# Best Practice For Displaying Data **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [October 29, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/best-practice-for-displaying-data/178157 "2009-10-29T23:09:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![acgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@acgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/acgreen)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/best-practice-for-displaying-data/178157/1 "2009-10-29T23:09:05Z")
Simplified, I have the following relationships … term has many swimming\_classes and a swimming\_class belongs to a term swimming\_pool has many swimming\_classes and a swimming\_class belongs to a swimming\_pool terms (date\_from)------ swimming\_classes (start\_date) ------ swimming\_pools (name) I want to order my output as … Term (date\_from DESC) Swimming Pool (name ASC) Swimming Class (start\_date DESC) Swimming Class (start\_date DESC) Swimming Class (start\_date DESC) Swimming Pool (name ASC) Swimming Class (start\_date DESC) Swimming Class (start\_date DESC) Swimming Class (start\_date DESC) etc. In my controller, I’m currently just getting terms (@current\_term = Term.find\_current\_term) and then pass that off to the view but this leaves me a lot of work to do to get the output I need. It seems I have to jump about a bit and it’s not nice… If someone can just point me to the right place where I can read up on displaying data where data doesn’t run as nice as Invoice -\> Order -\> LineItem CIA ## -ants ---
**Author:** ![acgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@acgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/acgreen)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/best-practice-for-displaying-data/178157/2 "2009-10-29T23:28:08Z")
Anthony G. wrote: > Simplified, I have the following relationships … > > term has many swimming\_classes and a swimming\_class belongs to a term > swimming\_pool has many swimming\_classes and a swimming\_class belongs to > a > swimming\_pool > > terms (date\_from)------ swimming\_classes (start\_date) ------ > swimming\_pools > (name) > > I want to order my output as … > > Term (date\_from DESC) > Swimming Pool (name ASC) > Swimming Class (start\_date DESC) > Swimming Class (start\_date DESC) > Swimming Class (start\_date DESC) > Swimming Pool (name ASC) > Swimming Class (start\_date DESC) > Swimming Class (start\_date DESC) > Swimming Class (start\_date DESC) > > etc. > > In my controller, I’m currently just getting terms (@current\_term = > Term.find\_current\_term) > and then pass that off to the view but this leaves me a lot of work to > do to > get the output I need. It seems I have to jump about a bit and it’s not > nice… No you don’t. Just use :include and/or :joins to get all the Terms, Pools, and Classes in one big query. > If someone can just point me to the right place where I can read up on > displaying data where data doesn’t run as nice as Invoice → Order → > LineItem But your data _does_ run as nice as Invoice → Order → LineItem. You just need to use the :order options in your find statement. With that in mind, then, your code will be something like the following (untested, and I’m not sure about the :order syntax): @terms = Term.find(:all, :include =\> {:swimming\_pools =\> :swimming\_classes}, :order =\> ‘terms.date\_from desc, swimming\_pools.name, swimming\_class.start\_date desc’} > CIA > > ## -ants ## Best, Marnen Laibow-Koser [http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org) removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![acgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@acgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/acgreen)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:24am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/best-practice-for-displaying-data/178157/3 "2009-10-30T02:24:36Z")
On Oct 29, 2009, at 6:07 PM, Anthony G. wrote: > Simplified, I have the following relationships … > > term has many swimming\_classes and a swimming\_class belongs to a term > swimming\_pool has many swimming\_classes and a swimming\_class belongs > to a swimming\_pool > > terms (date\_from)------ swimming\_classes (start\_date) ------ > swimming\_pools (name) We all speak Rails here, so just to clarify: class Term has\_many :swimming\_classes has\_many :swimming\_pools, :through =\> :swimming\_classes, :order =\> ‘name’ end class SwimmingClass belongs\_to :term belongs\_to :swimming\_pool end class SwimmingPool has\_many :swimming\_classes, :order =\> ‘start\_date DESC’ end You probably noticed the association from Term to SwimmingPool that I tossed in there–be patient. > ``` > Swimming Class (start_date DESC) > Swimming Class (start_date DESC) > > ``` > > etc. OK, so the view has \<% @terms.each do |term| -%\> - Term: \<%= term.date\_from %\> \<% term.swimming\_pools.each do |swimming\_pool| -%\> - Pool: \<%= swimming\_pool.name %\> \<% swimming\_pool.swimming\_classes.each do | swimming\_class| -%\> - Class starts: \<%= swimming\_class.start\_date %\> \<% end -%\> \<% end -%\> \<% end -%\> > CIA > > ## -ants In your controller, you seem to say that you’re getting a single term, but you said “date\_from DESC”. Since it doesn’t make much sense to specify a sort order if there is only one, I’ll assume that you might get more than one (perhaps with a date range). @terms = Term.commencing\_between\_now\_and(params[:date]) and then in the model: class Term def self.commencing\_between\_now\_and(future\_date) find(:all, :include =\> { :swimming\_pools =\> :swimming\_classes }, :conditions =\> [‘date\_from BETWEEN ? AND ?’, Date.today, future\_date]) end end Of course, you could add your own :order option to the find, but I think that it will work as-is. I suspect that the view is quite a bit simpler than what you have now (since you said it was a “lot of work”). Generally, if you can put the data you want into a form that is inherently ordered (like an Array or an ActiveRecord::Association proxy), then your output becomes simpler. Even if you have to crunch the data a bit in the model (or the controller) first and a Hash is more natural, you can always loop in your view on: \<% my\_data.keys.sort do |key| -%\> \<%= my\_data[key] %\> \<% end -%\> or turn your hash into an association list (i.e., an array of pairs [key, value]) and pre-sort it before the view does its thing. -Rob Rob B. [http://agileconsultingllc.com](http://agileconsultingllc.com) removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![acgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@acgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/acgreen)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 9:28am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/best-practice-for-displaying-data/178157/4 "2009-10-30T09:28:23Z")
Doh, I didn’t think of linking pools to terms in the Term model. that was what I was missing. Your other points are correct but in the example I gave, there is only one current term (so the :order date\_from isn’t needed) but for previous and future terms,the :order =\> date\_from is needed. Thanks for your help -ants 2009/10/30 Rob B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) > belongs\_to :swimming\_pool > I want to order my output as … > > ``` >
  • Pool: <%= swimming_pool.name %> > > ``` > > \<% end -%\> > If someone can just point me to the right place where I can read up on > you said “date\_from DESC”. Since it doesn’t make much sense to specify a > :conditions =\> [‘date\_from BETWEEN ? AND ?’, Date.today, > ActiveRecord::Association proxy), then your output becomes simpler. Even if > -Rob > > Rob B. [http://agileconsultingllc.com](http://agileconsultingllc.com) > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > > > – 100% naturally selected. 0% designed.