Rails Nested Object Form *_attributes

Question

I'm using Rails 2.3.2, and trying to get a nested object form to work properly. I've narrowed my problem to the issue that Rails is not setting my nested form elements with the *_attributes required to initiate the accepts_nested_attributes_for processing.

My model code is:

class Person < Party
  has_one :name, :class_name => "PersonName"
  accepts_nested_attributes_for :name, :allow_destroy => true
end

class PersonName < ActiveRecord::Base
  belongs_to :person
end

My view code looks like this (I'm using HAML):

%h3 New customer
= error_messages_for :person, :person_name, :name, :country

- form_for :person, :url => collection_url, :html => {:class => 'MainForm'} do |person_form|

  - @person.build_name unless @person.name
  - person_form.fields_for :name do |name_form|
    = name_form.label :given_name, "First Name:"
    = name_form.text_field :given_name

    = name_form.label :family_name, "Last Name:"
    = name_form.text_field :family_name

  = hidden_field_tag :inviter_id, params[:inviter_id]
  = hidden_field_tag :inviter_code, params[:inviter_code]
  %p= submit_tag "Create"

= link_to 'Back', collection_url

Instead of params being:

{"person"=>{"name_attributes"=>{"given_name"=>"Fred", "family_name"=>"Flintstone"}}, ...}

I get:

{"person"=>{"name"=>{"given_name"=>"Fred", "family_name"=>"Flintstone"}}, ...}

As a result, I get a TypeMismatch exception. I've followed the documentation from Ryan Daigle. I've also followed the advice from this blog and the complex-forms-example.

Using Firebug, I went through my form and adjusted the name attribute of the input tags from name to name_attributes. This produced the params with name_attributes, and the create worked fine.

I'm stuck as I cannot figure out why my form is not producing the *_attributes form of the name.

Another thing I tried is I got the complex_form_example working in my environment. I've gone through every inch of the controller, models and views and compared it to my code. I cannot find what is different. I know this is something small, and would appreciate any help!

Thanks!

Note: It doesn't work either if you haven't defined the 'accepts_nested_attributes' option! But that's okay in your case :). — reto
– reto, Commented Jun 8, 2009 at 8:07
I was having the same problem as the OP, and the response by tsdbrown worked for me as well. I don't totally understand why... I have other rails apps that work as "they should". tsdbrown's response: stackoverflow.com/questions/742536/… — encoded
– encoded, Commented Nov 6, 2009 at 23:17

nowk · Accepted Answer · 2009-07-16 06:50:16Z

4

Post backs do not get routed to the right place

def new
  @person = Person.new
end

<% form_for @person do |f| %>
    <% f.fields_for :name_attributes do |p| %>
        ...
    <% end %>
<% end %>

Post backs get routed to the right place

def new
  @person = Person.new
  @person.name = PersonName.new # << this allows fields_for :relation vs :relation_attributes
end

<% form_for @person do |f| %>
    <% f.fields_for :name do |p| %>
        ...
    <% end %>
<% end %>

No need to @person.name again in #create

answered Jul 16, 2009 at 6:50

nowk

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1 Comment

plehoux Over a year ago

You could also write: @person.build_name instead of @person.name = PersonName.new see: api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActiveRecord/NestedAttributes/…

alloy · Accepted Answer · 2009-04-24 09:58:11Z

4

Try to use an actual object for form_for:

form_for :person => form_for @person

answered Apr 24, 2009 at 9:58

alloy

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1 Comment

reto Over a year ago

This solved it in my case. Not sure why shouldn't work with the symbolized notation...

tsdbrown · Accepted Answer · 2009-08-19 16:29:42Z

1

I have just been struggling for about an hour with exactly the same problem!

Follow nowk's pattern for the new method in the controller, then put this in your view

<% form.fields_for :name, @person.name do |name_form| %>


<% end %>

Good luck if you try it, that's what worked for me.

answered Aug 19, 2009 at 16:29

tsdbrown

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1 Comment

Duke Over a year ago

Yep, that's the way. Take a good gander at the docs: fields for

insane.dreamer · Accepted Answer · 2009-04-13 17:37:22Z

0

Not sure why this isn't working for, but as a workaround, you could just use params[:name] in your controller#create method to update the person record.

person = Person.new(params[:person])
person.name << PersonName.new(params[:name])

answered Apr 13, 2009 at 17:37

insane.dreamer

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2 Comments

dr. Over a year ago

Thanks for your work-around suggestion. I can work around the issue using active_presenter. I'm trying to implement this using 2.3 nested object forms the right way so I can learn how to use it properly.

insane.dreamer Over a year ago

Cool. If you found a solution with using nested object forms, maybe you could post it, for the sake of others?

dr. · Accepted Answer · 2009-04-16 16:49:00Z

0

Unfortunately, I still have not been able to figure out why this form wouldn't work with nested object forms. I stripped it down to the simplest data, started over using the complex-form-example as a start. I ended using the active_presenter to gather x-object data from the form. I'll revisit nested object forms sometime in the form. Thanks for your help.

answered Apr 16, 2009 at 16:49

dr.

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Comments

JBlake · Accepted Answer · 2011-09-07 02:46:03Z

0

Thought I would share my solution as it's slightly different - in my case I want the nested attributes to be dynamic.

In new action:

  case params[:type]
  when "clubber"
    @account = resource.send "build_#{params[:type]}"
  when "promoter"
    @account = resource.send "build_#{params[:type]}"
  when "company"
    @account = resource.send "build_#{params[:type]}"
  when "venue_owner"
    flash[:notice] = 'We ask that venue owners register via the web. Thanks.'
    redirect_to root_path and return
  end

In my view:

= f.fields_for @account.class.name.downcase+'_attributes' do |form|

Pretty ghetto, but it works.

edited Sep 7, 2011 at 2:46

answered Sep 7, 2011 at 0:55

JBlake

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