# Create model through text field help **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [October 18, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-model-through-text-field-help/117630 "2007-10-18T19:32:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-model-through-text-field-help/117630/1 "2007-10-18T19:32:14Z")
I’m looking for the functionality described here: > **[\#57 Create Model Through Text Field - RailsCasts](http://railscasts.com/episodes/57-create-model-through-text-field)** > > Short Ruby on Rails screencasts containing tips, tricks and tutorials. Great for both novice and experienced web developers. My application is very simple. I have a note model and a project model. A note belongs to a project and a project has many notes. When I create a note I would like the option to select an existing project or to create a new one. What’s not explained in the Railscast (I’m unable to watch it now to verify but when I did watch it I didn’t hear an explanation) is how to handle the form in your controller. Some code: Note model: # Associations belongs\_to :project attr\_accessor :new\_project\_name before\_save :create\_project\_from\_name def create\_project\_from\_name create\_project(:name =\> new\_project\_name) unless new\_project\_name.blank? end View: \<% form\_for :note, :url =\> { :action =\> :add } do |form| %\> **New Status Item:** \<%= form.text\_area :body, :cols =\> ‘20’, :rows =\> ‘5’ %\> **Select Project:** \<%= form.collection\_select :project\_id, Project.find(:all, :order =\> ‘name ASC’), :id, :name, :prompt =\> “Select a Project” %\> or create one: \<%= form.text\_field :new\_project\_name %\> \<%= submit\_tag “Add Status Note” %\> \<%end%\> Controller: def add # Create a Note object with data from the submitted form @body = params[:note][:body] @user\_id = session[:perm] @project\_id = # Should be the ID of the selected project or the ID of the newly created @note = Note.create(:body =\> @body, :project\_id =\> @project\_id, :user\_id =\> @user\_id, :project\_id =\> @project\_id) end As you can see I don’t have any code to determine how to determine the correct ID of the project when I write the note to the database. My add action could also be built incorrectly with the methodology involved, it works otherwise but I don’t know if it’s the best practice for handling form data… Any comments on my code would welcomed as well. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 7:54pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-model-through-text-field-help/117630/2 "2007-10-19T19:54:33Z")
You don’t need to specify the project\_id, this is done for you by using the create\_project method that was provided by the association. Just run the create without the project\_id and it should work. On Oct 18, 1:32 pm, Matthew W. \ **Author:** ![matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-model-through-text-field-help/117630/3 "2007-10-19T21:43:27Z") You could do it like this but its not necessary. def create\_project\_from\_name new\_project = create\_project(:name =\> new\_project\_name) unless new\_project\_name.blank? self.project\_id = new\_project.id end Unless you were going to check for the new projects existance first like this. def create\_project\_from\_name if project = Project.find(:first, :conditions =\> {:name =\> new\_project\_name}) then self.project\_id = project.id else create\_project(:name =\> new\_project\_name) unless new\_project\_name.blank? end end On Oct 19, 1:54 pm, “randomutterings…” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-model-through-text-field-help/117630/4 "2007-10-22T14:58:24Z")
Should I not be creating my record from the form data inside my controller? If I eliminate the project\_id from the create then I get a nil received error so it’s clearly not getting the project\_id from the created project. randomutterings… wrote: > You could do it like this but its not necessary. > > def create\_project\_from\_name > new\_project = create\_project(:name =\> new\_project\_name) unless > new\_project\_name.blank? > self.project\_id = new\_project.id > end > > Unless you were going to check for the new projects existance first > like this. > > def create\_project\_from\_name > if project = Project.find(:first, :conditions =\> {:name =\> > new\_project\_name}) then > self.project\_id = project.id > else > create\_project(:name =\> new\_project\_name) unless > new\_project\_name.blank? > end > end > > On Oct 19, 1:54 pm, “randomutterings…” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-model-through-text-field-help/117630/5 "2007-10-22T15:09:01Z")
Hi Matthew > From another perspective, perhaps you may want to look at > activescaffold On Oct 22, 8:58 pm, Matthew W. \ **Author:** ![matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-model-through-text-field-help/117630/6 "2007-10-23T16:01:12Z") Try writing your add method like this. def add @note = Note.new(params[:note]) @note.user\_id = session[:perm] @note.save end