# Does a method string.to\_class exist?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/does-a-method-string-to-class-exist/154675>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [December 2, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/does-a-method-string-to-class-exist/154675 "2008-12-02T21:31:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![indigoi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@indigoi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/indigoi)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/does-a-method-string-to-class-exist/154675/1 "2008-12-02T21:31:58Z")

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I have A Definition model, is it possible to do something like this in  
Rails 2.1.0, Ruby 1.8.6 :

foo = “Definition”  
@definition = foo.to\_class.find(:all)

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**Author:** ![indigoi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@indigoi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/indigoi)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 10:24pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/does-a-method-string-to-class-exist/154675/2 "2008-12-02T22:24:49Z")

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On Dec 2, 8:31 pm, Richard S. \<rails-mailing-l…@andreas-  
[s.net](http://s.net)\> wrote:

> I have A Definition model, is it possible to do something like this in  
> Rails 2.1.0, Ruby 1.8.6 :

Have a look at constantize.

Fred

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**Author:** ![indigoi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@indigoi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/indigoi)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/does-a-method-string-to-class-exist/154675/3 "2008-12-02T23:30:08Z")

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As always, your advice worked like a charm!! Don’t know how i missed  
that method the first time over…anywhoo thanks again!