# Updates using urls and query strings **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [December 13, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/updates-using-urls-and-query-strings/155570 "2008-12-13T18:23:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daz)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/updates-using-urls-and-query-strings/155570/1 "2008-12-13T18:23:59Z")
I have a task model and in the controller there is this code that sets the date a task was completed on if params[:completed] comes back as true and sets the completed\_by field to nil (ie incomplete) if params [:completed] comes back as false: @task.completed\_on = params[:completed] ? Time.now.to\_s(:db) : nil Users can edit the task and this code is in the edit view - allowing the user to tick the box to mark a task as complete or untick it to change the task’s status back to incomplete: \<%= check\_box\_tag :completed, “1”, @task.completed\_on %\> This all works fine. However, if I try to use AJAX to access the update controller directly with the following urls: /tasks/3?completed=true, \_method = PUT /tasks/3?completed=false, \_method = PUT The first one works, but the second doesn’t reset the completed\_by field back to nil. Does anybody know why this isn’t working? I’ve a feeling it might be because ruby is seeing ‘false’ as a string and therefore ‘true’. cheers, DAZ ---
**Author:** ![daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daz)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/updates-using-urls-and-query-strings/155570/2 "2008-12-13T18:29:15Z")
> Does anybody know why this isn’t working? I’ve a feeling it might be > because ruby is seeing ‘false’ as a string and therefore ‘true’. Precisely. all parameters are just strings, it’s up to you to coerce it to a boolean value ---
**Author:** ![daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daz)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 8:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/updates-using-urls-and-query-strings/155570/3 "2008-12-13T20:35:24Z")
Thanks for the reply Frederick, I just have two questions: 1. How exactly do I coerce it into a boolean value - is there a best- practice way of doing this? 2. How come this problem doesn’t occur when the value is submitted via the form from the edit action? cheers, DAZ On Dec 13, 5:28 pm, Frederick C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daz)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/updates-using-urls-and-query-strings/155570/4 "2008-12-14T00:13:17Z")
On Dec 13, 7:32 pm, DAZ [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Thanks for the reply Frederick, I just have two questions: > > 1. How exactly do I coerce it into a boolean value - is there a best- > practice way of doing this? doesn’t need to be any more complicated than if params[:foo] == ‘true’ … > 1. How come this problem doesn’t occur when the value is submitted via > the form from the edit action? if you were just using update\_attributes then it understands this sort of stuff IIRC. Fred ---
**Author:** ![daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daz)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/updates-using-urls-and-query-strings/155570/5 "2008-12-14T19:11:22Z")
Cheers Fred, that worked great! DAZ On Dec 13, 11:12 pm, Frederick C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)