# How to have default param if loading page the first time

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-have-default-param-if-loading-page-the-first-time/90221>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [March 26, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-have-default-param-if-loading-page-the-first-time/90221 "2007-03-26T21:38:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nephish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/8e7dd6/32.png) [@nephish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nephish)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-have-default-param-if-loading-page-the-first-time/90221/1 "2007-03-26T21:38:29Z")

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lo there,  
i have a page with a date\_select on it. When the date is passed, i  
need it to pass back to the same action (reloading the page with a new  
date). Now, i want the default date to be yesterday. This is for the  
first time the page is hit, but i don’t know how to set my controller  
up like that.

def pull\_records\_from\_date  
@start = params[:start]  
do some stuff here  
end

how do i let the controller know to pick yesterday for a start date  
( ruby date object ) if nothing was passed to the action ?

thanks

---

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**Author:** ![nephish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/8e7dd6/32.png) [@nephish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nephish)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2007, 9:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-have-default-param-if-loading-page-the-first-time/90221/2 "2007-03-26T21:53:30Z")

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Greatest little operator in Ruby: ||=

def pull\_records\_from\_date  
@start = params[:start]

### 

@start ||= Date.yesterday

### 

```
do some stuff here

```

end

Which basically says “if there’s nothing here yet, do another assignment  
check!”

Jason

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nephish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/8e7dd6/32.png) [@nephish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nephish)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2007, 9:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-have-default-param-if-loading-page-the-first-time/90221/3 "2007-03-26T21:59:32Z")

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way cool, thanks very much  
sk

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**Author:** ![nephish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/8e7dd6/32.png) [@nephish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nephish)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2007, 11:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-have-default-param-if-loading-page-the-first-time/90221/4 "2007-03-26T23:59:13Z")

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def pull\_records\_from\_date  
@start = params[:start] || (Date.today - 1).to\_s  
…  
end

- donald

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**Author:** ![nephish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/8e7dd6/32.png) [@nephish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nephish)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 12:14pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-have-default-param-if-loading-page-the-first-time/90221/5 "2007-03-27T12:14:14Z")

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hey, thanks for this, looks good  
sk

On Mar 26, 4:58 pm, “Ball, Donald A Jr (Library)”