LoadError - Expected to define. Rails error when calling module

Question

I have a module called EntityTrackerHelper. Here is the code:

module EntityTrackerHelper
    def self.createUserAction(user_id, type, entity_id)
        existingua = UserAction.find(:first, :conditions=> ["user_id = ? and type = ? and entity_id=?", user_id, type, entity_id])
        if existingua.nil?
            ua = UserAction.new
            ua.user_id = user_id
            ua.type = type
            ua.entity_id = entity_id
            ua.date = Time.now
            ua.save
        else
            existingua.date = Time.now
            existingua.save
        end
    end
end

It is used to track changes and user access in an entity. It is used in a controller as follows.

require "#{Rails.root}/lib/EntityTrackerHelper"
class LessonSectionsController < InheritedResources::Base
    def index
      user_id = params[:user_id]
      lesson_id = params[:lesson_id]
      EntityTrackerHelper::createUserAction(user_id, 'LESSON', lesson_id)
      lessonSections = LessonSection.find(:all, :conditions => { :lesson_id => params[:lesson_id] })
      render :json => {:sections => lessonSections.as_json({:only => [:lesson_id,:id,:name]}), :error => ''}
    end
end

I get the following error:

LoadError (Expected /<ProjPath>/<ProjName>/app/models/lesson.rb to define LESSON):
  lib/EntityTrackerHelper.rb:12:in `createUserAction'
  app/controllers/lesson_sections_controller.rb:9:in `index'

Line 12 in EntityTrackerHelper is UserAction.find...

Any idea?

Thanks

Which one? I don;t know why the error is in lesson.rb and the model that is involved is LessonSection (not Lesson) — Tony
– Tony, Commented Dec 27, 2011 at 15:58
The error talks about app/models/lesson.rb. Anyway, see my answer, I guess that's the reason why it is searching for LESSON in this file. — tomferon
– tomferon, Commented Dec 27, 2011 at 16:01

tomferon · Accepted Answer · 2011-12-27 15:54:51Z

3

ActiveRecord will use the field type for "single table inheritance". See http://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActiveRecord/Base.html (subtitle: single table inheritance).

It means that when it loads the UserAction with type LESSON, ActiveRecord will try to instantiate the class LESSON which is not defined.

You probably should use another name for your type column.

answered Dec 27, 2011 at 15:54

tomferon

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1 Comment

Tony Over a year ago

THANK YOU! That was the problem. I will never user a column named type anymore.

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 12:27:39Z

-1

You can try using

**include EntityTrackerHelper**

for more info check this link Call Module function from Controller (NoMethodError)

edited May 23, 2017 at 12:27

CommunityBot

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answered Dec 27, 2011 at 15:51

Thillai Narayanan

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