# Beginner Error: You have a nil object **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [April 10, 2007, 2:09am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/beginner-error-you-have-a-nil-object/91519 "2007-04-10T02:09:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 2:09am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/beginner-error-you-have-a-nil-object/91519/1 "2007-04-10T02:09:11Z")
So I set out to build an app that is very similar to the Depot app to build my experience. I added a lot of constant lists for the pulldowns on the admin add product page. Then this error? NoMethodError in Admin#new Showing app/views/admin/\_form.rhtml where line #9 raised: You have a nil object when you didn’t expect it! You might have expected an instance of Array. The error occurred while evaluating nil.select Extracted source (around line #9): 6: 7: Newused 8: \<%= 9: form.select :newused, 10: Vehicle::NEWUSED, 11: :prompt =\> “New or used vehicle?” 12: %\> from vehicle.rb NEWUSED = [ [“New”, “New”], [“Used”, “Used”] ] ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 2:16am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/beginner-error-you-have-a-nil-object/91519/2 "2007-04-10T02:16:11Z")
On 4/9/07, removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > You might have expected an instance of Array. > 12: %\> The error is related to the ‘form’ variable being nil, not your NEWUSED constant. So start looking there. Where is form defined? ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 2:26am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/beginner-error-you-have-a-nil-object/91519/3 "2007-04-10T02:26:13Z")
I don’t, I thought it was universal: form.select and form.text\_field and form.text\_area. Hrm. I’m assuming that I missed one of these guys: ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/beginner-error-you-have-a-nil-object/91519/4 "2007-04-10T02:39:14Z")
On 4/9/07, removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > Showing app/views/admin/\_form.rhtml where line #9 raised: > > > 9: form.select :newused, You just added a div field, which certainly doesn’t do anything as far as Ruby is concerned. You’re probably missing something like \<% form\_for :something, :url =\> some\_url, do |form| %\> Take a closer look at whatever code you’re copying. It’ll show you exactly what you need to do. Pat ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/beginner-error-you-have-a-nil-object/91519/5 "2007-04-10T03:31:17Z")
Ok, I’m getting closer. This gives me the pull-down with NewNew in it – I need it to be New or Used and not printed twice. Newused \<%= select 'vehicle\_newused','newused', [Vehicle::NEWUSED] %\> On Apr 9, 9:14 pm, “removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid” ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 6:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/beginner-error-you-have-a-nil-object/91519/6 "2007-04-10T06:56:32Z")
This appears to be the answer, thanks to AgileROR: Newused \<%= select (:vehicle, :newused, Vehicle::NEWUSED, :prompt =\> "New or used?") %\> On Apr 9, 9:30 pm, “removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid” ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:16am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/beginner-error-you-have-a-nil-object/91519/7 "2007-04-10T03:16:16Z")
Ok, you are correct. I found out the problem but that led to another problem. I’m converted a dynamic scaffold to a static and then edited the rhtml so that all of the fields wouldn’t be textboxes. In this case I want a select pulldown and have two options to choose from. I just removed the form. on each one and now I’ve got a page with the pulldowns with one option: prompt.