# Difference between underscore and tableize

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/difference-between-underscore-and-tableize/182267>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [January 25, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/difference-between-underscore-and-tableize/182267 "2010-01-25T19:35:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jmaenpaa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@jmaenpaa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jmaenpaa)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/difference-between-underscore-and-tableize/182267/1 "2010-01-25T19:35:47Z")

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Hey all,

Not sure what the difference between underscore and tableize, other than  
tableize also pluralizes. However, not sure how they can be used  
differently. Obviously, you can use tableize to reference table name in  
database. But what different functionality does underscore provide?  
Thanks for any suggestions.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jmaenpaa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@jmaenpaa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jmaenpaa)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/difference-between-underscore-and-tableize/182267/2 "2010-01-26T15:22:41Z")

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John M. wrote:

> Not sure what the difference between underscore and tableize, other than  
> tableize also pluralizes. However, not sure how they can be used  
> differently. Obviously, you can use tableize to reference table name in  
> database. But what different functionality does underscore provide?

You are not talking about the Ruby programming language.

I think you may be talking about ActiveSupport, which is part of Rails.  
Rails has its own mailing lists; please ask there.