"acts_as_field" behaviour for model function

Rails
1

Hi

I want to create a model attribute that looks exactly like a db field
but is
infact the result of a model function.

Example
I have a user with name and surname.

I want to be able to do @user.fullname which will then call a function
that
returns “name surname” as the full name, and I would like to be able to
pass
“name fullname” and have it broken into the seperate fields before
saving to
the db, in otherwords I would like it to function exacly asif there is a
fullname field.

I know this can be done, I just dont know where to start looking for
this.

Thanks in advance
Ivor

2

Just define a method on the model like so:

def fullname
“#{self.name} #{self.surname}”
end

def fullname=(value)
value = value.split
self.name = value[0]
self.surname = value[1…value.size] # in the case of long last
names like van Hook
end

–Jeremy

On 3/19/07, Ivor P. [email protected] wrote:

“name fullname” and have it broken into the seperate fields before saving to
the db, in otherwords I would like it to function exacly asif there is a
fullname field.

I know this can be done, I just dont know where to start looking for this.

Thanks in advance
Ivor

–
http://www.jeremymcanally.com/

My free Ruby e-book:
http://www.humblelittlerubybook.com/book/

My blogs:

http://www.rubyinpractice.com/

3

awesine jeremy.

thanks a lot. I am going to be doing a fair amount of those. so
basically
you write 2 functions, one looks like a setter because of the “=” sign
at
the end…

very nice.

cheers
ivor

4

awesome that is :slight_smile: