# Find\_or\_create\_by\_name

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/find-or-create-by-name/155421>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [December 11, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/find-or-create-by-name/155421 "2008-12-11T17:17:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![giga](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/b9bd4f/32.png) [@giga](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/giga)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/find-or-create-by-name/155421/1 "2008-12-11T17:17:06Z")

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If I have a table: (id, lastname, firstname), can I use  
“find\_or\_create\_by\_name” if I have to search by first and last name?

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**Author:** ![giga](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/b9bd4f/32.png) [@giga](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/giga)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/find-or-create-by-name/155421/2 "2008-12-11T17:23:59Z")

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On 11 Dec 2008, at 16:17, Gi Ga wrote:

> If I have a table: (id, lastname, firstname), can I use  
> “find\_or\_create\_by\_name” if I have to search by first and last name?

no. find\_or\_create\_by\_foo requires foo to be an actual column (but you  
can do find\_or\_create\_by\_foo\_and\_bar)

Fred