Rails - Apr 2008 - adding errors to an autocomplete field and ensuring it is wrapped with fieldWithErrors

So I''m failing to find how to do this the ''rails-way''
Here''s the problem, it''s easier to show it in an example...but
basically I''m having issues with validation errors highlighting
(wrapping) with the ''fieldWithErrors'' div and multiple models
in a
belongs_to relationship.
 So here''s the example:
models:
   child.rb
      belongs_to :parent
      validates_presence_of :parent
      validates_presence_of :name

   parent.rb
      has_many :children

controller:
  # basic scaffold style controller with an method to support ajax:
  indexed_auto_complete_for :child, :parent, :name

view:
  <label for="parent_name">parent</label><br/>
  <%= text_field_with_auto_complete :parent, :name,
                                    { :value => @parent_name },
                                    { :skip_style => true,
                                      :after_update_element =>
''auto_complete_on_select'' } %>
  <% # hidden field is updated via ajax %>
  <%= hidden_field :child, :parent_id %>

modified lib/auto_complete.rb
    #
http://ricardo.pacheco.name/blog/articles/2006/09/17/using-autocomplete-with-belongs_to-fields-part-ii
    def indexed_auto_complete_for(parent, object, method, options {})
      define_method("auto_complete_for_#{object}_#{method}") do
        find_options = {
          :conditions => [ "LOWER(#{method}) LIKE ?",
''%'' +
params[object][method].downcase + ''%'' ],
          :order => "#{method} ASC",
          :limit => 10 }.merge!(options)

        @items = object.to_s.camelize.constantize.find(:all,
find_options)

        render :inline => "<%= indexed_auto_complete_result @items,
''#{parent}_#{object}_id'', ''#{method}'',
''id'' %>"
      end
    end

modified application.js
// this methods are to allow autocomplete on :belongs_to a bit easier,
requires:
//  - application.js           - auto_complete_on_select
//  - auto_complete_macros.rb  - indexed_auto_complete_result
//  - auto_complete.rb         - indexed_auto_complete_for
function auto_complete_on_select(element, selectedElement)
{
  var entityParts = selectedElement.id.split(''::'');
  var entityType = entityParts[0];
  var entityId   = entityParts[1];
  document.getElementById(entityType).value = entityId;
}


So all of this renders my form as:
  <label for="child_parent_id">parent</label><br/>

  <input id="parent_name" name="parent[name]"
size="30" type="text" /
><div class="auto_complete"
id="parent_name_auto_complete"></
div><script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
var parent_name_auto_completer = new
Ajax.Autocompleter(''parent_name'',
''parent_name_auto_complete'', ''/children/
auto_complete_for_parent_name'',
{afterUpdateElement:auto_complete_on_select,
parameters:''authenticity_token='' +
encodeURIComponent(''2789eb52554dda1a74e3363f76966983ab806fce'')})
//]]>
</script>
    <input id="child_parent_id" name="child[parent_id]"
type="hidden" /
>
</p>


What''s the problem?
 Well when I submit the form, the validation runs, and I get an
error...but the fieldWithErrors tag doesn''t get wrapped on the
parent_name field.

I''m sure I''m doing something ''wrong'' but
I''m not clear on what. I''ve
got a feeling that having the field without a model directly attached
is not rails approved, but I''m confused about that since the
collection_select is such a common thing...this would seem to be just
a direct extension to that.

I''ve tried adding to the errors hash in the model (this
doesn''t work):
    def after_validation
      parent_error = errors.on(:parent)
      if parent_error
        errors.add(:parent_name, parent_error)
        errors.add(''parent_name'', parent_error)
        errors.add(''parent[name]'', parent_error)
      end
    end

Now I''m certain I can hack my way out with either:
 - add some sort of accessor or something like that to child.rb
 - re-do my modifications to the autocomplete stuff to end up with an
id like child[parent_name]
 - change my view to this..but this is definitely an ugly non-
extensible hack:
  <% if @child.errors.on(:parent) -%><div
class=''fieldWithErrors''><%
end %>
  <%= text_field_with_auto_complete :parent, :name,
                                    { :value => @parent_name },
                                    { :skip_style => true,
                                      :after_update_element =>
''auto_complete_on_select'' } %>
  <% if @child.errors.on(:parent) -%></div><% end %>


Thanks in advance,
 Dale

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So this is the rails way...go watch: http://railscasts.com/episodes/102
Thanks Ryan.

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