Rails - Dec 2007 - capitalizing an attribute - view, controller, or model?

The users will enter students names on forms.  How do I intercept the
first and last names and have them stored capitalized when the user
inputs them in lower case?

Do I mess with the form html,  skipping form_for helpers and using
conditional clauses in the view?

Do I need to separate out the individual attribute and update it
separately in the controller actions that save/updates the
record?(instead of the blanket object.update_attributes(params[:object])
)

Or, and I think this is what I seem to recall seeing, can I create a
definition in the model that automatically capitalizes given attributes?

I would like code below to work in the Student model(unfortunately its
not working!(and creates a "stack level too deep" error if i leave out
"self"))

def self.first_name
    first_name.capitalize
end

Am I close?
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On Dec 7, 2007 12:21 PM, Tom Norian
<rails-mailing-list-ARtvInVfO7ksV2N9l4h3zg@public.gmane.org>
wrote:
>
> The users will enter students names on forms.  How do I intercept the
> first and last names and have them stored capitalized when the user
> inputs them in lower case?
>
> Do I mess with the form html,  skipping form_for helpers and using
> conditional clauses in the view?
>
> Do I need to separate out the individual attribute and update it
> separately in the controller actions that save/updates the
> record?(instead of the blanket object.update_attributes(params[:object])
> )
>
> Or, and I think this is what I seem to recall seeing, can I create a
> definition in the model that automatically capitalizes given attributes?
>
> I would like code below to work in the Student model(unfortunately its
> not working!(and creates a "stack level too deep" error if i
leave out
> "self"))
>
> def self.first_name
>    first_name.capitalize
> end
>
> Am I close?
> --
> Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
>
To overwrite an accessor setup by AR you need to use a different syntax

def first_name
  self[:firstname] = self[:firstname].capitalize_first_letter_method
end

You know though you can do that with css...

HTH

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hmm,

I don''t think I really hope to change just what is displayed, or change
what is pulled out over and over again (thats what the accessor would 
do?)

I''d prefer to change what is stored ?  (thanks for pointing out the 
correct way of  changing what is retrieved though!)

There must be an idiomatic way of filtering and altering form data going 
into records.  Is it just to individually set each attribute in the 
controller?
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On Dec 6, 2007, at 5:46 PM, Tom Norian wrote:
> There must be an idiomatic way of filtering and altering form data  
> going
> into records.  Is it just to individually set each attribute in the
> controller?
class MyModel < AR::Base
   before_save :capitalize_fields
   before_update :capitalize_fields

   private
   def capitalize_fields
     [:first_name, :last_name].each {|field| self[field] = self 
[field].capitalize}
   end
end


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Thanks Steve!

should have thought of before filters before  ; ) .. guess thats why 
they''re there for.
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