Rails - Jan 2007 - AR object takes several forms to complete...how should I handle that?

In one of the apps I''m building, the user fills out a series of forms
that will eventually create an AR model.  What''s the best way to
handle the object throughout the process?  I could save it at each
step, though that could leave us with tons of crap objects in the db.

Another option is to just create an object without saving it, and pass
it into each view.  Then I would use hidden fields in the forms to
pass along the already submitted info.

The final idea that I''m thinking of is to hold onto the object using
the session.  I could use flash to ensure they don''t stay in too long.

One major consideration is that I''m not sure what all the steps are at
this point, and they''ll definitely be changing.  Some users will have
different steps than others.

The forms will be standard fare, just a bunch of strings and numbers.
They will upload a picture or two.

With all that in mind, what are the pros and cons of each approach I
mentioned above?  Are there any other approaches that may work better?

Thanks for any advice.

Pat

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Hi Pat,

Pat Maddox wrote:
> I could save it at each step, though that could leave us with tons of crap 
> objects
> in the db.
Not sure I''m following, so I hope you''ll forgive a potentially
stupid
question.  Are you talking about session clean-up issues?  If not, could you 
say more about what you''re concerned about here?

Thanks,
Bill 



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On 1/7/07, Bill Walton
<bill.walton-xwVYE8SWAR3R7s880joybQ@public.gmane.org>
wrote:
>
> Hi Pat,
>
> Pat Maddox wrote:
> > I could save it at each step, though that could leave us with tons of
crap
> > objects
> > in the db.
>
> Not sure I''m following, so I hope you''ll forgive a
potentially stupid
> question.  Are you talking about session clean-up issues?  If not, could
you
> say more about what you''re concerned about here?
Sorry, I meant that I could save it to the db after every step.  If
someone cancels halfway through though, there''s a trash record in the
db (I''d have to skip validations to get it to save in the first place,
because they won''t have entered all the necessary info).

Pat

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Hi --

On Sun, 7 Jan 2007, Pat Maddox wrote:
>
> On 1/7/07, Bill Walton
<bill.walton-xwVYE8SWAR3R7s880joybQ@public.gmane.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Pat,
>> 
>> Pat Maddox wrote:
>> > I could save it at each step, though that could leave us with tons
of
>> crap
>> > objects
>> > in the db.
>> 
>> Not sure I''m following, so I hope you''ll forgive a
potentially stupid
>> question.  Are you talking about session clean-up issues?  If not,
could
>> you
>> say more about what you''re concerned about here?
>
> Sorry, I meant that I could save it to the db after every step.  If
> someone cancels halfway through though, there''s a trash record in
the
> db (I''d have to skip validations to get it to save in the first
place,
> because they won''t have entered all the necessary info).
Just FYI here''s some musings on this subject by Zed Shaw:

http://rubyforge.org/pipermail/mongrel-users/2006-September/001429.html


David

-- 
Q. What is THE Ruby book for Rails developers?
A. RUBY FOR RAILS by David A. Black (http://www.manning.com/black)
    (See what readers are saying!  http://www.rubypal.com/r4rrevs.pdf)
Q. Where can I get Ruby/Rails on-site training, consulting, coaching?
A. Ruby Power and Light, LLC (http://www.rubypal.com)

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