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**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [January 18, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-modify-the-html-name-attribute-of-a-generated-input/126411 "2008-01-18T03:15:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1
**Author:**  [@dracos](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dracos)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-modify-the-html-name-attribute-of-a-generated-input/126411/1 "2008-01-18T03:15:15Z")
How can I change the html name attribute of an input? I’ve tried the
approach used to change the name of a form object:
\<%= text\_field({‘object’, ‘field’}, ‘my\_name’) %\>
But it only added to the name attribute instead of replacing it:
Any idea how I could replace the name attribute completely?
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**Author:**  [@dracos](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dracos)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 8:40am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-modify-the-html-name-attribute-of-a-generated-input/126411/2 "2008-01-18T08:40:23Z")
Use text\_field\_tag().
p.s. why do you want to break the convention?
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**Author:**  [@dracos](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dracos)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-modify-the-html-name-attribute-of-a-generated-input/126411/3 "2008-01-18T18:40:57Z")
Keynan P. wrote:
> Use text\_field\_tag().
>
> p.s. why do you want to break the convention?
I’m trying to test form automation with www::mechanize. From the syntax
I’m using (form.field = X), mechanize reads the rails name tags
incorrectly. In my above example, it reads name=objectfield[namemyname]
as name=objectfield and can’t find that page element.
text\_field\_tag and select\_tag work wonderfully for setting a name
attribute and testing this though. Thanks!