# Nested Resource with two different parent controllers

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/nested-resource-with-two-different-parent-controllers/123204>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [December 14, 2007, 10:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/nested-resource-with-two-different-parent-controllers/123204 "2007-12-14T22:16:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Kenny\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/f1d935/32.png) [@Kenny\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Kenny_C)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 10:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/nested-resource-with-two-different-parent-controllers/123204/1 "2007-12-14T22:16:28Z")

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I’m trying to figure out how to created nested resources for a  
controller that can have two different “parent” controllers. For  
example:

Take the following models:

- Business
- Event
- Comment (business\_id, event\_id, etc…

A Comment can be associated with either a business or an event. An  
event can be associated with a business, but does not have to be.

I can obviously set up the standard REST routes for a Comment. but I’d  
like to setup nested resources but can’t figure out how to get it to  
work for both an Event and a Business.

Ideally, I’d like the following routes:

/events/10/comments  
/events/10/comments/new  
/events/10/comments/2

/businesses/23/comments  
/businesses/23/comments/new  
/businesses/23/comments/2

Can this be accomplished with just one Comments controller? If so, how  
do you set it up? As well, I’d like some fields on the Comments[new|  
edit] form to change depending on whether it’s being created inside a  
business or inside an event.

I though about creating two additional controllers that subclass off  
of Controller and calling them BusinessComments and EventsComments,  
but this doesn’t seem like a Rails-way of doing it.

(Note that I can easily change my db schema if there is a better way  
to model these relationships.)

Thanks for any help,  
Sincerely,  
Kenny

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**Author:** ![Kenny\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/f1d935/32.png) [@Kenny\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Kenny_C)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/nested-resource-with-two-different-parent-controllers/123204/2 "2007-12-18T14:51:02Z")

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On 12/14/07, Kenny C [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> A Comment can be associated with either a business or an event. An  
> /events/10/comments/2  
> I though about creating two additional controllers that subclass off  
> of Controller and calling them BusinessComments and EventsComments,  
> but this doesn’t seem like a Rails-way of doing it.

I may be wrong, but I think that this is the Rails way to do it.  
Doing otherwise would lead to an overly complex controller which needs  
to differentiate the urls.

I think you want to set up the routing something like this:

map.resources :events do | event |  
event.resources :comments, :controller =\> :event\_comments  
end

map.resources :businesses do | business |  
business.resources :comments, :controller =\> :business\_comments  
end

## Of course, I could be wrong.

Rick DeNatale

My blog on Ruby  
[http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/](http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kenny\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/f1d935/32.png) [@Kenny\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Kenny_C)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/nested-resource-with-two-different-parent-controllers/123204/3 "2007-12-18T16:24:31Z")

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Best to checkout the resource\_controller plugin. It deals with exactly  
what you are trying to do:

[http://jamesgolick.com/resource\_controller/rdoc/index.html](http://jamesgolick.com/resource_controller/rdoc/index.html)

See Polymorphic Resources.

HTH,  
Nicholas