# How do I create a collection

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-create-a-collection/104252>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [May 15, 2007, 11:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-create-a-collection/104252 "2007-05-15T23:02:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pezdude](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a87d85/32.png) [@pezdude](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pezdude)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 11:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-create-a-collection/104252/1 "2007-05-15T23:02:50Z")

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Hopefully this isn’t a dumb question.

I would like to create a drop down list using collection\_select, but I  
would like the collection to be generate statically, and not from a  
database call.

If I do create the collection from a database table call, the output  
using inspect looks like this:

[#\<Carrier:0x3479338 @attributes={“name”=\>“FedEx”, “enabled”=\>“1”,  
“id”=\>“1”}\>, #\<Carrier:0x34792fc @attributes={“name”=\>“USPS”,  
“enabled”=\>“1”, “id”=\>“2”}\>]

How do I recreate an array like this without using activerecord and a  
database to do it?

To me it looks like an array of hashes, but I don’t quite understand  
where the Carrier @attributes part comes from.

Any help is appreciated. Seems like something so simple, I just cant  
seem to get it.

Thanks!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pezdude](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a87d85/32.png) [@pezdude](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pezdude)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-create-a-collection/104252/2 "2007-05-15T23:27:55Z")

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But, seriously…

Take a look at:

options\_for\_select(container, selected = nil)  
Accepts a container (hash, array, enumerable, your type) and returns a  
string of option tags. Given a container where the elements respond to  
first and last (such as a two-element array), the “lasts” serve as  
option values and the “firsts” as option text. Hashes are turned into  
this form automatically, so the keys become “firsts” and values become  
lasts. If selected is specified, the matching “last” or element will  
get the selected option-tag. Selected may also be an array of values  
to be selected when using a multiple select.

Examples (call, result):

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pezdude](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a87d85/32.png) [@pezdude](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pezdude)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 11:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-create-a-collection/104252/3 "2007-05-15T23:34:55Z")

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As a side note you don’t necessarily need collection\_select for  
dealing with a static list.

Take a look a the rails documentation for:  
select(object, method, choices, options = {}, html\_options = {})

which will in turn direct you to the previous post for the format of  
“choices.”

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pezdude](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a87d85/32.png) [@pezdude](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pezdude)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 11:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-create-a-collection/104252/4 "2007-05-15T23:16:54Z")

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Here’s one way to create a collection:

words = %w{ this is a collection of some words }

Here’s another (This one is an empty collection):

objects = []

Now you can use the \<\< method to add stuff to your collection:

object \<\< my\_object

On May 15, 5:02 pm, David C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)