Rails - Jan 2008 - Mapping active record objects to virtual attributes

I''ve got a phone number field defined in a model as a single String.
However, the form used to input the phone number exposes the number as
three distinct fields to help the user enter the number in the correct
format.  I''m mapping the three input parameters to the single string
in a before_validation method which seems to work fine, but I want to
be able to map the single string to the three distinct fields when the
record is loaded from the database.  What''s the correct hook to do
that?  I tried to provide a phone_number= method that used
self[:phone_number]=... to assign the attribute and then split the
phone number up into the three fields to be returned by accessors, but
AR doesn''t seem to call this method when the record is loaded from the
database.  What''s the best way to accomplish this?
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On Jan 31, 2008 3:10 PM, bigbanger
<bigbanger10s-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org>
wrote:
>
> I''ve got a phone number field defined in a model as a single
String.
> However, the form used to input the phone number exposes the number as
> three distinct fields to help the user enter the number in the correct
> format.  I''m mapping the three input parameters to the single
string
> in a before_validation method which seems to work fine, but I want to
> be able to map the single string to the three distinct fields when the
> record is loaded from the database.  What''s the correct hook to do
> that?  I tried to provide a phone_number= method that used
> self[:phone_number]=... to assign the attribute and then split the
> phone number up into the three fields to be returned by accessors, but
> AR doesn''t seem to call this method when the record is loaded from
the
> database.  What''s the best way to accomplish this?
class MyModel < ActiveRecord::Base

  .....

  def after_find
      # call your method to split the phone number here
  end

Another way to do this is with a virtual accessors

  def area_code
      phone_number[0..2]
  end

  def area_code=(area_code)
     raise ArgumentError.new(''invalid area code'') unless
area_code.length == 3
     phone_number[0..2] = area_code
  end

of course this will differ depending just how you represent the numbers.

-- 
Rick DeNatale

My blog on Ruby
http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/

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Rick Denatale wrote:
> On Jan 31, 2008 3:10 PM, bigbanger
<bigbanger10s-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org> wrote:
>> phone number up into the three fields to be returned by accessors, but
>> AR doesn''t seem to call this method when the record is loaded
from the
>> database.  What''s the best way to accomplish this?

I figured out how to use Aggregations to provide the necessary piecing
and reassembly of phone number
http://blogs.entertonement.com/nerdery/2008/07/rails-multipara.html
-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

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