# File\_column problem

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/file-column-problem/50139>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [December 13, 2005, 2:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/file-column-problem/50139 "2005-12-13T14:34:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Andrew\_VanSpronsen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Andrew\_VanSpronsen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Andrew_VanSpronsen)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 2:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/file-column-problem/50139/1 "2005-12-13T14:34:34Z")

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Hello all,

I get the message below when I try to use the file\_column plugin in my  
app to upload files. I have followed the instructions on the  
file\_column website and the RoR rails wiki with no luck. Any ideas?

I would be happy to provide more details wrt my controller, view,  
model, etc should they be required! I am not doing anything crazy  
though so I think I am just overlooking something.

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

Thanks in advance!

## Andrew

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Andrew\_VanSpronsen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Andrew\_VanSpronsen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Andrew_VanSpronsen)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/file-column-problem/50139/2 "2005-12-13T16:05:01Z")

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Your form needs to be rendered as multipart because it is handling  
binary data (the file being upload).

In the view which displays the form with the file upload add “:multipart  
=\> true”, as an example:

\<%= start\_form\_tag({:action=\>‘update’, :id =\> @category}, :multipart =\>  
true)%\>

hope that helps, Kris.

Andrew VanSpronsen wrote:

> Hello all,
> 
> I get the message below when I try to use the file\_column plugin in my  
> app to upload files. I have followed the instructions on the  
> file\_column website and the RoR rails wiki with no luck. Any ideas?
> 
> I would be happy to provide more details wrt my controller, view,  
> model, etc should they be required! I am not doing anything crazy  
> though so I think I am just overlooking something.
> 
> Error:  
> Do not know how to handle a string with value ‘misc.jpg’ that was  
> passed to a file\_column. Check if the form’s encoding has been set to  
> ‘multipart/form-data’.
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> ## Andrew

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Andrew\_VanSpronsen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Andrew\_VanSpronsen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Andrew_VanSpronsen)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 5:14pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/file-column-problem/50139/3 "2005-12-13T17:14:43Z")

</div>

Perfect! I had that statement but not with the brackets as you did.  
Thanks  
so much!

Andrew

On 12/13/05, Kris L. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> > I would be happy to provide more details wrt my controller, view,
> 
> removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid  
> [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails)

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