# Messaging system using Rails **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [August 20, 2006, 8:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/messaging-system-using-rails/65662 "2006-08-20T08:59:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ce7236/32.png) [@Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Binh_Ly)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 8:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/messaging-system-using-rails/65662/1 "2006-08-20T08:59:41Z")
Hello, I’m trying to figure out a way to model a messaging system with Rails. For example, I want to do something like on Facebook where one user can send another user a message. I’m having trouble figuring out how this is said using ActiveRecord. If I have a join table like messages\_users, it would have a message ID and a user ID but how do I specifiy who is the messege sender and how is the receiver? Also, how would this work if I had one user spending a message to like 5 other users on the system? If anyone could provide me with some hints I’d greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance, Binh Ly ---
**Author:** ![Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ce7236/32.png) [@Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Binh_Ly)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 9:04am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/messaging-system-using-rails/65662/2 "2006-08-20T09:04:03Z")
Binh Ly wrote: > Hello, > > I’m trying to figure out a way to model a messaging system with Rails. > For example, I want to do something like on Facebook where one user can > send another user a message. I’m having trouble figuring out how this > is said using ActiveRecord. > > If I have a join table like messages\_users, it would have a message ID > and a user ID but how do I specifiy who is the messege sender and how is > the receiver? Also, how would this work if I had one user spending a > message to like 5 other users on the system? > > If anyone could provide me with some hints I’d greatly appreciate it. > > Thanks in advance, > > Binh Ly Hi, IMHO, you do not need any join table. Message model belongs\_to sender and receiver. Just create a model Message, and add two foreign keys (sender, receiver). On User model, you have two has\_many (sent\_messages, received\_messages for example) Jean-Etienne ---
**Author:** ![Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ce7236/32.png) [@Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Binh_Ly)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 9:54am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/messaging-system-using-rails/65662/3 "2006-08-20T09:54:26Z")
A Message should have 1 sender and 1…n receivers class Message \< ActiveRecord:Base has\_one sender, :class\_name =\> :user #or whatever has\_and\_belongs\_to\_many :receivers, :class\_name =\> :user end like this it _can_ be modelled (dunno if thats completely correct code) 2006/8/20, Jean-Etienne D. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > > If I have a join table like messages\_users, it would have a message ID > > Hi, > > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). > > > – Michael S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) [www.siebert-wd.de](http://www.siebert-wd.de) - Gedanken lesen [www.stellar-legends.de](http://www.stellar-legends.de) - Weltraum-Browsergame im Alpha-Stadium ---
**Author:** ![Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ce7236/32.png) [@Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Binh_Ly)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 12:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/messaging-system-using-rails/65662/4 "2006-08-20T12:33:21Z")
Binh Ly wrote: > Hello, > > I’m trying to figure out a way to model a messaging system with Rails. > For example, I want to do something like on Facebook where one user can > send another user a message. I’m having trouble figuring out how this > is said using ActiveRecord. > > If I have a join table like messages\_users, it would have a message ID > and a user ID but how do I specifiy who is the messege sender and how is > the receiver? Also, how would this work if I had one user spending a > message to like 5 other users on the system? > > If anyone could provide me with some hints I’d greatly appreciate it. > > Thanks in advance, > > Binh Ly Have you seen the source code of this chat application done with Rails: [http://www.petercooper.co.uk/archives/001038.html](http://www.petercooper.co.uk/archives/001038.html) ? ---
**Author:** ![Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ce7236/32.png) [@Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Binh_Ly)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 10:09am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/messaging-system-using-rails/65662/5 "2006-08-20T10:09:13Z")
Michael, your suggestion of: has\_and\_belongs\_to\_many :receivers, :class\_name =\> :user means that I would have to create a join table as well? the messages\_users mentioned in the original post? i can’t see it done any other way. binh Michael S. wrote: > A Message should have 1 sender and 1…n receivers > > class Message \< ActiveRecord:Base > has\_one sender, :class\_name =\> :user #or whatever > has\_and\_belongs\_to\_many :receivers, :class\_name =\> :user > end > > like this it _can_ be modelled (dunno if thats completely correct code) > > 2006/8/20, Jean-Etienne D. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > > > > If I have a join table like messages\_users, it would have a message ID > > > Hi, > > > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). > > > > > > > – > Michael S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) > > [www.siebert-wd.de](http://www.siebert-wd.de) - Gedanken lesen > [www.stellar-legends.de](http://www.stellar-legends.de) - Weltraum-Browsergame im Alpha-Stadium ---
**Author:** ![Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ce7236/32.png) [@Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Binh_Ly)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 8:52am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/messaging-system-using-rails/65662/6 "2006-08-21T08:52:29Z")
thats exactly right, altough you could use a join model, too (via has\_many :through) to be able to mark the message as read or deleted via the join (among other stuff). 2006/8/20, Binh Ly [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > other way. > > > > > > – Michael S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) [www.siebert-wd.de](http://www.siebert-wd.de) - Gedanken lesen [www.stellar-legends.de](http://www.stellar-legends.de) - Weltraum-Browsergame im Alpha-Stadium ---
**Author:** ![Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ce7236/32.png) [@Binh\_Ly](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Binh_Ly)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/messaging-system-using-rails/65662/7 "2006-08-21T16:29:32Z")
Another option might be to use a decorated join model. soething like, has\_many :messages, :through =\> :communications communications could have fields for message\_id, recipient\_id, sender\_id, date\_sent, etc also you could have a field type to store single table inheritance information to know if a message is a post, comment or reply. The possibilities are endless. Good luck.