# Form field returns string instead of int **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [January 4, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-field-returns-string-instead-of-int/124962 "2008-01-04T03:33:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ba8739/32.png) [@spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spokra)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-field-returns-string-instead-of-int/124962/1 "2008-01-04T03:33:09Z")
\<%= select( “user” , “type”, { “Practice” =\> 1, “Doctor” =\> 2, “Hygenist” =\>3, “Assistant” =\> 4 }, {:include\_blank =\> false, :prompt =\>true}) %\> produces: Please select Hygenist Assistant Doctor Practice and the form returns a string. how do i get the form to submit an int… or get AR to convert it? select fields can return an int right? ---
**Author:** ![spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ba8739/32.png) [@spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spokra)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 3:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-field-returns-string-instead-of-int/124962/2 "2008-01-04T03:45:26Z")
params[:user][:type].to\_i All int’s submitted by fields are actually submitted as strings. Same goes for dates and anything else, it’s always a string. On Jan 4, 2008 1:02 PM, spokra [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Hygenist – Ryan B. > **[frozenplague.net](http://www.frozenplague.net)** > > This domain may be for sale! Feel free to add me to MSN and/or GTalk as this email. ---
**Author:** ![spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ba8739/32.png) [@spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spokra)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-field-returns-string-instead-of-int/124962/3 "2008-01-04T03:48:56Z")
this would be in the controller in create and update then? ---
**Author:** ![spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ba8739/32.png) [@spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spokra)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 4:15am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-field-returns-string-instead-of-int/124962/4 "2008-01-04T04:15:49Z")
forgive me I’m a newbie… I’ve tried both params[:user][:type].to\_i params[:user][:type]=params[:user][:type].to\_i neither work… ---
**Author:** ![spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ba8739/32.png) [@spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spokra)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 3:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-field-returns-string-instead-of-int/124962/5 "2008-01-04T03:58:52Z")
Indeed On Jan 4, 2008 1:18 PM, spokra [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > =\>true}) %\> > > > and the form returns a string. how do i get the form to submit an > > > int… or get AR to convert it? select fields can return an int right? > > > > – > > Ryan B.[http://www.frozenplague.net](http://www.frozenplague.net) > > Feel free to add me to MSN and/or GTalk as this email.- Hide quoted text > > - > > > - Show quoted text - – Ryan B. > **[frozenplague.net](http://www.frozenplague.net)** > > This domain may be for sale! Feel free to add me to MSN and/or GTalk as this email. ---
**Author:** ![spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ba8739/32.png) [@spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spokra)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 4:44am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-field-returns-string-instead-of-int/124962/6 "2008-01-04T04:44:31Z")
turns out :type must be used internal to AR… I changed to :accounttype and updated the table and everything worked… AR knew it was an INT and saved it correctly!! maybe a standard of prepending internal symbols with the classname would eliminate collitions ---
**Author:** ![spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ba8739/32.png) [@spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spokra)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 4:44am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-field-returns-string-instead-of-int/124962/7 "2008-01-04T04:44:31Z")
You want to do: @user.type = params[:user][:type].to\_i @user.save! or something similiar. ---
**Author:** ![spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ba8739/32.png) [@spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spokra)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 4:50am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-field-returns-string-instead-of-int/124962/8 "2008-01-04T04:50:57Z")
On Jan 3, 2008, at 8:32 PM, spokra wrote: > Hygenist Assistant Doctor Practice > > and the form returns a string. how do i get the form to submit an > int… or get AR to convert it? select fields can return an int right? AR will know what to do with the string. The problem is that you’re using the word ‘type.’ Change it to something else and it will work. ---
**Author:** ![spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ba8739/32.png) [@spokra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spokra)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 5:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-field-returns-string-instead-of-int/124962/9 "2008-01-04T05:59:52Z")
Damn it, I should’ve noticed. Yes type is a reserved field in ActiveRecord. It is used for putting types on Single Table Inheritance tables.