# How to filter an activerecord find\_all **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [January 24, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-filter-an-activerecord-find-all/96898 "2006-01-24T23:27:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-filter-an-activerecord-find-all/96898/1 "2006-01-24T23:27:33Z")
I have a nice hierarchical table structure like this: divisions has\_many groups groups belongs\_to division has\_many subgroups subgroups belongs\_to group has\_many units units belongs\_to subgroup I have a report which is based on units, but i want to be able to filter the units by which subgroup, or which group, or which division. I also want to sort them by division.name,then group.name, then subgroup.name. What’s the syntax i need? I’ve got this far… @units = Unit.find\_all :include =\> XXX, :order =\> XXX Oh, and another topic - i finally figured out how to deploy rails with lighttpd and scgi on a windows server the other day! ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-filter-an-activerecord-find-all/96898/2 "2006-01-25T01:08:18Z")
chris hulbert wrote: > I have a nice hierarchical table structure like this: > > divisions > has\_many groups > > groups > belongs\_to division > has\_many subgroups > > subgroups > belongs\_to group > has\_many units > > units > belongs\_to subgroup > > I have a report which is based on units, but i want to be able to filter > the units by which subgroup, or which group, or which division. I also > want to sort them by division.name,then group.name, then subgroup.name. > > What’s the syntax i need? I’ve got this far… > @units = Unit.find\_all :include =\> XXX, :order =\> XXX > > Oh, and another topic - i finally figured out how to deploy rails with > lighttpd and scgi on a windows server the other day! I think this might work if you add it to your find, :include =\> ‘divisions’, :conditions =\> [“divisions.id = ?”, division\_id], :order\_by =\> ‘divisions.name DESC’ You may run into trouble with the ‘group’ column name since there is a ‘group by’ sql command. You might also want to consider using acts\_as\_tree to handle the group/subgroup thing in one table if that makes sense. \_Kevin ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 4:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-filter-an-activerecord-find-all/96898/3 "2006-01-25T04:58:58Z")
On 2006-01-24 19:08:18 -0500, Kevin O. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) said: > > subgroups > > :order\_by =\> ‘divisions.name DESC’ > > You may run into trouble with the ‘group’ column name since there is a > ‘group by’ sql command. Doesn’t Rails escape table and column names with backtics (``) ? If not, it should, imo 🙂 Ben ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 5:09am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-filter-an-activerecord-find-all/96898/4 "2006-01-25T05:09:38Z")
Benoit G. wrote: > On 2006-01-24 19:08:18 -0500, Kevin O. > [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) said: > > > > subgroups > > > > :order\_by =\> ‘divisions.name DESC’ > > > > You may run into trouble with the ‘group’ column name since there is a > > ‘group by’ sql command. > > Doesn’t Rails escape table and column names with backtics (``) ? If > not, it should, imo 🙂 > > Ben It might work fine, but my personal policy is to avoid table names that might be mistaken for SQL commands. But then, I’m a belt and suspenders kind of guy when it comes to this. BTW, I haven’t tested it to see if anything bad happens. \_Kevin ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 6:03am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-filter-an-activerecord-find-all/96898/5 "2006-01-25T06:03:28Z")
Groups isn’t my issue here. Anyway its groupS, plural, so it doesn’t interfere with ‘group’ as in ‘group by’. I checked before i used this table design - i’m not silly. But yeah, my question still remains: how to filter a find\_all by a field several joins away. I’ve gotten it working with a find\_by\_sql, but that’s a bit ‘brute force’ don’t you think? I’d like something nicer if its possible.