# Combining two models in one controller/view "set" **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [March 28, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/combining-two-models-in-one-controller-view-set/56188 "2006-03-28T20:42:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gravyface](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gravyface](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gravyface)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/combining-two-models-in-one-controller-view-set/56188/1 "2006-03-28T20:42:29Z")
I’m going to take another stab at this question (my first one received no replies): I have two models: Author has\_many: books Book has\_one: author I have two tables: authors id … books id author\_id … I let the scaffolding fly and it created the CRUD goodness for each model, as expected. However, I want to have only one view/controller “set” for both models; when I refer to “set”, I mean having a generic controller called Library with methods for create, edit, show, destroy, and list, but these methods would access and manipulate this combined data set of authors and their books from both models. After sifting through both the controllers and views and adding those relationships (described above) is there any way to: a) run the scaffolding again so that it will take these new relationships into account? b) if not, how should I proceed? I am a complete Ruby/RoR/MVC luddite and am open to any suggestions here. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![gravyface](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gravyface](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gravyface)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/combining-two-models-in-one-controller-view-set/56188/2 "2006-03-28T22:13:57Z")
gravy face wrote: > I’m going to take another stab at this question (my first one received > no replies): > > I have two models: > > Author > has\_many: books > > Book > has\_one: author > > I have two tables: > > authors > id > … > > books > id > author\_id > … > > I let the scaffolding fly and it created the CRUD goodness for each > model, as expected. > > However, I want to have only one view/controller “set” for both > models; when I refer to “set”, I mean having a generic controller > called Library with methods for create, edit, show, destroy, and list, > but these methods would access and manipulate this combined data set > of authors and their books from both models. > > After sifting through both the controllers and views and adding > those relationships (described above) is there any way to: > > a) run the scaffolding again so that it will take these new > relationships into account? > b) if not, how should I proceed? > > I am a complete Ruby/RoR/MVC luddite and am open to any suggestions > here. > > Thanks > Scaffolding[1]: > Scaffolding is a temporary framework used to support people and material > in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. You cannot do this with scaffolding, you need to write this yourself. I suggest you buy or read Agile Web D. with rails. Joey\_\_ [1] [Scaffolding - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaffolding) ---
**Author:** ![gravyface](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gravyface](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gravyface)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/combining-two-models-in-one-controller-view-set/56188/3 "2006-03-28T23:38:15Z")
As for the book, I have it, I haven’t had a chance to read it yet (only skimmed through it). And as for the answer, I was hoping this was a common “pattern” that somebody has stumbled across before and perhaps blogged or wiki’ed it; Google came up with nothing although my terms are pretty ambiguous. +1 for the burn – but at least I got a response this time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gravyface](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gravyface](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gravyface)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 1:24am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/combining-two-models-in-one-controller-view-set/56188/4 "2006-03-29T01:24:39Z")
On 3/28/06, GravyFace [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > After sifting through both the controllers and views and adding > those relationships (described above) is there any way to: > > a) run the scaffolding again so that it will take these new > relationships into account? > b) if not, how should I proceed? > > I am a complete Ruby/RoR/MVC luddite and am open to any suggestions here. It might not be completely what you want, but you could look into the Scaffolding Extensions Plugin: [Peak Obsession](http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/pages/Scaffolding+Extensions+Plugin). ---
**Author:** ![gravyface](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gravyface](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gravyface)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/combining-two-models-in-one-controller-view-set/56188/5 "2006-03-29T01:36:13Z")
Perfect, thanks man. I’m not planning on leaning on the scaffolding crutch forever, but c’mon, who didn’t switch to Rails because of it? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gravyface](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gravyface](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gravyface)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/combining-two-models-in-one-controller-view-set/56188/6 "2006-03-29T04:08:24Z")
The sooner you ditch scaffold the sooner you will grok rails. I swear that feature has done as much harm as good. On 3/28/06, GravyFace [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > relationships into account? > > > [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails) > > * * * > > Rails mailing list > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails) – Jeremy H. > **[Jeremy Huffman, the Website - jeremyhuffman.com](https://jeremyhuffman.com/)** > > Jeremy Huffman, the Website > > > > > Getting in Touch > > You can email me if you can guess the addres...