# Forms fields pre-populating w/ first record's values

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/forms-fields-pre-populating-w-first-records-values/156622>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [December 31, 2008, 3:00am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/forms-fields-pre-populating-w-first-records-values/156622 "2008-12-31T03:00:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![clemrock](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clemrock](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/clemrock)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 3:00am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/forms-fields-pre-populating-w-first-records-values/156622/1 "2008-12-31T03:00:08Z")

</div>

I have a strange situation. I want to have a create\_user form w/ all  
the fields blank

When I call the create\_user method, the corresponding  
create\_user.html.erb form is displaying the first  
record’s data from the user table in the form fields

Here’s a quick view of my form:

```auto
<% form_tag('create_user') do -%>
   <%=hidden_field("user", "id") %> (<%=params[:id] %>)
   <p><label for="fname">First Name</label><br/>
    <%=text_field("user", "fname") %></p>

   <p><label for="lname">Last Name</label><br/>
    <%=text_field("user", "lname") %></p>
  <%=submit_tag("Create") %>
<% end -%>

```

When that form loads, it is populated w/ the First and last name from  
the first user record in the db.

Anyway around this - I’ve tried everything I can think of.

Thanks,  
Clem

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![clemrock](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clemrock](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/clemrock)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 3:35am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/forms-fields-pre-populating-w-first-records-values/156622/2 "2008-12-31T03:35:34Z")

</div>

form\_tag does not tag a string as an argument.

Could you show us your controller please?

## Also, it may help you if you read [http://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting\_started\_with\_rails.html](http://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting_started_with_rails.html) first.

Ryan B.  
Freelancer

> **[frozenplague.net](http://frozenplague.net)**
>
> This domain may be for sale!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![clemrock](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clemrock](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/clemrock)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 5:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/forms-fields-pre-populating-w-first-records-values/156622/3 "2008-12-31T05:46:47Z")

</div>

Thanks for getting back to me on this.

Here’s my controller method:

def create\_user  
if request.post?  
@user = User.new(params[:user])  
if @user.save  
flash[:notice] = “User has been added.”  
flash.keep  
redirect\_to :controller =\> ‘admin’, :action =\> ‘list\_users’, :id  
=\> @user.id, :page =\> params[:page]  
end  
end  
end

Thanks again

Ryan B. wrote:

> form\_tag does not tag a string as an argument.
> 
> Could you show us your controller please?
> 
> ## Also, it may help you if you read [http://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting\_started\_with\_rails.html](http://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting_started_with_rails.html) first.
> 
> Ryan B.  
> Freelancer  
> [http://frozenplague.net](http://frozenplague.net)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![clemrock](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clemrock](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/clemrock)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/forms-fields-pre-populating-w-first-records-values/156622/4 "2009-01-10T21:26:10Z")

</div>

Problem solved: all I had to do was to add Address.new in the  
controller.

Newbies

Clem R. wrote:

> Thanks for getting back to me on this.
> 
> Here’s my controller method:
> 
> def create\_user  
> if request.post?  
> @user = User.new(params[:user])  
> if @user.save  
> flash[:notice] = “User has been added.”  
> flash.keep  
> redirect\_to :controller =\> ‘admin’, :action =\> ‘list\_users’, :id  
> =\> @user.id, :page =\> params[:page]  
> end  
> end  
> end
> 
> Thanks again
> 
> Ryan B. wrote:
> 
> > form\_tag does not tag a string as an argument.
> > 
> > Could you show us your controller please?
> > 
> > ## Also, it may help you if you read [http://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting\_started\_with\_rails.html](http://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting_started_with_rails.html) first.
> > 
> > Ryan B.  
> > Freelancer  
> > [http://frozenplague.net](http://frozenplague.net)