# File\_column help: want to pass along upload info to next state via form tags

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/file-column-help-want-to-pass-along-upload-info-to-next-state-via-form-tags/154023>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [November 24, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/file-column-help-want-to-pass-along-upload-info-to-next-state-via-form-tags/154023 "2008-11-24T18:25:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![salamander](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@salamander](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/salamander)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/file-column-help-want-to-pass-along-upload-info-to-next-state-via-form-tags/154023/1 "2008-11-24T18:25:44Z")

</div>

Hello.

I have a page in which I inserted the option to upload a file in a  
form where other kinds of input text fields, check boxes, and radio  
buttons are being filled/clicked.

I followed the steps instructed here,  
[http://www.kanthak.net/opensource/file\_column/](http://www.kanthak.net/opensource/file_column/)

except that when submitting the form, instead of saving the data  
entered, I display a confirmation page, followed by a final submit  
button.

It appears I lose some critical info between the first and second  
pages mentioned, in that I no longer have the necessary syntax to  
identify the uploaded file. I get an error when clicking submit to  
get to the third page, where I get an error like:

Do not know how to handle a string with value ‘snapshot.tiff’ that was  
passed to a file\_column. Check if the form’s encoding has been set to  
‘multipart/form-data’.

Because I merely passed along the data via hidden input tags.  
Multipart/form-data is set in all forms.

-Al