# Creating two records at once

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-two-records-at-once/52588>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [January 16, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-two-records-at-once/52588 "2006-01-16T20:32:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![daveh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@daveh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daveh)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-two-records-at-once/52588/1 "2006-01-16T20:32:26Z")

</div>

Hi there,

I have a User model and a Profile model. A user has\_one profile, and a  
profile belongs\_to a user. The profile model contains a user\_id column  
as the foreign key.

The problem comes in when I want a user to register. In the  
user\_controller I have a method that creates the user. I also want the  
profile model to be filled in with the appropriate user\_id foreign key  
(I don’t care about the other columns being filled in at that time).  
Here’s what I have: (it obviously doesn’t work… but am I close?)

def register\_user  
if request.get?  
@user = User.new  
@profile = Profile.new  
else  
# Get the parameters from the form and put them in the user object  
@user = User.new(params[:user])  
@profile = Profile.new(params[:profile])  
# Storing the users IP  
@user.registered\_from\_ip = request.remote\_ip

```
  # Set the user's status to a default of 2
  # Status 1 = Admin
  # Status 2 = Member
  # Status 3 = General User
  @user.status = "2"
  @profile.user_id = @user.id

  if @user.save and @profile.save

    redirect_to_index("Thank you for registering

```

#{@user.first\_name} #{@user.last\_name}")  
end  
end  
end

The way it works now, the profiles table looks like this when a record  
is saved:

mysql\> select \* from profiles;  
±—±-------±---------±--------±------±--------+  
| id | gender | homepage | country | about | user\_id |  
±—±-------±---------±--------±------±--------+  
| 1 | NULL | NULL | NULL | NULL | NULL |  
±—±-------±---------±--------±------±--------+  
1 row in set (0.00 sec)

Are there any examples of what I want to do in the Rails Wiki?

Thank you,  
Dave H.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![daveh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@daveh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daveh)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-two-records-at-once/52588/2 "2006-01-16T20:44:31Z")

</div>

Is a profile just an instance of storing more information about the  
user? Or does a Profile represent a type of User? If it is the latter,  
then a Profile could have many Users. But I don’t think thats what you  
want.

If it is the former, then you’re already set. Since you have  
‘belongs\_to’ in the Profile side, and you’ve got the user\_id in your  
profile table. When that row is created, it drops the user\_id in.

It looks like you that you need to refer to it as user.profile -  
You’ve created two seperate Items, a User and a Profile. If you  
created a new User called Me, then did 'Me.profile.country = “USA”,  
and then saved, it would do what you want to do.

- Nic.

On 1/16/06, Dave H. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Here’s what I have: (it obviously doesn’t work… but am I close?)  
> @user.registered\_from\_ip = request.remote\_ip  
> redirect\_to\_index("Thank you for registering  
> | id | gender | homepage | country | about | user\_id |  
> Rails mailing list  
> removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid  
> [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails)

–

- Nic

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![daveh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@daveh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daveh)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2006, 1:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-two-records-at-once/52588/3 "2006-01-17T01:27:45Z")

</div>

Thanks Nic. That makes sense that it will automatically create the row  
in the profiles table when the user record is saved. However, I’m  
still a little lost on exactly where to place the code.

It’s the syntax that messes me up.

I created the new user object and a new profile object  
@user = User.new  
@profile = Profile.new

When you said, “It looks like that you need to refer to it as  
user.profile”, what exactly is “It”?

Thanks,  
Dave H.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![daveh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@daveh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daveh)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2006, 2:01am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-two-records-at-once/52588/4 "2006-01-17T02:01:10Z")

</div>

Hi Dave,  
You’ve almost got it, you’re still thinking a little too low-level!

With your two statements:

@user = User.new  
@profile = Profile.new

And adding some stuff:  
@user.status=“Fired”  
@user.name=“John”  
@profile.country=“UK”

Stepping aside from what you want to do in your first example, and  
just making RoR access Profile, the syntax is this:

@user.profile = @profile

See? (You’ll still need @user.save to make it go in the DB)

But why create another Profile just for assignment? Just create @user,  
and then access the profile part like this:

@user.profile.country = “UK”

Quick note: Doing it backwards doesn’t save, ex: @profile.user = @user

Why? Active Record only saved the objects that is assigned in the  
‘has\_one’ category, in this instance, Profile.

I didn’t think I really addressed your initial question, but more  
about the syntax of accessing associated objects, let me know if this  
helps (or confuses)

- Nic.

On 1/16/06, Dave H. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> When you said, "It looks like that you need to refer to it as
> 
> > > profile model to be filled in with the appropriate user\_id foreign key  
> > > @profile = Profile.new(params[:profile])  
> > > if @user.save and @profile.save  
> > > mysql\> select \* from profiles;  
> > > Dave H.  
> > > Rails mailing list  
> > > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid  
> > > [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)

–

- Nic

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![daveh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@daveh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daveh)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/creating-two-records-at-once/52588/5 "2006-01-17T18:40:27Z")

</div>

Hi Nic… thank you for breaking this down.

I got it to work! I previously had this:

def register\_user  
if request.get?  
@user = User.new  
@profile = Profile.new  
else  
# Get the parameters from the form and put them in the user object  
@user = User.new(params[:user])  
… and so on…

Everytime I tried to do:  
@user.profile = @profile  
if @user.save  
redirect\_to\_index(“Thank you for registering  
#{@user.first\_name} #{@user.last\_name}”)  
end

It wouldn’t work because @profile was nil.

I fixed it by doing this:

def register\_user  
if request.get?  
@user = User.new  
@profile = Profile.new  
else  
# Get the parameters from the form and put them in the user object  
@user = User.new(params[:user])  
@profile = Profile.new # \<------ This is the line I was missing!  
# Storing the users IP  
@user.registered\_from\_ip = request.remote\_ip  
@user.status = “2”  
@user.profile = @profile  
if @user.save  
redirect\_to\_index(“Thank you for registering  
#{@user.first\_name} #{@user.last\_name}”)  
end  
end  
end

Everything makes so much more sense. I feel like I’ve had an  
enlightening moment this morning.

Thanks again Nic!  
-Dave H.