# Creating dependent models in the same form

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-dependent-models-in-the-same-form/143714>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [July 22, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-dependent-models-in-the-same-form/143714 "2008-07-22T03:53:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![validkeys](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/da6949/32.png) [@validkeys](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/validkeys)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-dependent-models-in-the-same-form/143714/1 "2008-07-22T03:53:44Z")

</div>

Hey Guys,

I just wanted to get some feedback on what I have done here and how to  
improve it. As I am just starting rails, I think this would be super  
helpful if any of you have time

So I have a table of songs. Each song could have multiple people One  
person could be involved in multiple songs.

I therefore have a M2M relationship (Song \<=\> People). My join table  
is called Songwriters.

When a person wants to add a new person as a songwriter on a song,  
they have the option of either selecting from a drop down of the  
current songwriters or entering the information to create a new person  
right there in the form.

Here is my controller method that the songwriters/new action goes to:

def create  
@songwriter = Songwriter.new(params[:songwriter])  
@person = Person.new(params[:person]) # =\> To hold the potential  
new person data

```
if new_person? # => A new person needs to be created
  if @person.save
    @songwriter.person_id = @person.id # => Replace the id of the

```

person with the new one  
end  
end

```
respond_to do |format|
  if @songwriter.save
    flash[:notice] = 'Songwriter was successfully created.'
    format.html { redirect_to(song_songwriters_path(@song)) }
    format.xml { render :xml => @songwriter, :status

```

=\> :created, :location =\> @songwriter }  
else  
format.html { render :action =\> “new” }  
format.xml { render :xml =\> @songwriter.errors, :status  
=\> :unprocessable\_entity }  
end  
end  
end

def new\_person?  
params[:person][:first\_name] || params[:person][:last\_name] ||  
params[:person][:person\_alias]  
end

So the first question is, what happens if for some reason, the new  
person does not save? How do I stop the action from continuing?

Any help that you guys could offer me would be most appreciated! I  
just want to be in your shoes right now!!!