# Form.select question

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-select-question/118653>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [October 29, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-select-question/118653 "2007-10-29T20:48:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dave\_Hackenyos](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dave\_Hackenyos](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Dave_Hackenyos)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/form-select-question/118653/1 "2007-10-29T20:48:51Z")

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Hello,  
I am new to rails and have a question about form.select. I  
understand the examples that have a select drop down selections which  
map to a column in the model’s database row. What I want to do is  
provide a drop down list for selections which do not map to a single  
column in a row but which maps to any one of the columns in the table.

The list would be defined in the model class, named say Book:  
SORT\_TYPES = [[“id”, “id”],  
[“price”, “price”]  
[“color”, “color”]]

The form would look something like:  
\<% form\_for :book, :url =\> { :action =\> :sort } do |form| %\>  
\<%= form.select :sort\_type,  
Book::SORT\_TYPES,  
:prompt =\> “sort reviews  
by”  
%\>  
\<%= submit\_tag “Sort”, :class =\> “submit” %\>  
\<% end %\>

When the form is submitted, the sort method of the Book\_controller is  
called and I want to trap the value the user chose from the drop down  
list of options, each of which is a column in the books table. I know  
the sort method is called but I can’t seem to get a value from the  
selection.

So the question is: How do I trap a value from a form.select which is  
not mapped to a single column from a model’s table but to one of the  
table’s columns? How about the select return any arbitrary value (one  
not associated with a database table)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time,  
Dave Hackenyos  
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

Videx Inc. 1105 N. E. Circle Blvd. Corvallis OR 97330 (541) 758-0521  
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