# Form Blocks

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-blocks/111906>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [August 13, 2007, 8:53am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-blocks/111906 "2007-08-13T08:53:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nigel.bris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@nigel.bris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nigel.bris)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 8:53am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-blocks/111906/1 "2007-08-13T08:53:11Z")

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Hi,

How do I get a value out of a form block  
eg.  
\<% form\_for :order do |form\_block| %\>  
\<%= form\_block.text\_field :name, :size =\> 40 %\>  
\<% end %\>

If within that block I wanted to get the value of an attribute like  
age, how cold you get that from the form\_block instance? eg  
form\_block.age (i realise this does not work). I could just do  
@order.age but I need to check from a helper where the block is only  
sen to it.

Thanks

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nigel.bris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@nigel.bris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nigel.bris)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 9:19am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-blocks/111906/2 "2007-08-13T09:19:13Z")

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I think, you trying to implement something like observe field on name  
to get age.  
You can  
\<%= observe\_field ‘order\_name’,  
:frequency =\> 1,  
:update =\> “UPDATE\_SPAN/DIV/TEXTFIELD\_ID\_OF\_AGE”,  
:url =\> {:action =\> 'YOUR\_ACTION\_TO\_GET\_AGE '}%\>

For more info on this ajax, refer this:  
[http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/observe\_field+-+Passing+Parameters](http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/observe_field+-+Passing+Parameters)

Regards.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nigel.bris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@nigel.bris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nigel.bris)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 12:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-blocks/111906/3 "2007-08-13T12:09:30Z")

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Hi Carolene,

Unfortunately, I have not explained myself properly… Great answer  
though!

What I meant is:-  
\<% form\_for :order do |form\_block| %\>  
\<%= form\_block.text\_field :name, :size =\> 40 %\>  
\<% some code here that could return the value of age that refers to  
age via form\_block (not @order) eg form\_block.age %\>  
\<% end %\>

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nigel.bris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@nigel.bris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nigel.bris)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-blocks/111906/4 "2007-08-13T14:04:51Z")

</div>

Hi –

On Sun, 12 Aug 2007, nigel.bris wrote:

> age, how cold you get that from the form\_block instance? eg  
> form\_block.age (i realise this does not work). I could just do  
> @order.age but I need to check from a helper where the block is only  
> sen to it.

I believe in edge you can do: form\_block.object, and in non-edge you  
can at least do form\_block.object\_name. I might be wrong about the  
edge/non-edge distinction; it’s based on some quick trials, where \<%=  
debug f.object %\> got me nil in non-edge.

David

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