net> wrote:
> Wes Gamble wrote:
> > All,
> >
> > In a template, I have
> >
> > <%= text_field  :target_list, :DateReceived,
> >                                             { :title =>
''uploaded_at'',
> >                                               :class =>
> > ''target_list_info'',
> >                                               :disabled =>
''true'' } %>
> >
The ActiveRecord form helpers call the before_type_cast versions of
the accessor methods.
If your column name is example_field:
text_field :target_list, :example_field calls
"example_field_before_type_cast" on your model instance.

Wilson Bilkovich wrote:
> On 7/3/06, Wes Gamble <weyus@att.net> wrote:
>> >
> The ActiveRecord form helpers call the before_type_cast versions of
> the accessor methods.
> If your column name is example_field:
> text_field :target_list, :example_field calls
> "example_field_before_type_cast" on your model instance.
So then, in general when using ActiveRecord form helpers, you must 
create a separate method to decorate your model attribute get methods 
because of this behavior.  Is that correct?

Wes



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

On 7/3/06, Wes Gamble <weyus@att.net> wrote:
> Wilson Bilkovich wrote:
> > On 7/3/06, Wes Gamble <weyus@att.net> wrote:
> >> >
> > The ActiveRecord form helpers call the before_type_cast versions of
> > the accessor methods.
> > If your column name is example_field:
> > text_field :target_list, :example_field calls
> > "example_field_before_type_cast" on your model instance.
>
> So then, in general when using ActiveRecord form helpers, you must
> create a separate method to decorate your model attribute get methods
> because of this behavior.  Is that correct?
>
It depends. If you have a string column, you can just alias the two
methods together.
If you have something more complex, you may need to implement  "thing"
and "thing_before_type_cast" separately.
Alternately, you could make your own form helper that called your
normal attribute by name.