# Accessing created\_on causes type error **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [April 26, 2006, 11:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-created-on-causes-type-error/58893 "2006-04-26T23:28:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kenneth\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kenneth\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Kenneth_D)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 11:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-created-on-causes-type-error/58893/1 "2006-04-26T23:28:21Z")
I assume that this is some newbie stupidity, but I haven’t found my way around this problem. I have an ActiveRecord object fetched from the database, and I need to evaluate the contents of the updated\_on field. However, _any_ attempt to access that data in the program results in a TypeError with the message ‘no implicit conversion from nil to integer’. cust = Customer.find(:first, :conditions =\> [“custid = ?”, custid] if cust.updated\_on.nil? …never gets here end Any help would be much appreciated Ken – I use the words you taught me. If they don’t mean anything any more, teach me others. Or let me be silent. Samuel Beckett (Clov, Endgame) ---
**Author:** ![Kenneth\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kenneth\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Kenneth_D)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-created-on-causes-type-error/58893/2 "2006-04-27T01:28:14Z")
Kenneth D. wrote: > However, _any_ attempt to access that data in the > program results in a TypeError with the message ‘no implicit conversion > from nil to integer’. > > cust = Customer.find(:first, :conditions =\> [“custid = ?”, custid] > if cust.updated\_on.nil? > …never gets here > end Hi Kenneth, Is cust nil? Is custid nil? Try running the code with script/console. Dan ---
**Author:** ![Kenneth\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kenneth\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Kenneth_D)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-created-on-causes-type-error/58893/3 "2006-04-27T18:10:31Z")
Quoth Dan Perez (removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid): > > > > Hi Kenneth, > > Is cust nil? Is custid nil? Try running the code with script/console. > > Dan No, custid was not nil. FWIW, this is part of a support script which does backend things for a rails project, so was not being run under rails. As it turns out, the problem I have above _only_ happens when I am running the script in the debugger. It’s very strange. cust is a fully initialized object. I can access values in the debugger, including the updated\_on field. But when the next line of code tests to see if updated\_on is nil, all hell breaks loose. ## Ken I use the words you taught me. If they don’t mean anything any more, teach me others. Or let me be silent. Samuel Beckett (Clov, Endgame) ---
**Author:** ![Kenneth\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kenneth\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Kenneth_D)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-created-on-causes-type-error/58893/4 "2006-04-27T22:15:09Z")
Kenneth D. wrote: > end 1. Are you sure that there is a customer found? 2. If there is a customer found, what does the database say its updated\_on value should be? 3. What db are you using, and what is the type of updated\_on in the db? 4. What’s the stack trace? – Ray ---
**Author:** ![Kenneth\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kenneth\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Kenneth_D)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-created-on-causes-type-error/58893/5 "2006-04-27T18:38:10Z")
> No, custid was not nil. FWIW, this is part of a support script which > does backend things for a rails project, so was not being run under > rails. As it turns out, the problem I have above _only_ happens > when I am running the script in the debugger. It’s very strange. > cust is a fully initialized object. I can access values in the > debugger, > including the updated\_on field. But when the next line of code tests > to see if updated\_on is nil, all hell breaks loose. Weird. I assume you’re not missing the ‘)’ in your actual code, just the post, right? Dan ---
**Author:** ![Kenneth\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kenneth\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Kenneth_D)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-created-on-causes-type-error/58893/6 "2006-05-03T18:58:05Z")
Quoth Ray B. (removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid): > > if cust.updated\_on.nil? > > …never gets here > > end > > 1. Are you sure that there is a customer found? Yes. > 1. If there is a customer found, what does the database say its > updated\_on value should be? ‘0000-00-00 00:00:00’. The cust object agrees, if I look at it in the debugger. > 1. What db are you using, and what is the type of updated\_on in the db? MySQL 5.0.17 updated\_on timestamp NOT NULL default ‘0000-00-00 00:00:00’ > 1. What’s the stack trace? Here’s debugger output including the stack trace: /usr/local/adm/accnt/script/customer.rb:112: webcust = WebCustomer.find(:first, :conditions =\> [“custid = ?”, self.custid]) (rdb:1) n /usr/local/adm/accnt/script/customer.rb:113: if webcust.nil? (rdb:1) n /usr/local/adm/accnt/script/customer.rb:113: if webcust.nil? (rdb:1) n /usr/local/adm/accnt/script/customer.rb:131: if not webcust.updated\_on.nil? (rdb:1) n /usr/local/adm/accnt/script/customer.rb:131: if not webcust.updated\_on.nil? (rdb:1) n /pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active\_record/connection\_adapters/abstract/schema\_definitions.rb:112: `no implicit conversion from nil to integer' (TypeError) from /pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/mysql_adapter.rb:278:in`each’ from /pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active\_record/connection\_adapters/mysql\_adapter.rb:278:in `columns' from /pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active_record/base.rb:734:in`columns’ from /pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active\_record/base.rb:742:in `columns_hash' from /pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active_record/base.rb:1532:in`define\_read\_methods’ from /pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active\_record/base.rb:1482:in `method_missing' from /usr/local/adm/accnt/script/customer.rb:131:in`save\_to\_sql’ from customer\_upload.rb:17 from customer\_upload.rb:13:in `each\_line’ from customer\_upload.rb:13 /pkg/ruby-1.8.2/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.13.2/lib/active\_record/connection\_adapters/abstract/schema\_definitions.rb:112: Time.send(Base.default\_timezone, \*time\_array) rescue nil The code runs fine _outside_ of the debugger. Ken – I use the words you taught me. If they don’t mean anything any more, teach me others. Or let me be silent. Samuel Beckett (Clov, Endgame)