# Something besides update\_attribute()

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/something-besides-update-attribute/111387>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [August 6, 2007, 7:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/something-besides-update-attribute/111387 "2007-08-06T19:37:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![taro](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@taro](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/taro)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 7:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/something-besides-update-attribute/111387/1 "2007-08-06T19:37:55Z")

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For my edit\_modeluser methods, I wanted to edit only those text-  
parameters that actually had something in it (if there’s nothing in  
the password parameters, then don’t change it!), and it almost looked  
like the update\_attributes method was the answer, only to find out  
that the method overrides the validation methods in a model.

OK…That’s not good. Is there some other method that can update  
only a single parameter AND pass through the validation ONLY on that  
parameter?

If not, then I guess I have to do the validation method in the  
controller itself.