# Hashed\_Pasword?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hashed-pasword/160986>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [February 21, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hashed-pasword/160986 "2009-02-21T21:25:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jung)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hashed-pasword/160986/1 "2009-02-21T21:25:24Z")

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I am having a problem with my hashed\_password.  
I am following the lessons in the apress beginning rails book.  
Here is my issue:

def password\_required?  
hashed\_password.blank? || !password.blank?  
end

Ruby is calling this method out as a problem.

Error message from the web server:  
undefined local variable or method `hashed\_password’ for #\<User id: nil,  
login: “”, email: “”, hashed\_passwd: nil\>

I am stuck!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jung)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hashed-pasword/160986/2 "2009-02-21T21:39:00Z")

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Jason J. wrote:

> Error message from the web server:  
> undefined local variable or method `hashed\_password’ for #\<User id: nil,  
> login: “”, email: “”, hashed\_passwd: nil\>
> 
> I am stuck!

Is the variable named hashed\_password or hashed\_passwd?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jung)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hashed-pasword/160986/3 "2009-02-21T21:42:01Z")

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Tim H. wrote:

> Jason J. wrote:
> 
> > Error message from the web server:  
> > undefined local variable or method `hashed\_password’ for #\<User id: nil,  
> > login: “”, email: “”, hashed\_passwd: nil\>
> > 
> > I am stuck!
> 
> Is the variable named hashed\_password or hashed\_passwd?

Here is the entire section of code :  
def self.authenticate(login, password)  
user = find\_by\_login(login)  
return user if user && user.authenticated?(password)  
end

def authenticated?(password)  
hashed\_password == encrypt(password)  
end

protected  
def encrypt\_new\_password  
return if password.blank?  
self.hashed\_password = encrypt(password)  
end

def password\_required?  
hashed\_password.blank? || !password.blank?  
end

def encrypt(string)  
Digest::SHA1.hexdigest(string)  
end

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jung)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hashed-pasword/160986/4 "2009-02-22T16:18:01Z")

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On Sat, Feb 21, 2009 at 12:24 PM, Jason J. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
wrote:

> Error message from the web server:  
> undefined local variable or method `hashed\_password’ for #\<User id: nil,  
> login: “”, email: “”, hashed\_passwd: nil\>

It appears your model has a field called ‘hashed\_passwd’, which is  
not the same as ‘hashed\_password’. So change one of 'em 🙂

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jung)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hashed-pasword/160986/5 "2009-02-21T22:17:53Z")

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Jason J. wrote:

> Tim H. wrote:
> 
> > Jason J. wrote:
> > 
> > > Error message from the web server:  
> > > undefined local variable or method `hashed\_password’ for #\<User id: nil,  
> > > login: “”, email: “”, hashed\_passwd: nil\>
> > > 
> > > I am stuck!
> > 
> > Is the variable named hashed\_password or hashed\_passwd?
> 
> Here is the entire section of code :  
> def self.authenticate(login, password)  
> user = find\_by\_login(login)  
> return user if user && user.authenticated?(password)  
> end
> 
> def authenticated?(password)  
> hashed\_password == encrypt(password)  
> end
> 
> protected  
> def encrypt\_new\_password  
> return if password.blank?  
> self.hashed\_password = encrypt(password)  
> end
> 
> def password\_required?  
> hashed\_password.blank? || !password.blank?  
> end
> 
> def encrypt(string)  
> Digest::SHA1.hexdigest(string)  
> end

The web server is calling out line 47 which is hashed\_password.blank? ||  
!password.blank?

I think the hashed\_password.blank? is my problem but I do not know why.

the variable is hashed\_password.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jung)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hashed-pasword/160986/6 "2009-02-22T21:29:08Z")

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> > protected  
> > Digest::SHA1.hexdigest(string)  
> > end

Um, shouldn’t you be storing the result of the hash into  
hashed\_password?  
Also, if this is part of a User class (as suggested by the output  
earlier) then you probably want to use @ -scoped variables, not  
method-local.  
def Klass  
some\_variable = value  
end

is NOT the same as:  
def Klass  
def initialize  
@some\_variable = value  
end  
end

That seems the most likely problem to me. If this doesn’t solve your  
problem, could you post the point at which you initialise/declare your  
variables?

Cheers,  
Michael

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---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jung)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hashed-pasword/160986/7 "2009-02-23T01:25:27Z")

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On Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 3:27 PM, Michael M.  
[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)wrote:

> > > def encrypt(string)  
> > > def Klass  
> > > That seems the most likely problem to me. If this doesn’t solve your  
> > > problem, could you post the point at which you initialise/declare your  
> > > variables?

No, you should be aware that this is pretty obviously an ActiveRecord  
model  
object in a Rails app. The accessor methods for database fields are  
generated automagically from the database schema.

It’s also probably using either the restful\_authentication plugin, or  
it’s  
older brother acts\_as\_authenticated, both of which normally use  
crypted\_password, instead of hashed\_password for the field name,  
although I  
beleive that this can be overridden when the authentication code is  
generated.

I’m pretty sure that Hassan S. has the right diagnosis.  
undefined local variable or method `hashed\_password’ for #\<User id: nil,  
login: “”, email: “”, hashed\_passwd: nil\>

This indicates that the database column is named hashed\_passwd NOT  
hashed\_password, so ActiveRecord isn’t providing a method with the name  
hashed\_password.

This is the kind of question which would probably be answered much more  
quickly, and with less confusion on the rails mailing list.

–  
Rick DeNatale

Blog: [http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/](http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/)  
Twitter: [http://twitter.com/RickDeNatale](http://twitter.com/RickDeNatale)  
WWR: [http://www.workingwithrails.com/person/9021-rick-denatale](http://www.workingwithrails.com/person/9021-rick-denatale)  
LinkedIn: [http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickdenatale](http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickdenatale)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jung](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jung)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hashed-pasword/160986/8 "2009-02-23T17:41:17Z")

</div>

Rick Denatale wrote:

> On Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 3:27 PM, Michael M.  
> [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)wrote:
> 
> > > > def encrypt(string)  
> > > > def Klass  
> > > > That seems the most likely problem to me. If this doesn’t solve your  
> > > > problem, could you post the point at which you initialise/declare your  
> > > > variables?
> 
> No, you should be aware that this is pretty obviously an ActiveRecord  
> model  
> object in a Rails app. The accessor methods for database fields are  
> generated automagically from the database schema.
> 
> It’s also probably using either the restful\_authentication plugin, or  
> it’s  
> older brother acts\_as\_authenticated, both of which normally use  
> crypted\_password, instead of hashed\_password for the field name,  
> although I  
> beleive that this can be overridden when the authentication code is  
> generated.
> 
> I’m pretty sure that Hassan S. has the right diagnosis.  
> undefined local variable or method `hashed\_password’ for #\<User id: nil,  
> login: “”, email: “”, hashed\_passwd: nil\>
> 
> This indicates that the database column is named hashed\_passwd NOT  
> hashed\_password, so ActiveRecord isn’t providing a method with the name  
> hashed\_password.
> 
> This is the kind of question which would probably be answered much more  
> quickly, and with less confusion on the rails mailing list.
> 
> –  
> Rick DeNatale
> 
> Blog: [http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/](http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/)  
> Twitter: [http://twitter.com/RickDeNatale](http://twitter.com/RickDeNatale)  
> WWR: [http://www.workingwithrails.com/person/9021-rick-denatale](http://www.workingwithrails.com/person/9021-rick-denatale)  
> LinkedIn: [http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickdenatale](http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickdenatale)  
> Rick,  
> Thanks for the resources. I will use the mailing list next time.  
> You were right - I figured out before seeing your post. I submitted the  
> new user request and was able to look at the error messages from the  
> web server which led me to take a second look at the database.

Sure enough there was a field spelling error as you pointed out.  
Thanks again!