CODEWITHSUNDEEP
mysqlarraysfield
happy_code
happy_code

Reputation: 3

Best way to declare a rails array field?

What is the best way/practice to declare a Rails(4) array field (with mysql database)? I need to store some ids into that array. I tried to do this using the ActiveRecord Serializer and I customized the attribute accessors so my field can behave like an array.

class OfficeIds < ActiveRecord::Base
  serialize :office_ids

  def office_ids=(ids)
   ids = ids.join(",") if ids.is_a?(Array)
   write_attribute(:office_ids, ids)
  end

  def office_ids
   (read_attribute(:office_ids) || "").split(",")
  end 
end

I feel that this is not the best approach for this kind of situation. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Upvotes: 0

Views: 81

Answers (1)

tadman
tadman

Reputation: 211670

If you're using the serializer, there's no need to write a wrapper method for this. You should be able to assign arbitrary objects to that field:

ids = OfficeIds.new
ids.office_ids = [ 1, 2, 3 ]
ids.save

It is rather odd to have a model called OfficeIds though, as a plural name for this willc cause all kinds of trouble. Are you sure you don't want a traditional has_many relationship for these?

Upvotes: 2

Related Questions