Text_field instead of a collection_select

Rails
1

one of my model belongs_to another (zip codes).
i would like to let the user insert the zip code in a text field
instead of the select menu generated by the collection_select.
No new zip code should be created and the code should be validated (it
should be in the list of valid code).
How can this be achieved?

2

one of my model belongs_to another (zip codes).
i would like to let the user insert the zip code in a text field
instead of the select menu generated by the collection_select.
No new zip code should be created and the code should be validated (it
should be in the list of valid code).
How can this be achieved?

You want an auto completing text field. There are some plugins out
there that can do this and associate it to the other model
automatically. Here’s one:

http://model-ac.rubyforge.org/svn/trunk/vendor/plugins/model_auto_completer

You can also roll your own using a prototype/jquery auto completing
plugin…

-philip

3

You might want to check out:

http://github.com/Erol/nested_reference

Assuming your models were Person and ZipCode, and ZipCode has a field
called ‘code’:

class Person
belongs_to :zip_code
validates_presence_of :zip_code, :message => ‘Zip Code can’t be
empty or was not found in the list of valid codes.’

accepts_nested_reference_and_attributes_for :zip_code, :code, :required
=> true
end

View:

form_for @person do |p|
p.text_field :name
p.fields_for :zip_code |zc|
zc.text_field :code
end
end

Controller:

person.update_attributes(:person) # Nothing special needs to be done.
person.zip_code_id will be set depending on the zip code the user
filled in.

You can add auto-completion in your view. I’d recommend jQuery
Autocomplete.

Hope this helps,

4

Sorry for the garbled code. Here’s a pastie link instead:

http://www.pastie.org/801584

5

i tried the plugin you suggested, which seems exactly what i’m looking
for.
but i got stuck:

my user model has this line
belongs_to :cap_residenza, :class_name => ‘Cap’
and i added

accepts_nested_reference_and_attributes_for :cap_residenza, :codice,
:required
=> true

in the form view i added this:
<% f.fields_for :cap_residenza do |fr| %>
<%= fr.label :cap %>
<%= fr.text_field :codice %>
<% end %>
but nothing appears. if i change ‘cap_residenza’ with anything else
the form shows up correctly (but it doesn’t work, everything else is
looking for cap_residenza i suppose).
what am i missing?

thank you

6

On Feb 10, 6:50 pm, eugenio [email protected] wrote:

thank you
Does it work if you remove the
accepts_nested_reference_and_attributes_for line? If no, could you
send the models and form snippets (with the form_for block) as a
pastie?