<%= render :partial => "address", :collection => ``` @person.addresses %\> \<%= render :partial =\> “phone\_number”, :collection =\> @person.phone\_numbers %\> \<%= add\_contact\_link :address %\> \<%= add\_contact\_link :phone\_number %\> \<% end -%\> # \_phone\_number.html.erb (\_address is very similar) \<% new\_or\_existing = phone\_number.new\_record? ? 'new' : 'existing' %\> \<% prefix = "person[#{new\_or\_existing}\_contact\_attributes][]" %\> \<% fields\_for prefix, phone\_number do |contact\_form| -%\> \<%= contact\_form.hidden\_field :type %\> Area + Phone \<%= contact\_form.text\_field :value %\> \<%= remove\_contact\_link :phone\_number, ‘remove’ %\> \<% end -%\> # users\_controller.rb def new @user = User.new @person = @user.build\_person @addresses = @person.addresses.build @phone\_numbers = @person.phone\_numbers.build end # POST /users # POST /users.xml def create @user = User.new(params[:user]) if @user.save flash[:notice] = ‘User was successfully registered.’ redirect\_back\_or\_default account\_url else render :action =\> :new end end Any thoughts? Apologies if things are a little unorthodox. I’ve been fiddling for hours. Thanks, John ---

**Author:** ![princenamor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@princenamor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/princenamor)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/doubly-nested-models/175835/2 "2009-09-21T15:20:08Z")

If I recall correctly, you can’t nest forms, which is what your \_person partial is attempting to do. I don’t have the references handy, but google for rails multipart forms and you should get some hits. ---

**Author:** ![princenamor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@princenamor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/princenamor)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/doubly-nested-models/175835/3 "2009-09-21T15:32:12Z")

Ar Chron wrote: > If I recall correctly, you can’t nest forms, which is what your \_person > partial is attempting to do. That is correct. HTML doesn’t allow nesting of elements. Since each form\_for creates a tag, you’re producing bad HTML. Replace the inner form\_for with fields\_for. > I don’t have the references handy, but google for rails multipart forms > and you should get some hits. Stephen Chu’s params[:fu] series is lovely, though perhaps slightly out of date. Have a look at it. ## Best, Marnen Laibow-Koser [http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org) removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---

**Author:** ![princenamor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@princenamor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/princenamor)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/doubly-nested-models/175835/4 "2009-09-21T19:51:11Z")

Thanks all, think I fixed it, mostly. UsersController: def create @user = User.new(params[:user]) @person = @user.build\_person(params[:user][:person]) @person.contacts\_attributes = params[:person][:contacts] if @user.save flash[:notice] = ‘User was successfully registered.’ redirect\_back\_or\_default account\_url else render :action =\> :new end end def new @user = User.new @person = @user.build\_person @person.addresses.build @person.phone\_numbers.build end new.html.erb: # Sign up \<% form\_for @user, :url =\> account\_path do |f| %\> \<%= f.error\_messages %\> \<%= render :partial =\> “form”, :object =\> f %\> \<%= f.submit "Register" %\> \<% end %\> \_form.html.erb \<%= error\_messages\_for :user %\> \<% form\_for @user do |user\_form| -%\> ``` <%= user_form.label :email %> <%= user_form.text_field :email %>
<%= user_form.label :password, user_form.object.new_record? ? ``` nil : “Change password” %\> \<%= user\_form.password\_field :password %\> \<%= user\_form.label :password\_confirmation, ‘Confirm’ %\> \<%= user\_form.password\_field :password\_confirmation %\> \<%= render :partial =\> “person”, :object =\> @person %\> \<% end -%\> \_person.html.erb: \<% fields\_for @person do |person\_form| -%\> ``` <%= person_form.label :title %><%= person_form.select :title, ``` Person::TITLES %\> \<%= person\_form.label :first\_name %\>\<%= person\_form.text\_field :first\_name %\> \<%= person\_form.label :last\_name %\>\<%= person\_form.text\_field :last\_name %\> \<%= person\_form.label :job\_title %\> \<%= person\_form.text\_field :job\_title %\> \<%= render :partial =\> “address”, :collection =\> @person.addresses %\> \<%= render :partial =\> “phone\_number”, :collection =\> @person.phone\_numbers %\> \<%= add\_contact\_link :address %\> \<%= add\_contact\_link :phone\_number %\> \<% end -%\> \_address.html.erb: \<% fields\_for "person[contacts][]", address do |contact\_form| -%\> Address \<%= contact\_form.hidden\_field :type %\> \<%= contact\_form.select :label, Address::LABELS, :selected =\> Address::LABELS.first %\> Street \<%= contact\_form.text\_field :value %\> Zip+4 \<%= contact\_form.text\_field :zip\_plus\_four, :limit =\> 10 %\> \<%= remove\_contact\_link :address, 'remove' %\> \<% end -%\> And phone number is about the same as that. The only problem is that it won’t save the contents of the :type hidden\_field in the last partial. It fails to validate. That’s a topic for another post, though, I suppose.