# More Nested Resources Questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [April 23, 2008, 10:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/more-nested-resources-questions/135660 "2008-04-23T22:53:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sw0rdfish)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 10:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/more-nested-resources-questions/135660/1 "2008-04-23T22:53:49Z")
Ok… quick example… client has\_many :locations vendor has\_many :locations so my resources is something like… map.resources :clients, :has\_many =\> :locations map.resources :vendors, :has\_many =\> :locations map.resources :locations Now, my new location view’s form looks like this… form\_for( [@client, @location] ) do |f| N.B.: I have a before\_filter in my Location controller that sets @client = Client.find(params[:client\_id]) the problem is, what if the new location is supposed to belong to a vendor? Do I need to have a separate resource for the two different types of resources? What’s the best way to go about tackling this issue? I swear once I get this all figured out I’m gonna write up a nice little write up for google to catch 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sw0rdfish)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 8:05am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/more-nested-resources-questions/135660/2 "2008-04-24T08:05:13Z")
No clue? ---
**Author:** ![sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sw0rdfish)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/more-nested-resources-questions/135660/3 "2008-04-24T16:23:41Z")
It’s scary how little information there is on RESTful development in Rails, yet it’s supposed to be “the way” to program. ☹ I’ve been reading all night and I can’t figure this one out. can anyone point me to a direction that might be able to help. I apologize if this is un-necessary “spam” or “bumping” ---
**Author:** ![sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sw0rdfish)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/more-nested-resources-questions/135660/4 "2008-04-24T18:26:30Z")
I am going to assume that you’re using a polymorphic association on location, something like: class Location \< ARec::Base belongs\_to :locatable, :polymorphic=\>true end class Vendor (or Client) \< ARec::Base has\_many :locations, :as=\>:locatable end The polymorphic association gives you the clue. Instead of finding a @client or a @vendor, find a @locatable locations\_controller.rb … def new @locatable = params[:vendor\_id] ? Vendor.find(params[:vendor\_id]) : nil @locatable ||= Client.find(params[:client\_id]) if params[:client\_id] @location = @locatable.locations.build end … locations/new.html.erb form\_for( [@locatable, @location] ) do |f| … end ---
**Author:** ![sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sw0rdfish)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/more-nested-resources-questions/135660/5 "2008-04-24T18:49:06Z")
Duh, OK so clients and vendor have many locations (seems like they would have one) map.resources :clients do |client| client.resources :locations end map.resources :vendors do |vendor| vendor.resources :locations end This should give you vendor and client routes like: vendors/3/location/2 clients/5/location/2 BUT… Maybe you learned the difference between singular and plural RESTful routes. Teedub ---
**Author:** ![sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sw0rdfish)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/more-nested-resources-questions/135660/6 "2008-04-24T18:45:34Z")
check out [http://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionController/Resources.html](http://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionController/Resources.html) Disclaimer: I too am still learning RESTful routes, which is pretty involved. But I think you need to nest the routes as each Client and vendor will have only one location. like map.resources :clients do |client| client.resource :location end map.resources :vendors do |vendor| vendor.resource :location end This should give you vendor and client routes like: vendors/3/location clients/5/location Note that clients and vendors are plural and thus use map.resources (plural) and that location is singular and the receiver of the singular ‘resource’ message is a vendor object, not a map. Good reading on the subject can be found in David A Black’s “Rails Routing”, which is a bit outdated, but gives you a good fundamental understanding of RESTful Routes. I think it is still well worth the 15 bucks as David has a wonderful gift of presenting complex material in a manner in which mere mortals can understand. > **[Rails Routing (Digital Shortcut) | InformIT](https://www.informit.com/store/rails-routing-digital-shortcut-9780321509246)** > > The Rails routing system has always been a key component of theframework, and with the introduction of RESTful routes in the pastyear, it has taken center stage. Fully programmable, the routing systemgoverns the process of mapping request URLs to the... On Apr 24, 7:22 am, sw0rdfish [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > Ok… quick example… > > Now, my new location view’s form looks like this… > > > I swear once I get this all figured out I’m gonna write up a nice little write up for google to catch 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sw0rdfish)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/more-nested-resources-questions/135660/7 "2008-04-24T19:17:20Z")
The more I think about it, the form\_for thing isn’t really an issue… since one would be coming from the Client’s Views, and one would be coming from the Vendor’s view… Then based on the view it came from, ( IE is @vendor or @client set ) redirect back to the correct SHOW action in the correct controller… ---
**Author:** ![sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@sw0rdfish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sw0rdfish)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/more-nested-resources-questions/135660/8 "2008-04-24T19:04:22Z")
Thanks Andy, I’ll check that out… that may be what I’m looking for… Frank, I understand the concepts you’re outining, my issues arise when I try to redirect after adding a location for example… do I go to show a client or do I go to show a vendor? And no, they can have many locations for example if my client is Walmart, they have many locations that I want to know of… Where it breaks down for me is with the forms for and the redirects after a CRUD call, because I don’t know how to tell the app to go to show the Client or the Vendor or whatever the location object belongs to. And passing @client, @location to the form\_for works, but what about the vendor form? I’d have to have some ugly if statements in my view… and what if location is associated with 10 different models… i’m hoping Andy’s advice helps.