# Select options for HABTM?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/select-options-for-habtm/65159>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [February 10, 2006, 12:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/select-options-for-habtm/65159 "2006-02-10T00:08:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![csn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@csn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/csn)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 12:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/select-options-for-habtm/65159/1 "2006-02-10T00:08:04Z")

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I’ve looked through the docs and the wiki and can’t  
figure out how to go about generating select options  
and the update function for an item that has a HABTM  
relationship.

I have a ‘parks’ table and the park model has a HABTM  
to the ‘states’ table. On the park edit page, I’d like  
a multiple select box to appear with all states show,  
and those in the parks\_states table selected. Does  
anybody have some example code?

Thanks!  
csn

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![csn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@csn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/csn)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 2:12am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/select-options-for-habtm/65159/2 "2006-02-10T02:12:33Z")

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CSN \<cool\_screen\_name90001@…\> writes:

> 

I’d don’t use the multiple-choice select very often, but something like:

options\_from\_collection\_for\_select(State.find(:all), :id, :name,  
@park.states.collect {|s| s.id})

should work, right? Assuming State is your model, and the value of the  
option is  
State#id, and the text is State#name, and @park is your current Park.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![csn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@csn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/csn)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/select-options-for-habtm/65159/3 "2006-02-10T02:24:10Z")

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— KW [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> > I have a ‘parks’ table and the park model has a  
> > but something like:
> 
> options\_from\_collection\_for\_select(State.find(:all),  
> :id, :name,  
> @park.states.collect {|s| s.id})
> 
> should work, right? Assuming State is your model,  
> and the value of the option is  
> State#id, and the text is State#name, and @park is  
> your current Park.

Yeah - here’s what I came up with:

# edit template
 \<%= options\_from\_collection\_for\_select State.find(:all, :order=\>'name'), 'id', 'name', @park.states.collect {|state| state.id } %\>
# update method

@park = Park.find(params[:id])

@park.state\_ids = params[:park\_states]

@park.update\_attributes(params[:park])

if @park.errors.empty?  
redirect\_to :action=\>:list  
else  
render :action=\>:edit  
end

If anybody can improve and/or simplify it, please feel  
free! Perhaps I’ll stick it in the wiki.

csn

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