# Overriding active record methods **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [March 30, 2010, 4:34am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/overriding-active-record-methods/185984 "2010-03-30T04:34:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 4:34am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/overriding-active-record-methods/185984/1 "2010-03-30T04:34:58Z")
Hi, My application is running fine but now I had an requirement like when somebody tries to delete the record from database using delete or delete\_all I should not delete the record rather I should set the delete flag to 1. There are many model objects and there are many places I am using delete and delete\_all method. I dont want to touch all the places rather I want to override the delete method of ActiveRecord::Base and also when application tries to get the records from database it should get only records those the delete flag set to 0. For this I have to override the base find method too. But I dont know how to override and where to override, and I dont want to add the overridden delete method in all the model objects at the same time. Please suggest the best solution for this. I am almost struck with this. please please help me on this… Thanks, Ramu. ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 9:17am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/overriding-active-record-methods/185984/2 "2010-03-30T09:17:39Z")
anyone knows about this?? ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 9:41am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/overriding-active-record-methods/185984/3 "2010-03-30T09:41:04Z")
On 30 March 2010 03:27, removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > 1. For this I have to override the base find method too. But I dont > know how to override and where to override, and I dont want to add the > overridden delete method in all the model objects at the same time. > Please suggest the best solution for this. I am almost struck with > this. please please help me on this… Have a look at acts\_as\_paranoid Colin ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 9:42am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/overriding-active-record-methods/185984/4 "2010-03-30T09:42:15Z")
Maybe you could find some plugins, but i could not remember which plugin could do this. sorry ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 9:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/overriding-active-record-methods/185984/5 "2010-03-30T09:46:21Z")
On 30 March 2010 03:27, removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > 1. For this I have to override the base find method too. But I dont > know how to override and where to override, and I dont want to add the > overridden delete method in all the model objects at the same time. > Please suggest the best solution for this. I am almost struck with > this. please please help me on this… If you’ve used Model.find(:all, …) you’re probably going to be a little stuck [1] , but if you’ve used Model.all, you can override this as a custom named scope in your model. named\_scope :all, :conditions =\> “model\_table.deleted\_flag = false” Alternatively, maybe "default\_scope :conditions =\> { :deleted\_flag =\> false } " would be better for you. But you’d need to be aware of using “with\_exclusive\_scope” if you want to chain scopes and return the deleted records too. [1] You can do something along the lines of [http://www.freezzo.com/2008/05/14/override-default-find-conditions-for-model/](http://www.freezzo.com/2008/05/14/override-default-find-conditions-for-model/), but that makes it difficult to do a real “find all” - you’d probably have to alias the original method to a new name and remember to use it - not really conventional…