Find_by_sql - ActiveRecord - Help please

jeffl · November 7, 2012, 9:07pm

I am new to the language and trying to add a couple of simple tests on
user input, followed by a DB query, then using the returned values
(where the problem lies)

I first run a find_by_sql similar to this

@my_names = modelname.find_by_sql

I then check to see if NO returns via

if @my_names.size == 0

==================

My question is, how do I access the values that are now in the array. I
seem to be able to set session variables by way of

session[:whatever] = @my_names[0].column_name
etc…

but am unable to perform a if construct that looks like

if @my_names[0].column_name == “TEST VALUE”

I keep getting an undefined method error when I try to run the code.
Thanks very much in advance for any assistance with this.

jeffl · November 7, 2012, 9:50pm

On 7 November 2012 20:07, Jeff L. [email protected] wrote:

I am new to the language and trying to add a couple of simple tests on
user input, followed by a DB query, then using the returned values
(where the problem lies)

I first run a find_by_sql similar to this

@my_names = modelname.find_by_sql

I know this is not part of your question, but as a newcommer to rails
I think it is very unlikely that you should be using find_by_sql.
There are not many situations that this is necessary, there is almost
certainly another way. You might like to ask about this in another
thread to see if there is a better way.

session[:whatever] = @my_names[0].column_name
etc…

but am unable to perform a if construct that looks like

if @my_names[0].column_name == “TEST VALUE”

I keep getting an undefined method error when I try to run the code.
Thanks very much in advance for any assistance with this.

Show us the actual code and the full error message please. First look
carefully at the error and try to interpret it, often the clue is in
the message but may not be initially obvious to a newcommer.

Finally, if you have not already done so, I recommend working through
a good tutorial on rails. railstutorial.org is good and is free to
use online. Make sure that you use a tutorial for rails 3 and that
you use exactly the right version of rails.

Colin

jeffl · November 7, 2012, 11:12pm

On 7 November 2012 22:06, Jeff L. [email protected] wrote:

NoMethodError (undefined method province' for nil:NilClass): /path/file.rb:302:in set_no’

So I look on that line, in the set_no definition, which is where I was
trying to call this line

if @my_names[0].province == “XX”

As I said, the clue is in the error message. Undefined method
province for nil:NilClass. This is saying that you have tried to call
the method province on a nil object, which means that @my_names[0] is
nil.

Colin

jeffl · November 7, 2012, 11:06pm

Hi Colin,

This is old code (Rails v 1.1.6 - Ruby 1.8.5) that I am working with,
and don’t want to migrate it too to current version because it is not
long term.

The code is almost exactly as cited above, just have the column names
removed.
The error code tells me that

NoMethodError (undefined method province' for nil:NilClass): /path/file.rb:302:in set_no’

So I look on that line, in the set_no definition, which is where I was
trying to call this line

if @my_names[0].province == “XX”

province is one of the column names that is returned from the
find_by_sql call.

Does this make any more sense now ? I have been through many attempts to
resolve this, and can work with parameters, etc but with DB returns it
seems I am missing something.

Colin L. wrote in post #1083450:

On 7 November 2012 20:07, Jeff L. [email protected] wrote:

I am new to the language and trying to add a couple of simple tests on
user input, followed by a DB query, then using the returned values
(where the problem lies)

I first run a find_by_sql similar to this

@my_names = modelname.find_by_sql

I know this is not part of your question, but as a newcommer to rails
I think it is very unlikely that you should be using find_by_sql.
There are not many situations that this is necessary, there is almost
certainly another way. You might like to ask about this in another
thread to see if there is a better way.

session[:whatever] = @my_names[0].column_name
etc…

but am unable to perform a if construct that looks like

if @my_names[0].column_name == “TEST VALUE”

I keep getting an undefined method error when I try to run the code.
Thanks very much in advance for any assistance with this.

Show us the actual code and the full error message please. First look
carefully at the error and try to interpret it, often the clue is in
the message but may not be initially obvious to a newcommer.

Finally, if you have not already done so, I recommend working through
a good tutorial on rails. railstutorial.org is good and is free to
use online. Make sure that you use a tutorial for rails 3 and that
you use exactly the right version of rails.

Colin

jeffl · November 8, 2012, 12:00am

On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 2:49 PM, Jeff L. [email protected]
wrote:

I don’t think it is, in fact I know it isn’t empty because the logic is
inside a test for the return size of 0.

1.9.3 (main):0 > @stuff = []
=> []
1.9.3 (main):0 > @stuff << nil
=> [
[0] nil
]
1.9.3 (main):0 > @stuff[0]
=> nil
1.9.3 (main):0 > @stuff.size
=> 1
1.9.3 (main):0 >

You might want to try a different approach to validating the content
of your array

–
Hassan S. ------------------------ [email protected]

twitter: @hassan

jeffl · November 8, 2012, 2:53am

Another example:

data = Array.new(10, nil)
p data

–output:–
[nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil]

p data.size

–output:–
10

puts data[0].province

–output:–
1.rb:4:in <main>': undefined methodprovince’ for nil:NilClass
(NoMethodError)

jeffl · November 8, 2012, 9:10am

On 7 November 2012 22:49, Jeff L. [email protected] wrote:

            page[:name].visualEffect('highlight')
            end

This end would appear to close the if statement.

    else

I am surprised that does not cause a syntax error.
Also as others have pointed out the first element of the array could be
nil.

Colin

jeffl · November 8, 2012, 1:57pm

The “end” closes the "render :update do |page| "

jeffl · November 7, 2012, 11:49pm

Hi Colin,

I don’t think it is, in fact I know it isn’t empty because the logic is
inside a test for the return size of 0.

if @my_names.size == 0

            render :update do |page|
            // Bunch of updating code to the displayed message to

indicate no match found.
page[:name].visualEffect(‘highlight’)
end

    else

       // This is where I try to test the code of

      if @my_names[0].province == "XX"

      // Then want to do some other things.

      else
      // Set sessions variables.

      session[:var_a] = @my_names
      session[:var_b] = @my_names[0].first_name
      session[:var_c] = @my_names[0].last_name
      session[:var_d] = @my_names[0].line_1
      session[:var_d] = (@my_names[0].line_2 || '')
      session[:var_e] = (@my_names[0].province || '')

Any thoughts ? It doesn’t seem to matter if I test AFTER the initial
test for 0 or before (knowing that I am going to get a match because of
predefined values that exist in the database.) I always get the same
error. Thanks again in advance.

Colin L. wrote in post #1083465:

On 7 November 2012 22:06, Jeff L. [email protected] wrote:

NoMethodError (undefined method province' for nil:NilClass): /path/file.rb:302:in set_no’

So I look on that line, in the set_no definition, which is where I was
trying to call this line

if @my_names[0].province == “XX”

As I said, the clue is in the error message. Undefined method
province for nil:NilClass. This is saying that you have tried to call
the method province on a nil object, which means that @my_names[0] is
nil.

Colin

jeffl · November 8, 2012, 2:49pm

On 8 November 2012 12:56, Timster [email protected] wrote:

The “end” closes the "render :update do |page| "

Good job someone is paying proper attention.

Colin