I have a user model and associated controller/views. the model has a
password field and the security for logging into my site etc. and all of
this works pretty well. When i implemented it i had a need to be able
to allow users to edit the user data (demographic stuff) and not edit
the password (unless they wanted to). The simple way for the code to
update the model is to use:
if @user.update_attributes(params[:user])
tell me i did good
else
tell me I screwed up
end
this works great if the user changes the password but if they leave it
blank (don’t want to change that field and go through the hassle of
entering in the current password and confirmation) then things go
sideways.
I’ve worked around this by using a bunch of ugly if statements to update
each field individually (not elegant but got the job done when i was
first learning) It is UGLY and not robust so i need to refactor (and
improve) it. Here’s what i have:
if @user.update_attribute( :name, params[:user][:name])
if @user.update_attribute( :email, params[:user][:email] )
if @user.update_attribute( :admin, params[:user][:admin] )
if @user.update_attribute( :teamleader,
params[:user][:teamleader] )
if @user.update_attribute( :street,
params[:user][:street] )
if @user.update_attribute( :city,
params[:user][:city] )
if @user.update_attribute( :state,
params[:user][:state] )
if @user.update_attribute( :zip,
params[:user][:zip] )
if @user.update_attribute( :login,
params[:user][:login] )
if @user.update_attribute( :startdate,
params[:user][:startdate] )
if @user.update_attribute( :fname,
params[:user][:fname] )
if @user.update_attribute( :lname,
params[:user][:lname] )
flash[:success] = “Profile updated.”
redirect_to @user
else
flash[:failure] = "ERROR: Profile NOT
updated." @title = “Edit user”
render :action => “edit”
end
end
end
end
end
end
end
end
end
end
end
please don’t waste your breathe telling me how messed up this approach
is: I know but i could use some advice on a better way to go
I’ve worked around this by using a bunch of ugly if statements to update each
field individually (not elegant but got the job done when i was first learning) It
is UGLY and not robust so i need to refactor (and improve) it. Here’s what i have:
GAH! That certainly is ugly
How does your new approach work now if the user does try to change
their password?..
First off, there’s no need for all the nesting, just chain them if you
insist on stuff like this:
You could add some checks to remove the password (and confirmation)
field from the params[:user] hash if there’s not been a password
entered. And/or some validation checks in the model that only run the
password validations if a new password and/or confirmation has been
provided. Or you could take your user params hash and assign each
entry to it’s attribute and then call “save” (and only update the
password and confirmation if they’re not blank in params)… all
sorts of ways… but probably _not_the way you’ve chosen
PS Beware that all those “update_attribute” calls don’t run
validations…
