Rails - Feb 2007 - I'm about to give up...I guess noone can help with passing arrays between the controller and view?

No one seems to be able to help with my request.  I bet this can be done 
in rails, but I''m not going to figure it out without any help anytime
soon.

Trying to be brief:  I have three classes: Account, Employee, and 
AccountEmployeeRelation (which contains more than just the FKs).
In the form where I create a new account, I know how to add a ONE linked 
employee.  I do not know how to extend this to add MULTIPLE linked 
employees.
Here is the working code for one employee:

  def new
    @account = Account.new
    @relation = AccountEmployeeRelation.new
  end

  def create
    @account = Account.new(params[:account])
    @relation = AccountEmployeeRelation.new(params[:relation])
    @account.account_employee_relations << @relation
    @account.save
    @relation.save
    redirect_to :action => :list
  end

The View:
<% form_for :account, :url => { :action => :create } do |form| %>
Title: <%= form.text_field :title %><br/>

<% fields_for :relation do |f|%>
   Employee: <%= f.select (:employee_id, Employee.find(:all).map{|u| 
[u.name, u.id]}) %><br/>
<% end %>

<%= submit_tag %>
<% end %>

Can anyone help with extending this?  I think new needs to look like:
  def new
    @relations = []
    3.times do # I would not really do it this way.
      @relations << AccountEmployeeRelation.new
    end
  end

But I''m stuck on the view.

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Rick Schumeyer wrote:
>   def new
>     @account = Account.new
>     @relation = AccountEmployeeRelation.new
I will suggest something really sucky. Either it will work
brilliantly, or you will get your answer from others leaping to your
defense from me.

     3.times do |idx|
       instance_eval "@relations_#{idx} = AccountEmployeeRelation.new"
     end
 ...
>     @account = Account.new(params[:account])
     3.times do |idx|
        relation =
AccountEmployeeRelation.new(params[:"relation_#{idx}"])
        account.account_employee_relations << relation
     end
...
> The View:
> <% form_for :account, :url => { :action => :create } do |form|
%>
> Title: <%= form.text_field :title %><br/>
     3.times do |idx|  #  similar symbol-abuse here...

 <% fields_for :"relation_#{}" do |f|%>
>    Employee: <%= f.select (:employee_id, Employee.find(:all).map{|u|
> [u.name, u.id]}) %><br/>
> <% end %>
And so on. However, I suspect in general you user interface is
too-closely matching the exact shape of your database. It should match
the way your users will typically enter their data.

-- 
  Phlip
  http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?ZeekLand  <-- NOT a blog!!

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Rick,

You can set multiple values on a collection like this:

@account.account_employee_ids = params[:relation_ids]

where params[:relation_ids] is an array of the relationship ids.

I wrote up an example in my blog awhile back:

http://javathehutt.blogspot.com/2006/08/rails-realities-part-19- 
relation.html

Also if you need to initialize a relationship when you create a new  
instance see this post from hasmanyjosh:

http://blog.hasmanythrough.com/2007/1/22/using-faux-accessors-to- 
initialize-values

Hope that helps,

-Michael
http://javathehutt.blogspot.com

On Feb 16, 2007, at 10:21 AM, Rick Schumeyer wrote:
>
> No one seems to be able to help with my request.  I bet this can be  
> done
> in rails, but I''m not going to figure it out without any help  
> anytime soon.
>
> Trying to be brief:  I have three classes: Account, Employee, and
> AccountEmployeeRelation (which contains more than just the FKs).
> In the form where I create a new account, I know how to add a ONE  
> linked
> employee.  I do not know how to extend this to add MULTIPLE linked
> employees.
> Here is the working code for one employee:
>
>   def new
>     @account = Account.new
>     @relation = AccountEmployeeRelation.new
>   end
>
>   def create
>     @account = Account.new(params[:account])
>     @relation = AccountEmployeeRelation.new(params[:relation])
>     @account.account_employee_relations << @relation
>     @account.save
>     @relation.save
>     redirect_to :action => :list
>   end
>
> The View:
> <% form_for :account, :url => { :action => :create } do |form|
%>
> Title: <%= form.text_field :title %><br/>
>
> <% fields_for :relation do |f|%>
>    Employee: <%= f.select (:employee_id, Employee.find(:all).map{|u|
> [u.name, u.id]}) %><br/>
> <% end %>
>
> <%= submit_tag %>
> <% end %>
>
> Can anyone help with extending this?  I think new needs to look like:
>   def new
>     @relations = []
>     3.times do # I would not really do it this way.
>       @relations << AccountEmployeeRelation.new
>     end
>   end
>
> But I''m stuck on the view.
>
> >

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Thanks, I will try your suggestions shortly.

I''m open to suggestons about my interface.  If I wanted to make the
inerface easy (for me) I would make the user create an Account, and
then later go back and add assigned Employees.  I think it will be
more convenient (but not for me) to be able to assign employees on the
same form that creates the account.

>
> And so on. However, I suspect in general you user interface is
> too-closely matching the exact shape of your database. It should match
> the way your users will typically enter their data.
>
> --
>   Phlip
>  http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?ZeekLand <-- NOT a blog!!

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Rick wrote:
> Thanks, I will try your suggestions shortly.
Try Mike''s sooner. ;-)
> I''m open to suggestons about my interface.  If I wanted to make
the
> inerface easy (for me) I would make the user create an Account, and
> then later go back and add assigned Employees.  I think it will be
> more convenient (but not for me) to be able to assign employees on the
> same form that creates the account.
The best deal there is show them a working interface as soon as
possible, with a few important features in it. Then they can request a
better look-and-feel, based on experience with the prototype...

-- 
  Phlip
  http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?ZeekLand  <-- NOT a blog!!

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I''m quite lost.

I tried the suggestions at the first link...the check_box_tag, which
comes from your page, seems to work.

<% @account.account_employee_relations.each do |child| %>
<%=check_box_tag
''account[account_employee_relation_ids][]'', child.id,
true %> <br/>
<%end%>

This produces (for each check box):

<input checked="checked"
id="account[account_employee_relation_ids][]"
name="account[account_employee_relation_ids][]"
type="checkbox" />

But when I change the check box to a text field:

<%= text_field ''account[account_employee_relation_ids][]'',
child.id
%>

I get an error:

`@account[account_employee_relation_ids]'' is not allowed as an
instance variable name

On Feb 16, 1:57 pm, Michael Kovacs
<kov...-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org>
wrote:
> Rick,
>
> You can set multiple values on a collection like this:
>
> @account.account_employee_ids = params[:relation_ids]
>
> where params[:relation_ids] is an array of the relationship ids.
>
> I wrote up an example in my blog awhile back:
>
> http://javathehutt.blogspot.com/2006/08/rails-realities-part-19-
> relation.html
>
> Also if you need to initialize a relationship when you create a new
> instance see this post from hasmanyjosh:
>
> http://blog.hasmanythrough.com/2007/1/22/using-faux-accessors-to-
> initialize-values
>
> Hope that helps,
>
> -Michaelhttp://javathehutt.blogspot.com
>
> On Feb 16, 2007, at 10:21 AM, Rick Schumeyer wrote:
>
>
>
> > No one seems to be able to help with my request.  I bet this can be
> > done
> > in rails, but I''m not going to figure it out without any help
> > anytime soon.
>
> > Trying to be brief:  I have three classes: Account, Employee, and
> > AccountEmployeeRelation (which contains more than just the FKs).
> > In the form where I create a new account, I know how to add a ONE
> > linked
> > employee.  I do not know how to extend this to add MULTIPLE linked
> > employees.
> > Here is the working code for one employee:
>
> >   def new
> >     @account = Account.new
> >     @relation = AccountEmployeeRelation.new
> >   end
>
> >   def create
> >     @account = Account.new(params[:account])
> >     @relation = AccountEmployeeRelation.new(params[:relation])
> >     @account.account_employee_relations << @relation
> >     @account.save
> >     @relation.save
> >     redirect_to :action => :list
> >   end
>
> > The View:
> > <% form_for :account, :url => { :action => :create } do
|form| %>
> > Title: <%= form.text_field :title %><br/>
>
> > <% fields_for :relation do |f|%>
> >    Employee: <%= f.select (:employee_id,
Employee.find(:all).map{|u|
> > [u.name, u.id]}) %><br/>
> > <% end %>
>
> > <%= submit_tag %>
> > <% end %>
>
> > Can anyone help with extending this?  I think new needs to look like:
> >   def new
> >     @relations = []
> >     3.times do # I would not really do it this way.
> >       @relations << AccountEmployeeRelation.new
> >     end
> >   end
>
> > But I''m stuck on the view.

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Rick,

I did something this with a bit of AJAX.  Basically, I gave the user the 
option to tell me how many fields they wanted, and then had the form 
load a partial with teh right number of fields.

Here''s the relevant bit of the _form.rhtml partial:

p><label for="custom_field_select_options">Select 
options</label><br/></p>
number of options: <%= text_field ''select_field'',
''options_number'',
:id=>"watch_this", :value=>@num%>
<div id="select_fields">
  <%= render :partial=>"select_fields",
:locals=>{:num=>@num}%>
</div>
<%= observe_field "watch_this",
:url=>{:action=>"select_fields",
:controller=>"custom_fields",:params=>{:campaign_id=>@campaign.id,
:id=>@custom_field.id}}, :update=>"select_fields",
:with=>"num" %>

And the _select_fields partial:

<% if num.nil?
  num = @num
end
%>
<% if num.nil? or num == 0
  num=3
end%>
  enter "select" options:<br />
  <% num.times do |i|
    if !@custom_field.nil? and @custom_field.field_type=="Select"
      value = @custom_field.select_options[i]
    else
      value = ""
    end  -%>
  <%=(i+1).to_s%>) <%= text_field ''select_field'',
''options'',:index=>i,
:value=>value %><br />
  <% end -%>


The select_fields action just collects and passes through the number of 
fields requested:

  def select_fields
    unless params[:id].nil?
      @custom_field = CustomField.find(params[:id])
    end
    @num = params[:num].to_i
    render :partial=>''select_fields'',
:protocol=>@@protocol
  end

Hope that''s helpful.  You could do it with just an RJS response to a 
form_remote_tag instead of watching the field if you want.

In the end the (variable number of) params come in as a nested hash, 
which I then pull apart and assign appropriately.

Asa

-- 
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