# Eager loading associations fix belongs\_to doesn't work **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [April 15, 2007, 5:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/eager-loading-associations-fix-belongs-to-doesnt-work/92040 "2007-04-15T05:30:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ericgoodwin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/c68b51/32.png) [@ericgoodwin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ericgoodwin)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 5:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/eager-loading-associations-fix-belongs-to-doesnt-work/92040/1 "2007-04-15T05:30:04Z")
Hi, I tried using the eager\_custom\_sql.rb fix to be able to eager load associations using find\_by\_sql. I was able to get this working for my has\_many associations, however, Im having trouble getting it to work for belongs\_to associations. Has anyone experienced this? Any fixes? ---
**Author:** ![ericgoodwin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/c68b51/32.png) [@ericgoodwin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ericgoodwin)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/eager-loading-associations-fix-belongs-to-doesnt-work/92040/2 "2007-04-16T15:56:50Z")
Aryk G. wrote: > I tried using the eager\_custom\_sql.rb fix to be able to eager load > associations using find\_by\_sql. > > I was able to get this working for my has\_many associations, however, Im > having trouble getting it to work for belongs\_to associations. > > Has anyone experienced this? Any fixes? belongs\_to doesn’t support a :finder\_sql option, so you can’t use fully-custom sql. I’d be interested to see a belongs\_to that actually requires it. – We develop, watch us RoR, in numbers too big to ignore. ---
**Author:** ![ericgoodwin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/c68b51/32.png) [@ericgoodwin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ericgoodwin)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/eager-loading-associations-fix-belongs-to-doesnt-work/92040/3 "2007-04-16T18:51:20Z")
Hmm, so if you want to use manual sql, how can you return a belongs\_to object alongside the main object or do you just have to use the standard “find” with the “include” option? ---
**Author:** ![ericgoodwin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/c68b51/32.png) [@ericgoodwin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ericgoodwin)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/eager-loading-associations-fix-belongs-to-doesnt-work/92040/4 "2007-04-17T15:48:26Z")
Aryk G. wrote: > Hmm, so if you want to use manual sql, how can you return a belongs\_to > object alongside the main object or do you just have to use the standard > “find” with the “include” option? Oh, you mean the belongs\_to is the association you want eager loaded, not that you want to use the :include method in the declaration of a belongs\_to, eager loading its descendants? If so, find\_by\_sql and the :include option should work if you’ve correctly written all the custom sql joins and field aliasing. – We develop, watch us RoR, in numbers too big to ignore. ---
**Author:** ![ericgoodwin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/c68b51/32.png) [@ericgoodwin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ericgoodwin)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/eager-loading-associations-fix-belongs-to-doesnt-work/92040/5 "2007-04-17T22:46:02Z")
Yeah, this is what Im attempting to do. I have the eager\_custom\_sql.rb fix. In the patch, they write: # This Active Record mod enables eager loading of associations # (the :include option) for both the find\_by\_sql method and has\_many # and has\_and\_belongs\_to\_many associations that use the :finder\_sql option. So they don’t include the “belongs\_to” case. Nevertheless, I tried formatting it as you said and I got it working with the “has\_many” relationships, but not with my belongs\_to assocations. Anyone had any success getting find\_by\_sql working with including a belongs\_to association? Mark Reginald J. wrote: > Aryk G. wrote: > > > Hmm, so if you want to use manual sql, how can you return a belongs\_to > > object alongside the main object or do you just have to use the standard > > “find” with the “include” option? > > Oh, you mean the belongs\_to is the association you want eager loaded, > not that you want to use the :include method in the declaration > of a belongs\_to, eager loading its descendants? > > If so, find\_by\_sql and the :include option should work if you’ve > correctly written all the custom sql joins and field aliasing. > > – > We develop, watch us RoR, in numbers too big to ignore.