# Error indexing for the first time

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-indexing-for-the-first-time/167394>\
**Category:** Ferret\
**Created:** [May 7, 2009, 12:55pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-indexing-for-the-first-time/167394 "2009-05-07T12:55:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![janke](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@janke](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/janke)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 12:55pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-indexing-for-the-first-time/167394/1 "2009-05-07T12:55:28Z")

</div>

Hi,  
I’ve added acts\_as\_ferret on my model and add the field ‘name’ to the  
ferret index for the first time. I’m using rails 2.2

acts\_as\_ferret(:fields =\> {  
:name =\> {:store =\> :yes, :boost =\> 2.0}},  
:remote =\> true,  
:ferret =\> {:analyzer =\> SpanishAnalyzer.new, :use\_compound\_file =\>  
true, :merge\_factor =\> 4})

And when I try to search (and needs to rebuild the index, because it’s  
for the first time) I do:  
def search  
@text = params[:text] || ‘’  
@results = Model.paginate\_with\_ferret(@text,  
:total\_entries =\> Model.total\_hits(@text), :page =\> params[:page],  
:per\_page =\> 10)  
@results ||= []  
end

I get the following error when indexes my model:

You have a nil object when you didn’t expect it!  
You might have expected an instance of Array.  
The error occurred while evaluating nil.include?

c:/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.2.2/lib/active\_record/attribute\_methods.rb:142:in  
`create_time_zone_conversion_attribute?' c:/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.2.2/lib/active_record/attribute_methods.rb:75:in`define\_attribute\_methods’  
c:/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.2.2/lib/active\_record/attribute\_methods.rb:71:in  
`each' c:/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.2.2/lib/active_record/attribute_methods.rb:71:in`define\_attribute\_methods’  
c:/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.2.2/lib/active\_record/attribute\_methods.rb:242:in  
`method_missing' vendor/plugins/acts_as_ferret/lib/instance_methods.rb:50:in`ferret\_enabled?’  
vendor/plugins/acts\_as\_ferret/lib/bulk\_indexer.rb:20:in `index_records' vendor/plugins/acts_as_ferret/lib/bulk_indexer.rb:20:in`each’  
vendor/plugins/acts\_as\_ferret/lib/bulk\_indexer.rb:20:in `index_records' vendor/plugins/acts_as_ferret/lib/bulk_indexer.rb:32:in`measure\_time’  
vendor/plugins/acts\_as\_ferret/lib/bulk\_indexer.rb:18:in `index_records' vendor/plugins/acts_as_ferret/lib/ferret_extensions.rb:52:in`index\_model’  
vendor/plugins/acts\_as\_ferret/lib/class\_methods.rb:79:in  
`records_for_rebuild' c:/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.2.2/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract/database_statements.rb:66:in`transaction’  
c:/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.2.2/lib/active\_record/transactions.rb:129:in  
`transaction' vendor/plugins/acts_as_ferret/lib/class_methods.rb:74:in`records\_for\_rebuild’  
vendor/plugins/acts\_as\_ferret/lib/ferret\_extensions.rb:51:in  
`index_model' vendor/plugins/acts_as_ferret/lib/ferret_extensions.rb:39:in`index\_models’  
vendor/plugins/acts\_as\_ferret/lib/ferret\_extensions.rb:39:in `each' vendor/plugins/acts_as_ferret/lib/ferret_extensions.rb:39:in`index\_models’  
vendor/plugins/acts\_as\_ferret/lib/local\_index.rb:54:in `rebuild_index' vendor/plugins/acts_as_ferret/lib/local_index.rb:31:in`ensure\_index\_exists’  
vendor/plugins/acts\_as\_ferret/lib/local\_index.rb:18:in `ferret_index' vendor/plugins/acts_as_ferret/lib/local_index.rb:86:in`total\_hits’  
vendor/plugins/acts\_as\_ferret/lib/class\_methods.rb:165:in `total_hits' app/controllers/model_controller.rb:108:in`search’

I’ve reached to ‘ferret\_enabled?’ and seems that it crashes when is  
using the aaf\_configuration hash, either on the ‘ferret\_enabled?’ or in  
the ‘to\_doc’ method. I’ve searched but I can’t find anything about this  
error (with ferret). Any help? Thanks!!