\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [August 16, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-an-html-select/112234 "2007-08-16T17:53:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1
**Author:**  [@niky81](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/niky81)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-an-html-select/112234/1 "2007-08-16T17:53:51Z")
Hi, I use the following code in a view to show a list of states inside a
form but I get not result, I mean I get no errors nor the expected HTML
code that should be something like \ "name")
collection_select(:firm, :state_id, @states, :id, :name)
```
Can anyone please tell me why?
---
**Author:**  [@niky81](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/niky81)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-an-html-select/112234/2 "2007-08-16T18:18:37Z")
Are you wrapping the collection\_select code in \<%= %\> tags?
Nik N. wrote:
> Hi, I use the following code in a view to show a list of states inside a
> form but I get not result, I mean I get no errors nor the expected HTML
> code that should be something like \
> ```
> @states = State.find(:all, :order => "name")
> collection_select(:firm, :state_id, @states, :id, :name)
>
> ```
>
> Can anyone please tell me why?
–
Sincerely,
William P.
[http://www.billpratt.net](http://www.billpratt.net)
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid
---
**Author:**  [@niky81](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/niky81)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-an-html-select/112234/3 "2007-08-16T19:20:25Z")
Hi William,
I’m a PHP developer and I’m testing RoR so I thought \<% … %\> was right
when writing more than one line of code! I just added “=” after “\<%” and
it worked.
Thanks a lot! These are those little errors that can make you waste a
lot of time!
Nik
William P. wrote:
> Are you wrapping the collection\_select code in \<%= %\> tags?
>
> Nik N. wrote:
>
> > Hi, I use the following code in a view to show a list of states inside a
> > form but I get not result, I mean I get no errors nor the expected HTML
> > code that should be something like \ >
> > ```
> > @states = State.find(:all, :order => "name")
> > collection_select(:firm, :state_id, @states, :id, :name)
> >
> > ```
> >
> > Can anyone please tell me why?
>
> –
> Sincerely,
>
> William P.
>
> [http://www.billpratt.net](http://www.billpratt.net)
> removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid
---
**Author:**  [@niky81](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/niky81)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-an-html-select/112234/4 "2007-08-16T21:08:59Z")
No problem. \<% %\> should be around code that you do not want the output
added to the rendered page (adding a dash at the end like -%\> will
suppress the newline) and \<%= %\> goes around code that will generate
output to be included in the rendered page. Hope this helps you.
Nik N. wrote:
> > Are you wrapping the collection\_select code in \<%= %\> tags?
> >
> > > Can anyone please tell me why?
–
Sincerely,
William P.
[http://www.billpratt.net](http://www.billpratt.net)
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid
---
**Author:**  [@niky81](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/niky81)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2007, 10:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-an-html-select/112234/5 "2007-08-16T22:28:16Z")
Yes, very clear.
Thanks again.